The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-07-23
The Fraudulent Ex.President

which Hay es reached the White House,
he was a gross personal fraud. In
answer to the charge that he saved
most OF his salary, he recently stated
that the aggregate to his credit at the
end of four Years was $4,000. That
statement was false. like others ema-
mating from the same source.
The President ma be said to live in
publi:, and the expenditures of the
Executive Mansion are an open secret.
He receives $4,000 year for salary.
The White House is lighted, heated,
furnished and repaired by appropria-
tions. Attached to it are stables. a
kitchen garden, and large con-
servatories, supported by public money.
Secretaries, clerks. stationery, steward,
and servants, disguised as "messen-
gers and ''ushers, are regularly voted
by Congress.
The public receptions which figure
SO largely in court journals and in
snobbish correspondence do not cost
the President cent. Maintenance of
his household, and such entertainments
as he may choose to give, are the only
expenditures he incurs. The former is
diminished through supplies drawn
from the army cOmmissariat at whole
sale rates, and the latter under Hayes
exceeded in meanness all previous ex-
perience.
In addition to these advantages, there
is contingent fund provided for the
President, without any real necessity
whatever. 1t was originally inle ded
to cover acciden al items in the Execu-
tive Office that could not be stated in
the estimates Mr. Lincoln was allow
ed $1,000 for this purpose. The fund
was increased for q neral Grant, in the
sweeping extravagance OF that time.
But Ha es wanted more, and he begged
for larger appropriations, and got them,
as follows:
1877 .......... $3.50 1873. $4,000
1873. U00J 1889. ............ 5000
Total ss.5oo
1t is believed that most of this money
was applied to the expenses OF the
HAYES family. Before the era of prodi-
gallty, the custom was to refurnish the
White House generally for an incoming
President. Under K ng rule, in order to
provide jobs for favortes, this practice
became modified. and of late Years
furniture and repairs" are standing
items in the appropriations for the
Executive Mansion. HAYES received
the following sums for furniture. ETC.:
Is77..........'.. $4,000 1879 .....> $s50U
1s7S........ $500 1850. .......-..... 2J,000
IOttl- $yJ.lAU
A committee recently Wis ted the
White House and reported the furniture
as old and worn out, and every visitor
familiar with its equipment for years
knows that the changes have been few
and inexpensive since the departure of
General Grant. What became of these
large sums is question to be answered
by Hayes. They were not invested in
furniture. certainly.
The law fixing the salary of the
President does not name a time for its
payment. The custom had been to
pay at the end of each month. OF
course, it could not be properly paid
until legally earned. But Hayes de-
handed his salary on the first Of each
month, when not dollar was due to
him. The disbursing officer of the
Treasury quietly re nonstrated against
this unlawful exaction, and then he
changed the date of demand to the fif-
teenth of each month. when the salary
for the entire month was required to be
paid.
The disbursing clerk was then COM
PEELED to commit felony twelve times
year, or to he removed from Office for
refusing to obey an Executive order.
The poor dependant yielded, and HAYES
gained additional interest on his capital
by trick. for which he was entitled to
IAN Indictment for conspiring to violate
the law and for abusing his trust for
personal profit.
Hayes and his family travelled free
over the country, and he utilized the
Chief Magistracy to become dead
head from Maine to California. Ava
'ricious and niggardly, his first thought
was to make money out of the Office
and to hoard the savings.
Taking all these facts into account,
with knowledge of the parsmony
practiced at the White House under
Hayes, the best opinion is that he did
not expend over $1,000 a year of his
salary, if he reached that figure. The