The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-10-25

loose and liable to great abuse, and in ou
opinion it should be materially changed.
Appended to the report are exhibit
showing the prices paid for file holders, di
rectories, dictionaries, aliases and miscell
aneous books, which were In excess OF Wha
they might have been bought for, All tn
foregoing articles were purchased Of ]
Bradley Adams, Of this city, who seems 4
have received nearly all the orders 10
goods OF this description. The department
has been paying at the rate OF 81 30 pc
day for horse, cart and driver, the usua
price in the district being 81 75. The per
son to whom payment ismade is employed
in the Treasury Department, Thirty cent
per ton was paid for slowing Goa, when thu
actual cost Was much less, the difference
between the amount paid and the actua
cost being paid to the engineer Of the de
partment, because his compensation is In
adequate for his services.
During May, June and August, 1880, l75
copies OF "United States Government Lam.
phere" were bought Of George n. Lam
phere at three dollars each, when, as We
arc informed by the booksellers Of this
city, they could have been bought for two
dollars and fifty cents each with twenty
per cent discount.
Communications from Assistant Secre-
tary Upton covering the period during
which he was Chief Clerk oithe Department,
and Major Power, the present Chief Clerk,
accompany the report, Each Of these
communications reiers:in detail to the var
iOus statements OF the committee, and
maintains that there was no neglect dur
ing their respective terms relative to max
ing purchases after the proper advertise;
ments had been made and proposals re-
Ceiyed. They maintain that the records Of
the Department bear them out In this
statement,
In connection with the charges that ex-
orbitant rates have been paid, Upton says
it should be remembered that detailed
statement OF all expenditures made from
the contingent fund debt Is annually pre-
sented to Congress and published, No
complaint OF improper or excessive expen-
ditures, on these accounts have been
made by that body or by any OF It's
committees charged with the super
vision Of the appropriations thereof
or by any Of the dealers Compet-
ing for this trade, and am confident that
for many years the Department has, on the
whole, OBJ aimed carpets, furniture and sup
plies ut much lower rates than private par
ties have been able to obtain for like arti-
Cles. The Office OF Custodian, which the
committee refer to as being illegal, Is mem
toned by Upton as an office which has
BEEN recognized through the administra.
ton OF four Secretaries as having q lawful
existence. The minor irregularities to
which the report dGvotes considerable
space, 1t Is held, have been signed by the
respective Chief Clerks in the regular
course OF business without suspicion. The
Custodian or his subortlinates, who were
trusted employees, violated the faith which
the other officers OF the Department had
In them.
The letter OF the Secretary OF the Treasu.
ry transmitting the Meline report says;
Soon after assuming the duties OF Secretary
OF the Treasury my attention was called 10
alleged abuses Of the disbursement Of the
contingent fund department, which was
todian, and under the general supervision
Of the chief clerk OF the department, and |
appointed the committee TO look into the
matter Rs had been the custom OF the dc.
partment In such cases. | became con-
vinCed that certain irregularities and abuses
existed In that branch OF the service, and
as | had some doubts as TO the legality Of
the appointment OF the custodian, Iabolish.
cd the office June II, 1881, and by general
order July /, 1881, reorganized the Office.
II was my intention as soon as my more
pressing public duties would permit to have
pursued this general policy in other
branches Of the Treasury by the appoint.
mcnt Of competent committees to collect
the necessary data on which TO base the
proper action to secure economy and pro-
mote the best interest Of the public service,
but the assassination Of the President stis.
pended further action in that direction.