New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-30
MALICE OR DULNESS.

Senator DAVIS, OF NeSC NHRlhidi Hde ePOHO
nearly two and q half years labor and wasted
more than $4,000 of the public money, in the
attempt to Justify foolish and preposterous
speech of his own delivered in 1877. In that
speech he alleged that there were scandalous
and suspicious discrepancies In the public ac-
counts that the Official debt statements were I'M
true that the Treasury Systematically falsitied
its books. He intimated, rather than charged,
that erasures, alterations and fictitious entries
in the ledgers were made to conceal detalca-
tons or deficiencies amounting to many mill
lions. The very extravaganza of his state
ments discredited them from the first. A brief
explanation from the Secretary of the Treasury
showed that the apparent discrepancies which
excited Mr.. Davis's supiCiOns arose entirely
from differences in the method Of keeping the
accounts. 1t was seen that any such long
course of deception and dishonesty as he sus-
pected was impossible. Mr.. Davis and his
speech were dismissed from public attention
amid the general laughter.
But Mr.. Davis asked for committee of in
vestgation, with clerks, experts and 80 on, and
went to work. Not to make genuine examina-
ton of the affairs Of the Treasury, but to vim
dictate his speech. The Report, OF which he has
now presented an oral summary, has no other
purpose than to prove that he Is not
such fool as the people took him fori
It suas mares nest that he found, after
all. He repeats his former accusations
with fresh emphasis, and to support them
he cites numerous instances in which debt state
ments do not agree with one another by many
millions, and alterations appear to have been
made in the Treasury books. He suDDresses
the fact, which his own Observation-Disclosures
that all these apparent differences had been
clearly and repeatedly explained; that the al
tetations in the entries were proper corrections
of clerical errors; that the accuracy OF the
books has not been successfully impeached ;
that no record has ever been changed; and that
no money has ever been missing. These essen
tial facts are brought out by Mr.. ingalls, in his
summary of the minority report, but the Kansas
Senator only repeats what the whole country
has known for more than two years
The original trouble with Mr.. Davis was
probably, as Senator Ingalls, says, an "incapacity
" to understand the difference between change
in the mode Of stating the public debt and a
Il change in the debt itself" Throughout the
Investigation the dulness of the chairman of
the committee on this subject was permanent
stumbing-block. But if Mr.. Davis las been
ridiculous all this time, there has also been a
mixture of malice with his ignorance; and the
behavior of some of his party friends who are
trying to make political capital by pretending
to believe in his crazy disclosures is little less
than infamous. The honor of the Government
is attacked; the good name Of the whole
American people is besmirched; the financial
credit Of the United States is assailed, and a
dangerous blow is thus struck at what Mr.. In
gals Justly calls an indispensable element of
the national life" There is hardly any Ian
cuage too strong to denOunce the "pubic enc
Gmies who are joining hands with the thick
minded Senator from West Virginia in attack
ing the public credit because they hope that the
scandal may help their selfish schemes In the
campaign.