The sun., 1881-11-20
Our Careful Treasury Officials.

Another embczzlemcnt Of forty thousand
dollars has been discovered In the eXamina-
tion OF Capt. uowGATE'S accounts, making
the aggregate of his stealing exceed ono
hundred and sixty Thousand dollars. This
case establishes two facts very clearly:
First, thai lie appropriations for the Signal
Service are largely beyond its wants, and
secondly, 'hat~1innnnni1aii11i i11iu1 11i ii1a ~
counts al the Treasury is villainOusly loose
The Signal Service costs in round num-
bcrs about million of dollars a year.
More than onc-half of this large sum is re-
quircd for the pay OF tho officers, and OF five
hundred enlisted men, who are set apart for
this particular duty. That money cannot
be stolen without certain and prompt detec-
tion, bccauee tho appropriation is specific,
and the persons Interested are all on the
lookout for their pay.
Three hundred and seventy five thousand
dollars are annually voted for telegraph re-
ports, instruments, furniture, maps, bull
lctins, and other items, which the Ingenuity
OF llowGATE and his conicdcrates multi
piled into an imposing array for the ediiica-
tion Of Congress. and especially for the Com
mittee on Appropriations.
Now. the largest stealings OF HowGATE are
within tho last two years preceding the APP
pointmcnt of Gen. IAzFS, and, indeed. they
are mostly inside of eighteen months. Thcy
averaged about eighty thousand dollars per
annum. In other words. onc-flfth OF this
whole appropriation was stolen outright,
without in any way affecting the efficiency
OF the service, and without apparently nt-
tracting the least attention in the Signal
Office, and tho accounting offlccrs Of the
Treasury have said nothing about 1t.
No argument is needed to show that II
twenty per cent. of the miscellaneous np-
preparation can be carried of by fraud and
forgery every year without disturbing the
| service for which it is granted. it ought at
least to be reduced to that extent. Bat this
Is not all by any means.
The proof OF so astounding n fact de-
mands the earnest thought of the House Of
Representatives, In which the supply bills
originate. II Is the loose and uDjustihable
habit OF the Appropriation Committee to
| accept certain classes Of estimates, Of which
| this Sigual Service Is an example, without
any sort OF proper investigation. II n de-
| partmcnt or u bureau asks FOR a given sum,
| the committee strike OF say ten per cent OF
the estimate and then Lcaet OF economy,
when forty or !iity per cent. might have
| bccn stricken out without the least injury.
The departments aud the bureaus all cs-
| innate vastly III excess OF their needs. AID
not unireIucntly double them, to allow II
! margin for this pretended retrcnchment.
| Tho doors are thus thrown wide open TO
| such frauds as We're recently exposed In the
| Treasury, and rs are now undergoing ju-
| dlcial investigation in the case OF HowGATE.
HowGATE carried on these operations
boldly. He entered the Signal Office with
| out any osteneibh property or income but
| his salary. He kcD. ur two private estab-
lishmcnts, for regular and Irregular house
holds. lie sported yacht which cost many
| thousands. Ho had shooting box like a
man OF luxury The Government attached
| his real estate, assessed at $4,000 All this
was done Gu about s., go II year, and nobody
Was surprised. The accounting officers
| asked no questions, passed the so-callcd
vouchers as matter Of course. and were
| anxious to obliRe q man who entertained
| literally and did not care for expense. Aud
| these guardians OF the Treasury, some OF
| whom passed the accounts OF HoDGE, OF
BABcUCY. OF SuEPH1rD. and Of tho WASH
| ington Ring, are still in Office.