South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-04-20
Letter from WASHINGTON.


WASHINGTON, ID. c., April, IL.
The work of counting the cash in
the Treasury vaults i, still going ON
and up to this time the only discre-
pancy found is an excess ofsour cents
in Uncle Sans favor. But the re-
serve fund has not yet been touched.
When that is overhauled some peo-,
pie think there will be music, not that
anything il believed to be wrong i'm
the accounts Of ex. Treasurer 4ilfiilaD,
who ID man Of undoubted integrity
and has unquestionably left things rs
well as be found them, but way back
to war times and in many cases since
there have been deprcdations upon
Treasury funds which 30 far as is
known have not been replaced. The
money in the Treasury is supposed to
be counted twenty-five times by Ed
many different persons i'll every pro-
cess OF paying out or taking in, there
by making fraud impossible, it is al.
leged-and 80 it would be but for col.
fusion. During the war the cxigen.
cies Of the public service were such
that people could dip their hands in
the Treasury and get out what they
wanted; it never recovered from the
decentralization OF that period. The
Treasury books are macs of erasions,
and Insertions, and are totally iucom-
prehenslble. except to an expert ut nc
counts. The simple fact is that the
books will not balance, and the only
thing to be done is to cover up the
shortage by the cuttle-lish tactics of
darkening everything in the vicinity.
The determination to count the Urea.
sury funds IS the surcst indication that
the republicans feel the end is near.
Judge Folger is rigidly honest; his
position then may be imagined when
he found himself Ut the head of the
department, which is the fountain of
corruption. The Treasury is packed
with john Sherman's followers-men
whom Judge Folger distrusts and
dislikes.
As ID well known, nothing like the
| discussions which are now prevailing
between the Treasury officials was e.
yer known before Hitherto they have
had Secretary who winked at fraud
and peculation now they have one
who not only requires that his princi-
pal snbordinntes shall not steal, but
that they shall not allow their nnler-
lings to steal. WhenJudge Folger
came to know the charac ter of the
people by whom he was surrounded
he would unquestionably have dis
missed them i; he could, but his hands
we're ted The Assistant Secretary.
Henry !, French. is an example. =
Not SIN months passes tina. some at.
tempt to beat the government on the
part OF this man does not come to
light. Some time ago it was the pay
ing his son 30 Il day for doing some
sculpture for the government when it
was known The son hired an Italian for
pittance to do the work. Then it
was for establishing his relations in
the Treasury. not giving them places,
butshamelessly makingplaces for them
according to toe revelations OF the
chiefs IN whose divisions they were.
Then it was Tor sending bill of his
expenses 10 the government for at
tending Ralph Waldo Erncrson's fun.
eral-a bill which Judge Fo!ccr
promptly disalowed Now is it to be
supposed that an officer of Judge
Folger's rectitude would permit man
OF that character to remain i'm the
Assistant Secretaryship OF the Trea.
sury il he could help it? But, unfor.
tuEatcly. he cannot help il. lie is
surrounded on all sides by thcm.-
There is Il general complaint that
Judge Folger attends too much to dc.
tail, and both the capable and the in.
capable, the honest and the dishonest
among his immediate subordinates are
nettled ut it. Int from very different
motives. The truth ls, the, Secretary
has had cause to distrust so many per.
sons that he can no longer trust any,
body. This counting of the money
IN the Treasury is n source of much
anxiety to him and he will not leave
Washington until it is complete. Ii
there is deficit it will he exposed by
the stern honesty of Judge Folger if
ne mas the power; but very likely the
same collision that caused it has had
time to cover it up, for the present nj
least. When the democrats come IN,
then will strange things be discover
ed-Jut the Treasury vampires don't
care for that. After us the deluge,'
say they.
1t Is evident that when the nations
al debt ia finally paid off the United
states will be found to be q large
gamer through the destruction and
loss OF its paper promises to pay
Every month the de6t on which in
terest has ceased and for which no one
claims payment, increases, until there
is now lying in the Treasury nearly
eleven millions of unclaimed princi-
pal and interest, which has accrued at
various dates from 1887 and earlier
down to December %. 1882. Of the
S49.oco,ooo of fractional paper cur.
I f3onn1 -. -