Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-09-05
OFFICIAL CORRUPTION.
Col. Mosby Airs Some Of Republican
Dishonesty In China.
Philadclphta Ilmei

PHlhurlpuW
The national disgrace which this
country has incurred through the COR
ruption of its Official representatives in
China is recalled to public attention by
the publication Of an important dis
patch to the state department from Col.
Mosby, the new consul ut Hong Kong.
The dispatch bears date of February
90, but the Washington authorities hid
il away securely among the archives OF
the state department, and 1t is only
now, SIX months after it was written,
that the document has found its way
into the press through copy mailed
10 unofficial quarters. The letter must
have been written soon after the consul
reached his post, and shows that he lost
no time in investigating the manner IN
which the office had been conducted by
his predecessors. The story OF official
peculation which he tells Is n shameful
one.
BY an act Of congress passed in 1862
all vessels carrying Chinese emigrants
TO the United States are required to
have the certificate Of the United
States consul residing at the port Of de-
parture to the fact Of their emigration
being voluntary. All of the Chinese
emigrants 20 from the port OF Hong
Kong, and they have been numbered
bv tho tens OF thousands since the law
was enacted. AS q fec is collected for
every certificate granted, tho revenue
to the government during this long pc
Rod ought to have reached very size
nble sum. Yet Consul Mosby reports
that an examination OF tho records
shows no credit to our government for
any fees collected on this account be.
fore the latter part OF 1871, although
there il no doubt the fees had been reg
ulary charged md collected. As far as
our treasury il concerned, things have
been no better since 1871. 70 bosure, i'll
eyeryquarterys statement after that year
there Is n credit for the amount Of emil
grafton fees collected, but unfortunate
ly on the other side OF the account
stands q charge for tho expense of col
Letting the fees, and by remarkable
coincidence the debit for expenes always
balances the credit for collection. Tho
result ia that, while tho records show
the collection since 1871 Of over four
teen thousand dollars in the shape Of
such fees. tho government has never
received cent OF revenue from this
source. The absurdity Of charging the
whole amount of tho fec for tho OK
pense Of making out the certilicato,and
tho fraud TINT has been perpctrated I'M
der this convenient system Of book
keeping, become fully apparent when
the method of issuing certificates IL ex-
t.Ini,n al Tho Iau hnforn "a youunl anna
to sail with Chinese emiprants tho con-
sui wns informed that the passengers
would DO ready for examination vt n
certain hour. AT tho specified time n
man employed by tho consul went on
board with the consular seal and the
passengers filed before him. each being
asked if he was voluntary emigrant
and having his ticket stamped with the
consular seal upon replying that he
was. An hour would be ample timo
to dispose Of whole ships
load, and yet on tho books
OF The consulate this en-
ployo wns regularly allowed AS much
for expenses as all the fees he collected.
The dodge il transparent tho illiterate
keeper of sailors boarding house,
who mas been employed for this work
and whom Colonel Mosby has no doubt
he could hro to attend TO the business
for u hundred dollars year, never re-
ceived but u pittance, and tho rest went
into tho pockets Of the swindling oilic-
las. Nor do tho fourteen thousand dol
lars on tho books represent nll tho mon
ey stolen. These are only the fees col
lected from cmigrants on vessels sailing
under tho American flag, no record mt
all having been kept of those carried on
vessels under foreign ilngs, which have
taken fully half tho whole number.
Colonel Mosby, therefore, concludes that
within the last eight years over thirty
thousand dollars have been collected in
emigration fees and pockotod by tho
United States officials or about ns
much rs tho Consular SALARY for that
period.
IL did not require this fresh disclosure,
fortified by an appeal to the records OF
the thieves, to establish the fact that
the representatives OF this government
IN China nro disgrace to the Ameri-
can namo. The evidence developed he
fore the congressional Investigating
committee had already left no room for
doubt on that score. What the public
IN now interested in il whether tho
thieves are still to bc maintained in
power by the administration The man
who was consul ut Hong Kong while
tins wholesale stealing was perpetrated,
Is now consul general ut Shanghai, and
tho dlsgrneed Seward is yet allowed to
I'LL tho position Of American minister
to China. The administration has al
ready soiled the national honor by its
tolerance Of such rascals; the only
amend il can make il to cut short the
official careers of convicted thieves
without further delay.