The Evening critic., 1883-01-24
SPENDING GOVERNMENT MONEY.
The Attorney-Gcnerai's Report rhe
Cost Ortbe Uuslnislsch Census.

Cost Oftbe Uusinisbch Census.
WAsHINGToN, Jan. 1.-THE ANIMAL re-
port of Attorney General Benjamin Harri-
son Brewster (he always sigus II thus Is n
remarkable document, remarkable alike
for what it contains and what il does not
contain.
The trial Of the Star Route conspirators
has been in progress for considerable more
than year-a trial here which, with the
exception of that of Guiteau, has attracted
more attention than any other one ever did
in which the Government was party; aud
yet Benjamin Harrison Brewster, who pre-
sumably had charge of it as Attorney
General, fails to mention it.
The first Star-Route trial began in the
last fiscal year. and the expenses of the
Grand Jury which indicted Brady and
Dorsey were paid during the fiscal year
covered by the report, yet we are left to
guess at the extraordinary expenses in
Cured, as no statement is made of them.
find by examining Exhibit NJ, page So
of the report, that the expenses the United
States incurred for the District of Columbia
courts were $l99,1s6, being $29,S02 for
jurors, $61 ,0s0 for witnesses, 1886, miscel-
laneous, $60,555 for attorneys and some
other small items The report of the previ
Gus year shows the entire expenses to have
been 100000 Among fees paid to attor-
neys (page s6) are A. NJ. Gibson, $1,000;
w. A. Cook, $3.50 r. T. Merrick, $4,000;
N. w. Ker, Sl1 200; George Bliss (fees and
expenses $3s, ,160, in the Star-Route cases
The item of miscellaneous expenses
S4S,S46- probably includes the accounts of
Pinkerton's detectives, five of whom were
here at s. per day and expenses One OF
these accounts contains a number of items
such as this;
Amount paid at Courthouse lunch counter
while listening to conversation Of Dorsey and
others.
Amount paid at saloon while listening to
conversation between Brady and othors
Amount paid at saloon for drinks while get
ting Information from Juror.
There are enough of these items to swell
the account Of these detectives TO between
fifteen and sixteen hundred dollars per
month. The name of the Juror in this last
item is given.
These items, taken with those most re-
markablc expenditures enumerated in the
report, of 5000 for bust of the young Au
gustus, $670 for a Turkey rug, or Si.75 for
decorated plate, certainly make the report
fully worthy of the ridiculous Attorney
General.
The Census Bureau is asking for more
money. Oliver Twist, when he asked for
more" soup, could not have been rs hun,
cry for something to eat as are the cormo-
rants of the Census Bureau for the peoples
money. To show how the $5,300000 the
census has cost up to this time has been eX-
pended, / give the organization of one di-
vision: One division chief, 1900; one as.
sistant division chief 81 400; one second
assistant division chief, 81 400; one divi-
sion clerk and timekeeper, 81 200; two Sec
tion chiefs, each 81 400; two assistant sec
tion chiefs, each 81 200; one special agent
at So per day and expenses, say $500 per
year; one messenger, S720; eleven clerks
at 81, 200 EACH
Here are twenty-one employees, nine Of
the other eleven. The nine overseers cost
$14,100. while the workers cost $13.920.
With this system of organization, the
ouly wonder is that ten millions instead
of five, has not been expended. Mr. Seaton,
formerly chief clerk and now superintend-
ant, is the patentee of q machine Of which
think about 1,200 were used in the bu-
reau, the Government paying him a roy
atty of 81 on each machine. At the same
time it was paying large salary TO Mr..
Seaton and one to his son.
One hundred and forty-fve clerks were
furloughed some time since, and | am in
formed that the chiefs of divisions and
sections the high-salaried, do-nothing fell
lows being retained, while the workers
were furloughed.
Congress will no doubt have to give the
additional sum asked for to reap any bene-
fit from the amounts expended, but it
should investigate the actions of the bureau
where either incompetence or corruption
will be exposed.--New York Sun.