Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-08-07

y
means certain that they were counter
felt. The Superintendent of Plate
Printing in the Bureau testified some
years since, that the plates of the 5-20s
which the Secret Service had captured
were from the genuine bed pieces,
which Cor the rolls) must have been
borrowed from the Bureau to make
them.
The $500 Counterfeit" grcenback
of 1878 was inspected by experts and
compared with genuine note for the
Glover committee, and these expert
engravers swore beyond all doubt that
the note came from genuine plate or
from n surreptitious reproduction Of
one. The Bureau workman who trans
terred the plate from the bed piece
agreed with this.
The Star, in furnishing the synopsis
setting forth the above facts, says:
The committee go no further in sug-
gesting the means of reforming this
most dangerous system than to advo-
cate Il division of the work on govern
ment issues of all kinds, so that one
branch will have n check on another,
while each party being under heavy
bonds will be interested in seeing the
law enforced. The evidence however
that immense oyerissucs have been
made with the knowledge of some at
least of the officers of the government,
and that the books of the treasury
show forced balances, the reluctance
of the officers of the government to
show the books, and the suspicious CO.
Incidence of expensive election cam
paigns with the discovery Of ovcris.ucs
and so-called cuuutcrteits, show the
need of a more radical reform. Moth
ing short of Il complete change in the
personnel of the treasury administra-
ton can effect thorough correction
of these abuses. so long rs the pres.
ont head of the treasury department i.
in power, surrounded by his present
staff of employees, familiar with the
corrupt practice Of the past twenty
years OF Republican administration
and interested in using these practices
to secure his own elevation To the
Presidency and the continuation of
his party in power, these practices
may be expected to 90 on. The entire
treasury service i honeycombcd with
fraud, and the disclosures now made
only give the facts that can be clearly
traced out and definitely stated in the
disgraccful history ofRcpuhlican mis-.
government. The hidc-and--cck plan
of bookkeeping in use in the treasury
has hidden many corrupt transactions,
of which only clues and inklings could
be found BY the investigators, but
enough has been shown to thoroughly
alarm the people at the extent OF the
peculations and the danger of still
further and more extensive inroads on
the public funds, to humor the greed
or ambition of the men in charge of
their interests.
We give above a general review of
the Congressional report casting light
into the dark places of the treasury
department, and disclosing some of its
dark transactions This report Is the
result Of long and perscycring labor,
pursued in spite of every obstacle
placed in the way Of the investigators
by those who had good reason to fear
the exposures TO which investigation
was sure to lead. and the specifications
sustaining the general charge Of cor
ruption aud malicasancc are numerous.
As illustrative of the great public
importance of the subject. the report
states some facts showing the scope aud
extent Of the departments operations
The treasury at Washington con.
taIns over thirty bureaus, charged with
important functions and the oversight
of more than 1900 employees. The
scope of its powers extends from New
Brunswick to California, from the
Mexican Gulf to the Polar ocean, and
those powers are in their exercise often
dcspotic to degree that admits of the
suppression of proof of official miscon.
duct. Besides these thirty old bureaus
at Washington the treasury depart.
ment contains sub.treasuries at Bald.
more, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati,
New York, Philadelphia, San Fran
cisco and St. Louis. Il also contains
minis at Philadelphia, San Francisco,
Carson, Denver and New Orleans /;
assay offices at Boise. Charlotte, Hell.
'cua and New York n chain of custom
houses and custom Offices stretching
across the continent from Eastport,
Me, along the frontiers of New Bruins
wick, Canada, Lake Ontario, Huron
and Superior, the frontiers of Mani
toba and British Columbia, to Port
Townsend on Pugent Sound, Washing.
ton Territory, thence northward along
the Pacific coast, to the Asiatic sea,
southwark to the boundary of Lower
California, eastward and southwark
along the frontier of Mexico, south
ward along the shores of the Gulf,