The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-10-01
Moro OF springer's Report.

committee on United states Mar
shai;s accounts is made public. 1t Is
SIGNED nv the Democratic members
of tho committee and says: "a
., ro"m never rises above it's source
and az long as those who possess the
nower and appointing these ofi1ce's
ftwo1 have no appreciation OF the
,r"a dignity of the public service, ana
regard offices only as rewards 10 De
he's towed upon their most unscrupu-
lon political allies there Is not mucn
reason for hope for any great lli-
movement in the character OF our
anno;ntad officers. The testimony
before the committee clearly SHOWS
hat utter %inefficiency and criminal
nractices have prevailed IN many
parts of this branch Of the nuollc
service for many years past and ina
the Government has been q heavy
loser thereby. There ls q samenes
a, also q variety in the testimony
The investigation reveals the Won
derfuI unanImity with which these
officers of almost every grade and III
several portions of the country have
Numbered the public treasury by
false, fraudulent and nclltlous
charges, and yet the variety In the
ways and means by which they nave
worked their schemes is equally Gu
rious and shows they have taxed
their ingenuity to the utmost to find
modes of accomplishing n unhal-
lowed purpose-getting money. to
which they were not entitled. They
charged for arrests not made. for
travel not performed, for ex, enses
not incurred. for guards not en-
ployed. They knowingly rendered
false accounts against the Govern
ment, misappropriated public funds.
became defaulters to the Government
and to the courts incurred accounts
in the name of fictitious persons, ar
rested persons upon false charges
worked up by themselves. extracted
money from private citizens and IN
ways without number have swindled
the Government and oppressed the
people. Numerous illegal acts
are cited on the part of mar
shals in Southern States in proof of
the above charges and the report calls
special attention to the practice ex-
hlbiting the ingenuity of officers in
evading the law and the shameful
prostitution of the powers of their
office for unworthy ends. Frivolous
and vexatious prosecutions had been
so common that an effort was made
to STOP it and al order was issued
that no United States Commissioner
should issue a warrant of arrest in an
internal revenue S without an
a. ~ \ ,1v;% frD,, fno Srfarno1 paxyan 10
officer that he had examined the case
and that prosecution should be had.
In order to evade this deputy mar
shals secured appointments as reve-
nue. officers so rs to be able to make
the official affidavit required. They
then worked up the CAS- as deputy
marshal , signed the affidavits as
deputy collectors and then served the
warrant as deputy marshals, thus
compl, tely multiplying the order made
for the protection of citizens. 1t
would be difficult to devise a scheme
by which the dearest rights of a citi-
zen could be more thoroughly tram
pied under foot.
Continuing, the report says: The
testimony shows that Stilwell H.
Russell, as marshal Of the western
district of Texas, go managed the af-
fairs of his Office that in about three
years $40, 600 of Government funds
passed through his hands in such a
mysterious manner that it could not
be accounted for, besides amounts
illegally taken from his deputies and
which we cannot ascertain. This
marshal carried eff books belonging
to his Office. Systematically swlndied
private citizens and according to ties
timony, Wholesale forgery was COM
mitted In his office for the purpose of
the Government. Rus
sell was indicted, tried and convicted
and is now serving out his term CT
penitentiarv at Cheste~.
OF John Hall, who was marshal of f!
The western district of Pennsylvania,
nine years the report says
he actually returned as earned dur
Ing these nine years s33,303, where in
act he had really earned SIS, COG.
This system of peculation seemed at
me time about to reach up to the
examiners in the department of just
ce. We may well agree, says the
with the chief examiners in
that abuses of the fee system
ire not confined to any district or
of the country, but are, with
ew notable exceptions, so prevalent
md 20 odious, that it is not to be
wondered at that deputy marshals
md deputy collectors of internal
evenue have been shot down, as if
hey were enemies of the people.
such a systematic scheme of de-
fauding the public and h%arrassing
citizens of the country, of
curse without any possible justi-
or excuse, it does seem that
t those high in position and having
he appointing power had made
ny reasonable effort to secure hon.
st and capable men they ,uld
ave met with better success. In
-ct it is hard to believe how any ',
lan, unless himself an expert in
.ese wicked practices and skilled in
discriminating between bad men,
.uld have succeeded in selecting SO
lany disreputable public officials,
ut the very peculiar civil service
1les adopted in the appointment
promotion of this class of Of :
Gals will doubtless account for ,
'me of the bad results. The report !
ere names several officials who were I
.arded by promotion or otherwise ;
spite Of illegal acts and says: =
With such a system of selection and =,
of off Gals 1t is not to !,
, wondered at that the country has !
zen cursed with officials whose least =
'nious crime was that of .ublic =
undering. Probably the most re- y
arkable case of this way of reward
g bad characters was that of Judge
'nger, formerly Associate Justice of
e Territory of Montana. Charges
such serious nature and we'll
lown to the public were made T
ainsf him fhaf ha 1