South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-08-24
Ten Thousand Dol,ars on The Floor.

len Thousand Dollars on the Floor.
Two mechanics employed 10 make
repairs IN the Redemption Bureau OF
The United States Trcasnrcr's Office
ut Washington has, week. found uu-
der some machinery ten crisp and
fresh 81 200 bills enveloped in an Of
hclal band. The woTkmen were
honest. The superintendent being
absent, they handed the money over
TO subordinate liz the room
Several serious questions are sug.
gested by the discovery Of these notes :
First, Were they stolen and hidden.
like the notes that Ottman received?
Secondly, Can ten thousand dollars
disappear from TIE Treasurer's Office
without detection OF the loss? Thirdly,
Ii the loss was known. why was il not
reported? Fourihly, Ii the loss was
not known. what security is there in
the Treasurer's Office against robbery?
1t Is pretended that these notes had
been cancelled. This pretence is OBJ
vlous!y false. Under the regulations
OF the Treasury, cancelled notes are
cut lengtliwise into halves, the upper
parts goirg to the Registers office
and the lower parts 10 the Secretary
Office for final recount and examina-
ton before being reduced to pulp
The ten notes found by the mechan-
les were perfect in al! respects. and
ready fr issue.
The Treasurer and his clerks refuse
to give any explanation of this matter.
The discovery was made when the
President and the Cabinet were seat
tered in different parts of the country
seeking pleasure Accidents like this
usually happen during the absence Of
the responsible authorities.
The boosted checks and guards of
The Treasury appear in bad light
when It is possible for large sum of
money TO be found concealed without
any account OF it being on the official
books. L his, however, is Il mere ,ri-
fle when compared with other trans.
actions in which those books figure
mostly discrcditably.
Two Investigations by the Senate
have shown that discrepancies of ten
millions of dollars existed between the
accounts OF the Secretary OF the
Treasury and those of the Register in
1870, when Dir. boutwell, arbitrarily
reconstructed the whole statement,
and radically changed !he policy OF
Alexander Hamilton. The object
was to wipe out this enormous differ
ence, the existence, of which could
not be explained.
The great IeGgcrs of the Treasury
are mutilated in several places thou
sands OF crasures and interlincations
are visible to the naked eye. War.
rants covering tens OF millions have
been missing from the files OF the Reg
lister for years.
The Investigating committee Of the
Senate passed the following resolution
in 1880:
That the Secretaries of the State,
War, Navy, and Interior Depart.
monts, Postmastor.G General, and At
torney- General be directed to report
to the Senate, at It's next regular sess-
ion, what changes, if any, OF the laws
regulating the management Of their
several departments, of the divisions
and bureaus thereof, are necessary or
would be beneficial in promoting the
efficiency or economy of their ad-
niulstration or management TO state
what additional guards or checks, 'if
any, would conducc to the greater
sccurity Of The public money disbursed
by any Of them, or of the public pro.
perry and its proceeds which is in
their charge
This resolution was the result of an
elaborate investigation and report,
which attracted much attention Mt the
time. The Secretaries TO whom it was
specially addressed took no notice of
tl,and for three years it has rcmaineda
dead letter ON the journal OF the Sen
ate. None OF the Secretaries under
Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur has
shown any special anxiety for 'addi-
tional guards or checks upon his
management of the affairs of his de-
partment.
II Mr. Folger fails to get to the bot.
tom of this tem-tliousand-dollar mat
ter, and that quickly, too, the House
Of Representatives may relieve him
OF the task in December.
ayETE fSRm ~ ayY