Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-08-05

J, 1880.
THE PARTY OF CORRUPTION.
Frutess and Expensive labors Of Democratic Ia.
vestigating Committeeman Comparison Between
Republican and Democratic Records.
[From the New York Times.]
Very soon after the Democrats obtain
ed possession of the house of representa-
tlves, they began a series of investiga-
tions into the expenditures of the gov
eminent. They had for so many years
raised prodgious clamor over the ex-
travagance and corruption of the Repub-
ican administration of the government
that it is quite possible some Of them
actually believed their own assertions.
Then, too, many of those who joined in
the cry Of corruption" were old Demo-
Gratis who had their criminal share in the
misdceds Of previous Democratic adj
ministrations, when the disbursements
OF the government were insignificant
compared with those Of lateryears under
Republican rule. They could not be-
leve that any party, with the opportlni-
ties enjoyed by the Republicans, could
fail to reap rich harvests of plumber.
They remembered how their party used
to steal, when in power, and they could
not understand that other people might
be more honest under the same circum-
stances. Up to the end Of the year 1879
the Democrats in congress had set on
foot thirty-three separate congressional
Investigations, each one Of which was
charged with the duty of bringing to
Justice some officer OF employe Of the
government who had been employed in
| cheating the government. These thirty
three investigating committees expended
nearly 100000 The exact amount is
shown by the public records. But not
one single Republican officer has been
convicted of stealing even one dollar
from the government About a year
ago Senator Window, from his place in
the senate, publicly challenged the
senators on the Democratic side of the
chamber to name ga single Republican
officer whom the thirty-three investiga-
ton committees had proved to have
stolen one dollar from this government. -
This challenge has never been answered.
1t remains open, without any juggle of
words, and it ought to be answered now
IT the Democrats have not lost every
particle Of faith in the truth of their own
assertions.
The truth is, that no intelligent Dem
ocrat courts comparison between
the official delnquencies under Demo-
cratic rule and those fairly chargeable to
Republican administrations. Loose
talking and reckless Democratic orators
gable profusely about Republican
| thefts and frauds" the carnival of cor
ruption y which has obtained under Re-
publican supremacy in the government
of the Republic, and the "gigantic
frauds which were committed during
the war by Republican officials con-
tractors, and favoritcs. It is undeniable
that in the expenditure Of vast sums dur
ing the rebellion, there was waste, even
fraud. But, compared with the losses
incurred by the government in piping
times Of peace, when the disbursements Of
the government were light, these losses
were insignificant. For example. the
last Democratic secretary of the Interior,
Jacob Thompson, is to this day de-
faulter to the amount Of 1871, 900, never
accounted for. What officer of
the government, under Repub-
lican administration, was ever ac-
cused of any such theft as this i?
Isaac F. Fowler, a Democratic post
master of the city Of New York, was a
defaulter in the sum of $170,9 47, and
Samuel Swartwout, from whose crimes
we derive Il word of infamy, and who
was Democratic collector of the po1t of
New York, ran away owing the govern
ment 81 ,205,030. Then again, r. P.
Hammond, another Democratic office
holder, never accounted for 1912, 1872 of
the public funds which he misused
while collector of the port Of San Fran
cisco. Leaving ont all amounts less
than $4,000, the defalcations and thefts
suffered by the government from 1880 to
1861, when the Democrats went out of
power, footed up $6,S74,302; and the
list of defaulting custodians of public
funds during these Democratic days
shows a total loss of S3,21S,G19, making
a grand total Of more than $4,000, 900
to be charged to the account of Demo-
cratic official corruption, theft, and in
competency in thirty years. And this is
the party that rants and raves about the
dishonesty OF Republicans in office
The only true test of the honesty of
any administration is comparison of it's
losses by theft or willful mismanage-
ment with it's expenditures. merchant
who employs one hundred clerks, sales
men and cashiers, and transacts bust
of five millions a year, must needs make
allowance for greater losses by pilfering
and theft than he who employs only
twenty men and transacts business of a
million a year. But, when the Demo-
Gratis were in power, expanding only
comparatively small sums of money, and
employing a few thousands of officials,
they stole more money than was stolen
under Republican rule, when the ex-
penditures of the government were
enormously increased. This must have
been true, in the very nature OF things,
when a Democratic collector could get
away with more than million of dollars.
a postmaster with $170, 947, and cabi-
net officer with nearly one million.
These gigantic thefts were committed
during the very last days Of Democratic
rule. Some Of the men who are now
hurrahing for their admirable !9 stalking
uOlSc, Vic SuptiD sOluAcC, were en-
gagged in the leadership Of the
Democratic party then, as they are
now; and, with Hancock for a
fgure-head, they would expect to
increase they thefts which disgraced
the administration of Buchanan. But it
is unnecessary to multiply specific in
stances of theft, like those which we
have just cited. The official records
show that the greatest losses sustained
by the government by theft and defalca-
ton were prior to 1861, during which
period they we're at the rate of $5.17 for
every $1,000 collected and expended.
From 1861 up to the end of 1879 the
losses we're at the rate of 81 cents to
each $1,000. During Andrew Jackson's
partisan reign the government officials
lost and stole the public money at the
rate of 1852 to the $1,000; and while
Martin Van Buren, was president they
lost and stole money to the tune Of
gill to each 1000 received and ex-
pended. In Buchanan's time, notwith-
standing the great thefts and defalca-