The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-11-11

aggregated more than 81 1884. .OOO,O
Note 3 No comprehensive account is
taken of the stock Of material and other
property in the hands OF the Govern
ment from time to time. Some of the
subordinate Offices of the War and Navy
Departments keep lists of stores on
hand, but they form no part OF the
Treasury accounts, and are not brought
together in any general system. 1t is,
therefore, impossible to ascertain how
much material there is or there ought to
be on hand at any given time. The
amount left on hand at the close of the
war can only be roughly Appropriated.
According to an estimate made in 1866,
the value of the surplus material that
should have been on hand in the custo-
dy of these departments at the close of
the war was about $500 900 900.
As much of it was of a perishable
character, such as horses, wagons, sad
dlery, food, clothing, surplus ships, &c.
and all of it grown useless to the Govern
ment, it became necessary to sell 1t.
The robheries were begun at this point.
ConspiraCies were formed whereby dis
honest officers sold to civilians, their con-
federates, the public property intrusted
to their charge at prices far beneath its
market value, and in some cases even
bought it hack for the Government at
many times the price at which it had
been dishonesty sold.
This however, was not the worst OF it.
According to law, the proceeds of these
sales should have been deposited in the
Treasury, and there allowed to remain
until expended under q new apprOpria-
ton of Congress. But this course would
have been doubly Objectionable to the
robbers; it might have led to an inves'
tigation of the dishonest sales, and have
placed the money beyond their reach
occurrences which, it seems, they did
not intend should happen. So they
covered" it, on paper, into the Treasury
as a repayment, and assuming that re.
payment might lawfully be expended
without new act of appropriation, they
covered" it out again, and expended 1t
as they deemed proper, without either
authority or surveillance.
Ia this surreptitious manner there
passed into and out of the Treasury ac-
counts during the years 1866 to 1870
some $255, 100000, of which there can be
little doubt that large portion repre-
sented money that had round its way in
to the pockets Of the robbers Note
T..
Every step in these robberies appeared
to be legal every step was in reality il
legal and dishonest Apparently the
material was advertised for sale, and
sold to the highest bidder, and the mon
ey was deposited in the Treasury. In
reality the material was sold to confed.
crate robber, for a trihing sum, which
sum went Immediately back into the
robbers pockets. 1t was then reported
to the Treasury as repayment received
and balanced on the Treasury books by
counter entry as a repayment paid out,
and that was the end of it.
This, however, was only one among
many classes Of peculatlon practised,
The War and Navy Departments were
the scene of numerous other robberies,
of which the fraudulent marine corps
oay list and the Ironsides, Montauk, and
Comanche swindles and Pinney frauds
were only types. Note
Robberies of almost incredible magni-
tude were perpetrated in respect of cap
tured and abandoned property, chiefly
cotton and tobacco. Note 6,
Robberies were committed in the in
ternal revenue warehouse, chiefly of
spirits. Note7
Robberies were committed in the GUS
tom warehouses, chiefly of silks, cigars,
and sugars, Note s.
Robberies we're committed in the Cur
rency Printing Bureau Of stamped and
unstamped paper, and even of the dies
and stamps themselves.
There are Government bonds in cirCu.
lation to day which there is every reason
to believe were stolen from the Treasu
ry, and cannot be shown on it's books TO
have been paid out for any valuable con
sideration.
In the track OF these great robberies
there did not fail to grow up host of
smaller ones. The Treasury safes were
repeatedly robbed under Mr.. Spinner's
nose; the watches, money, and other
effects of our dead heroes, which were
found on their bodies and deposited for
safe keeping in the Second Auditors
Office we're stolen. Note 8
To-day the Treasury is counting as
money tie words, Thirty eight million
dollars" written on worthless piece of
paper deposited in its vaults. Note 10
Every portion of the civil service was
demoralized. Tne Assistant Treasurer
at New York was lending the public
money on cashiers checks, the Collector
of Customs at New York was carrying
several millions of public money on his
private bank books, and Congressman
and officials were taking bribes for legis-
lation on the tariff, on the Credit Mo.
biIier, and on the Alaska fur seal monop.
oily.
The number of the robbers can only
be computed by thousands They were
not banded together in any one general
conspiracy, unless their false pretensions
of patriotism and common political plat
form can be called such, but worked in
gangs or rings There was whisky ring.
a custom house ring, a bond ring, Con.
gressiona rir g, and other rings, and the
members of these bodies uni ed to rob
the Government. Many Of the exeCu
tive officials, chiefly subordinates and
members of Congress, belonged to them,
and grew rich on what have been eu-
phemistically termed sharped practices,
but which wers in reality treason and
robbery. Some of the bond and warrant
clerks and the custodians and watChmen
of the Treasury building belonged to
these thieving rings. Even the Secre-
tary's private clerk betrayed the Govern
ment, and sold is secrets to stock spec
ulator in New York. Newspapers and
newspaper correspondents were paid by
the rings, the telegraph clerks were bri.
bed, and the wires we're cut to intercept
the messages Of the Government to the
Assistant Treasurer at New York.
Hhe circumstances convey soma no.
- Al \ Al L