The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-07-31
lCanti,iued from Int Heek. J

deficiency of $235 900 in the Meter and
Reiincr's Office in 1864 great discre-
pancy between the Treasurer's and the
coiner's accounts in 1866, and large losses
III 1870. The Superintendent was dis
missed for corrupt practices in 1877. LOSS
es were also discovered in 1870 at the
Denver Mint and the New York Assay
Office. The New York accounts were
passed by the Auditors and Comptrol.
ler's Offices Of the Treasury without prop
CIR examination of the vouchers, which
were paid by the New York Assistant
Treasurer without tho approval of the
officers who should have received the
supplies.
Up to 1870 tho Director seemed never
to have examined the New York Assay
Office, and the mint regulations were hard
TO find there. The report of the Director
Of tho Mint for 1877 says lin tables pre-
pared by Martin V. Davis of Philadel-
phia) tina. the gold coinage under Director
Lindoman, l674-7 inclusive, was $780,
100000, and greater than that of any
previous four years. This was untrue.
The coinage of 1917 wa, Sl6G, 100000
100000 600 more), and that for l85I4 in
elusive was $l90,000,O0O, or S24, 100000
more. The Director also fell into this
error of $4,000, 900, and understated by
this sum the total gold coinage of the
mints. He also understated the gold
coinage 1914 by $1,600,O00 He sta
ted the total 1923 inclusive mt $685..
100000; but his subordinate, Mr.. Davis,
stated it in the same report, for the Phil
adelphia and San Francisco mints alone,
at S247, 100000, over S13,OOO,OO0 more.
Thus according to official figures two of.
the miDts coined $iS,000,000 moro than
the whole five The San Francisco mel.
ter and refner's returns of bullion above
the amounts charged as delivered to him
III the san report, thus making the mint
$4,000, 1854-77 is credited to that mint
twice in the same report, thus making the
mint expenses appear $4,000 less than
the tru.,,.
The .ow York Assay Office smeltcr
and refihor, Mr. Andrew Mason, by
great care and skill saved and turned in
to the treasury in 1865 S64, ,GGG iioTo
than the bullion delivered him for treat
ment was charged at. These returns
were suppressed from the Directors re-
ports, being Jumped with earnings, and
Mr.. Mason was instructed to return
them as such, the motive annoInccd
in the instructions being to shiald the
mints from annoying inquiries rs to why
they, instead of returning surplus like
Mr.. Mason, they charged the Govern.
ment with waste. Thus Mr.. Mason
was deuied the credit he richly deserved
and was in one report made to appear as
wasting $4,000, in order to hide the mis-
management of others. The letter order
ing this suppression was signed rs Acting
Director of the Mint by RObt. E. Preston,
who figures unpleasantly elsewhere in
connection with cotton ccounts. In 1876
Congress cut down the appropriations
asked by tho Director over $500, 900, but
Lindeman contrived TO smuggle in
provision allowing the earnings from sep-
nratlng gold from silver, and from refin-
ing both, to be used in melting expenses
without going into the Treasury. The
result is that, every year since, the earn
ings have been spentin addition to the
s;aa;s allowed 5J Congress, and $500, $500 Goo
yearly have been expended without Con-
gress suspecting it.
: The New York Assay Office receipts
from the sale of blue vitriol and sulphu.
ric liquor in 1873 were stated by the Di.
rector there at $11 ,360.9l. Four years
later the annual report stated them as
$5,S025. Both proved to be wrong: the
amount was $lO,S60.9l.
The Directors annual reports for
1873-I6 state the receipts aggregating
S2,046,O0O. The report for 1877 shows
the same expenditures to be $2.409,O0O,
or over $3.50, 900 more than was acknowl-
edged at the time. The expenditures
are shown by the yearly reports for
1885 inclusive as $5,062000. The re-
port for 1877 shows them to be Sc, ,635. 600
or over $570, 600 more; S30e 900 of this
suppression was in 1876, the presidential
election year. Of moro than half this
S572,OOO suppression there ia not the
shadow OF an explanation. In 1876 the
items of expenditure were suppressed
from the annual report.
In the spring of 1869, 81, 400 bars of
silyor and gold bullion, whose value was
unknown, were deposited in the Flew
York Assay Office and moneys were
loaned thereon TO Daiiing & Sarder and
others by Assistant Treasurer Van Dyck.
This was very dangerous, for gilded bars
of lead or iron could thus be used to bor.
row on without interest or security. Al
least one lot of boxes said TO contain
bullion were deposited and borrowed on
in 1865, ana taken away ON return OF the
loan without any inspection or test.
This practice was broken up in 1869 by
George w. Edelman, Deputy Treasurer
OF the Assay Office; but it was revived
the year after Mr.. Edelman resigned by
Director Lindeman, concerning "British
bars aud sovereigns,o whose genuineness
had not been tested; and it continued
ti!i the Glover Investigation began, when
Lindeman stopped it..
from, 1000 10 1915 tie iSew York AS
say Office made 338 such loans. and in
many cases the borrowers returned the
coin and took bars, leaving tho Govern
ment to pay for coming the bullion dc.
posted to obtain the bars.
In 1873 the Superintendent of the San
Francisco mintsent L. Won Hoffman IL
Go. checks for 81 ,023, 600 under instruc-
tions from Lindeman, when but 5000 600
worth OF their silver had been assayed.
Superintendent Acton of the New
York assay Gifice mas ii;ucn in Ii the habit
of signing checks in blank and leaving
them thus in the Paying Clerks possess
sion. Last year eighty-tWo blank checks
Sero found in the Office With Acton's
signature. This is virtual d IS srtion of
his duty by Acton, for he cannot know
his clerk's action nor supervise his pay
ments. A rogue in the paying clerks
place, or thief getting into the Office
could fill up check for q million, and it
might be collected and the parties disap-
pear before detection If necessary the,
clerks countersignature could be forged.
superintendent Dunning, Acton's prede-
cess0r, repeatedly got checks made to his.
own order for sums due. public creditors
Then he indorsed the checks TO the cred-i
ltors and turned in their receipts with the.
vouchers afterwerd. After time he
grow SLOW about turning In the youche.-;s