St. Paul daily globe., 1884-07-24
THE TREASURY BOOKS.

swept away, etc.
THE TREASURY BOOKS.
Mutilatcd. Erased, Altered, and FaIsitied-
The Need of Inspection after Years Of
Corrupt Republican Adn,tnistrn-
tion.
Washington, July 17.-When Mr.. Hen
bricks told the Democrats of Indianapolis on
his return from the Chicago Convention, in
referring to the. recently discovered frauds
and stealings at Washington, ''we need to
have the books Of the Government offices
opened for examination,' he gave utterance
to one Of the most urgent demands Of the
times.
For more than tweny-three years these
books have been exclusively in the hands OF
Republican partisans, who have manipulated
them to conceal the corruption, the robber-
les, and the rascalities of their employers.
Every attempt to explore the records thor
oughly, and to bring out into the sunlight
the hidden proofs of guilt, has failed from
the opposition, the collusion, or the man age
ment of Republicans in Congress and in
official life
Investigations have gone to certain point,
and like that of the Springer committee at
the late session, they have invariably stopped,
or have been successfully obstructed when
the scent was keenest and seemingly most
easily followed. Some mysterious influence
has always blocked the way to full expos
ure.
Hundreds of millions have been stolen
from the treasury during this long lease of
Republican rnle. Counterfeit bonds, false
treasury notes, duplicate stamps, and other
fraudulent issues have been partially traced,
but it is wholly impossible to estimate the
extent Of the robberies, tho forgeries, and
the frauds upon any known data.
9 lThesea charges do not rest upon polit-
ical prejudice. Senator Edmunds, when
Chairman of the Committee Of Retrenchment,
made a report to the Senate, March 3, 1869,
showing that about $40. 900, 900 in the United
States bonds, and 1000, 900 in treasury
notes, legal tenders, &C., were unaccounted
for by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
He said:
''The books and accounts between the va
rious subdivisions of the print ting establish
ment have been, until recently Ito say moth
ing of defects still existing), or SO Irregular
ly kept, and contain, many of them on ex-
animation SO many erasureS and alterations
as considerably to diminish confidence in
the accuracy of results derived from such
sources"
Mr.. Edmnnds might have added that
original plates and dies were stolen
from that bureau and furnished to
professional forgers for issues of bonds and
notes, some of which were so well executed
as to be used by J. Cooke & Co. In the days
of their great power at the treasury.
One of the earliest acts of Congress made
the Register of the Treasury the official book
keeper of the government. 1t provides that
he shall s'keep all accounts of the receipts
and expenditures of the public money, and
of all debts due to or or from the United
States"
Under the admirable system organized by
Alexander Hamilton, the Register alone made
all the statements of receipts and expendi-
lures and of the public debt from 1889 to the
advent of Grantism, when the secretary of
the treasury assumed to make publications of
his own differing from those Of the Register.
These contradictions in regard to impor-
tant facts, about which there could have been
no proper disagreement if the true data were
consulted, provoked much comment at home
and abroad; and the secretary of the treasury
ordered the Register, on the oath of Novem-
ber, 1871, to adopt the formers figures, and
to disregard the accounts and vouchers on
file in his office, which were the onlyeuthor-
itatfve basis for the statements in question.
This extraordinary step led to an investiga-
ton by the senate, which, first and last, ex-
tended over three years. Originally it was
cramped by Republican majority. But
when the Democrats gained a temporary
ascendancy In that body, the treasury Of
ficials shut the gates down practically while
pretending to open them wide.
Some remarkable disclosures were made in
that investigation. Hundreds of discrepan-
cies wore found that could not be satisfactori-
ly explained. Iu 1898 the secretary of the
treasury, the register and the treasurer, all
had agreed that the net revenue was $685.
TIA, ,605.0s. In 1870 Mr.. Boutwell's new
method reduced this aggregate to 1923, ,092,-
1852, without word Of explanation as to
the ton millions thus arbitrarily stricken out.
A balance OF So, ,S93, S27.79 was absolutely
forced to make the conflicting accounts
agree. The clerk in the registers Office, who
for fifteen years had made out the debt state
ment, testified as follows:
Q.I see in column headed" amounts
to be added to receipts" marked ''b, " $2,-
O19, 776.10 and another one marked &c. -
500, 900, ,000, and then ne marked I'd, - s3,-
274, 4,051.69 making total of S. ,293, ,s27. TO-
which you say is s'to be added to receipts -
What is meant by that9 A.-That is in ac-
cordance with the secretary's report Of 1871.
These amounts do not appear on our books
Q.-l understand that these three items
amounting to between six and seven mill
do moi hoNEcT
They do not.
Q.-But they are added by order of the
secretary! A.-So understand.
The condition OF the books of the treasury
is illustrated by the following testimony of
William Woodqille:
Odd you find upon these books altera-
tions, or errors, or erasures in figures! A
In the treasurer's books, from 1850 to 1867
inclusive, the alterations, scratches, and
| cancelled warrants amounted to about twelve
hundred in round numbers.
Q.-Just explain generally what you
found upon the books in regard to altera-
tions or erasures of figuresl A.-Amounts
scratched out and new figures substituted
John W. Gentry testified next:
Q.-Have you made careful examination
of certain ledgers of the register and secre-
tary of the treasury! Al have.
He submitted prepared statement show
ing
Three ledgers from the registers office,
containing 42s erasures and apparent altera-
tions.
Six ledgers from the secrctary's Office,
containing 2,099 erasures and apparent al
terations.
These were the great ledgers and final
books of the Government, with the accounts
of all the departments supposed to be posted
accurately.
Mr.. Woodville was again called to the
| stand aud was asked: