National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-01-09


against INSCRIPTIONS officers. This system
will be introduced If congress ut its present
session omits to act upon your suggestion.
The labor of formulating these books-neces-
sarily great, as it needed repeated revisions-
has. in tho main, been performed by an ex- |
aminer whose services in the accounting Off |
ces Of the treasury department for years have |
made him especially fitted for the work.
The extent of territory to be traversed and
the number of officers whose accounts and
conduct need supervision induce me to pre-
sent to your attention tho inadequacy OF the
present appropriation for this purpose,
namely, $4,000. Having given the matter
much consideration, my conclusion Is that
the government would be largely benefited
by increasing the force of this branch of the
service. In support of this opinion your at
tonton is respectfully invited to the annexed
copy of q letter upon this subject from the
United States attorney for the district of
South Carolina, who states that the abuses
recently discovered in that state have existed
since the time when tho authority of the
government was re-ostablished in his dis
trict, and they had continued without chal-
lengo," he says. until the precedent had
come to be regarded as a law OF tho service"
The district attorney further says:
] do not hesitate TO soy that in Its effect upon
the conduct OF the public business III this district
the value OF the work done by MIR. Ballin cannot
times The expense incurred by the government In
his employment and take leave to add that
whatever may be tho condition ofthe service else
where, IL this system of examination and inspcc.
ton could be enlarged so as TO nllow nm annual
visit Of the examiner to each district In the United
| States, the economy Of IL would be abundAnty
| justified.
The advantages resulting from these in.
vcstigations have been equally apparent in
every district whero they have been mado, as
will BIO Seen by refcreuce to the annexed copy
of letter of recent date upon this subject
from Hon. r.. NJ. Reynolds, first auditor OF
the treasury who concludes his letter as
follows:
| The thorough examinations made by your de.
| partmont under the direction OF Brewster Came
ron, general agent. have greatly relieved the enl-
barrassments heretofore existing. as the reports
| made by the examiners developed irregularities
| which were scarcely suspected aud frauds whose
detection was otherwise impossible from the face
ofthe papers presented for audit and adjustment
in this department.. The general effect of these
| examinations upon the public service is noted in
the more careful preparation Of accounts before
approval by the courts, and have no hesitation
IN saying that thousands of dollars have thus
been saved TO the government ana greater en-
cheney In the Judicial service under your super
vision.
Hon. William Lawrence, first comptroller
of the treasury, comedies with the views ex-
pressed by the first auditor Of the value Of
the services rendered by tho examiners as an
aid to the final adjustment of accounts in the
treasury. He says:
/ fully concur in the auditors views. The work
OF the examiners Is of great advantage to the gov
eminent, and could not be done tihclently by
clerks from the accounting offices, as their time Is
fully occupied In auditing aud revising accounts
In this department.
1t is difficult to appreciate the labor re-
quirod to make an examination Of amarsha's
accounts oven in a single district. The ex-
aminer must see each of the marshal's regu-
lar and special deputies, who are sometimes
scattered over and entire State, the persons
| who have been arrested, those who have been
reported as guards, many of the witnesses,
who sometimes accompany persons under ar
rest to the commissioners office, TO procure
all the evidence that can be found to support
the complaints that guards were charged for
| when no. guards were used, that meals were
charged for when none were taken, and that
travel was charged for which was not per-
formed. To investigate the accounts in one
district thoroughly requires two examiners
services for six or eight weeks. This shows
that labor of this character is unusually oner-
Gus and severe, and cannot be properly pro-
sented in any statement, however full,
especially when it is remembered that the re-
suits Of the examination must always be the
basis of any prosecution that may be had.
Emory Speer, esq., United States attorney
for the northern district Of Georgia, in a let
ter referring to the conviction of late
deputy marshal for rendering fraudulent
accounts, mentions some of the difficulties
encountered by examiners in procuring evil
dence. In speaking of the results OF these
investigations, he says:
The facts an witnesses were gathered from all
parts of the district, and principally from remote
| and almost inaccessible country, where but for
the labor Of these oGncials they would have re.
NAMED undiscovered and the guilty parties gone
unpunished.
| the government thousands OF dollars, and the
| conviction would have been impossible but for
the painstaking aud laborous work of these Of
iclals.
They traversed the mountain counties Of my
district personally examined witnesses, ascer-
tuined distances, detected frauds in charges for
guards, board, provisions, &C., aud in word pro-
duced mass OF testimony OF the most important
character to the prosecution and to the puritlca-
tion of the public service from the practices to
which | refer.
This is the extent of my personal observation,
and say unhesitatingly that In the cases referred
TO the examiners by their efficiency have revolu.
| tioniZed the system OF presenting accounts, and
have protected the treasury and the service.
If the force be increased it would promote
the efficiency of the service to divide the
country into districts. There should be seven
examiners, one to be stationed at Washington,
ID. q. 1.-THE headquarters); two at Atlanta, Ga;
two at Kansas City, Mo-, and two at Omaha,
Neb. If the class of men who now fill these
positions and the high order of merit required
to fill them creditably be taken into consider
alton, they should BIZ paid as much ps agents
of the internal revenue, customs, and treasury
| bpeClal aBcuto, uhincly, 90 pcr udy ior tuo
principal in each division and SO per day for
the assistant. Economy and justice require
that the compensation of examiners should
be fixed at sum sufficient to secure the en-
ployment and retention of superior men. As
II would be their duty to visit each judicial
district in their division after the rendition
of tho semi-annual emolument returns, the
travelling expenses of each would be large,
amounting probably to 800 per month. The
salary and travelling expenses of the gen.
oral agent, added to tho salary of the seven
examiners, would approximate SiO,OOOper an
nun.
II examiners are thus stationed in districts,
the service will BIO improved and the expenses
of the United States courts largely reduced.
Congress should be asked to appropriate an
nually $4,000 instead of $4,000 for the pros
ecution of crimes and the investigation of
| accounts.
When 1 assumed charge of the Office there
was but one examiner employed, and his
services were only used when the depart
monts attention was called TO any special
case 1t early occurred to mo that there
wore districts that needed investigations from
which no formal complaints had been made.
Tho examiners were therefore sent to
various districts whore Irregularities were
suspected to ascertain the condition of the
business.
An examination was made of the emOlu-
mont returns rendered by late United
States marshal from Jan, ., 1873, to June l,
1882, with the following result:
l...G ~. ..1. ..uD