The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-12-06
CHARGES OF CORRUPTION.
Made Agaiust Comptroller Lawrence by
a Former Clerk.

Madc Against Comptroller Lawrence by
Former Clerk.
WARRINGTON, Dec. 81. J. B er, form
ef clerk in the office o'Ithe Fl st Compti oler Of
the Treasury Department., testified before the
House committee on Expenditures in the De-
partment OF Justice, touching the charges pre-
ferred by him of grave irregularities in Judge
Lawrence's Office (Second Comptroller) He
asserted that the vouchers on file in the Regis
ter's ofics will furnish abundant evidence of
the fact that for years 1t has been the rule to
make illegal allowances to these officials
through the First ComptFoler's office, either
by design or through inexcusablo ignorance of
plain provisions of the law; that more than
one-half of the accounts presented by these
officials contain illegal or improper oharses
and that many OF these items are allowed.
These improper slloEances will aggregate an
enormous sam. Witness said: United States
District Attorney Stone of the Western Dis
trict Of Pennsylvania charged per diem for
fifty days for one term OF court. That term.
only had four cases. The Comptroller said the
bill was outrageous and should not be allowed,
but it was allowed. Mr.. Erhardt Marshal OF
New York City, paid out $500 for Supervisors
OF Elections. They served, all of them, five
days, and some Of them ten days. There was
nothing to show that they ought to have been
employed longer than one day-the day OF
election. l objected to the payment of this
claim. Ii was pigeon-holgd for a time, but
was afterward allowed. The clerk Of the Cir
cult Court in Western Missouri, sent in vouch-
ers, which contained items for the purchase of
window awnings and Turkish rugs. There
were also vouchers for three or four janitors
and for messengers for carrying water. l
called the attention of these matters to the
chief OF the division, and he replied that il
was none of our business. The Comptroller re-
proved me for not passing on the accounts.
There were other accounts for $11 600 that
were the result of the star ronte trials, l told
the Comptroller that-they were illegal; he said
he adssgnedithemswithont examiniBgIthem; /
told him could not afford to sign them; be
replied that he could afford to because he had
already done so; 1 thiAk the Attorney General
influenced the Comptroller to allow the Sill
600; Mr.. Hill of Boston, clerk of the United
State Circuit Court, charged attendance for
every day of the year except Sundays, the
Fourth Of July and Christmas. There IS no
curt in session all the time. Judge Nixen of
Rhode Island lives out of the city in which
court is held and charges mileage when GO
ing in and out every day. l went to the Chair
man of the committee year ago and to Sena-
tors Van Wyck and Harrison and attempted to
have these things corrected, but found every
obstacle thrown in my way. Referring to the
Fret Comptroller, Mr. Barker said: "I be-
leve Justice Lawrence to be honest, but he is
80 exclusively engaged in the production of his
decisions that he has not the time 10 attend to
the details of his otfic."
The COmpfro.Ier's Reply.
Judge Lawrence, First COMPTROLLER, fur
timony of Barker before the Springer COM
mittee: "The complaints nearly all relate to
the accounts OF district attorneys, clerks and
marshals. These are all sworn to by those
officers, then submitted to and approved By the
court in the presence of the District Attorney,
whose duty il is to object to any false or illegal
item. These accounts were all approved by
the first auditors, and the complaint is there
fore against these officers and their oaths, the
court auditor and officers of the last Comp
trOl9r's office. If ia likelY that mn n
should be mistaken than all these. AS to the
expenses in the Star route cases, they were
approved by the Attorney General, whose ap-
proval is conclusive; as to the deputy marshals
at elections, they were only paid for half the
tiae allowed by law, and their accounts were
sworn to and approved by the court, aud the
marshal had sole control of the time they
should serve. But one man ia the United
States ever said allowed illegal or extrava-
giant charges, and no says | am honest. have
| found many men who complained that | re-
| fused to allow claims which they regarded Just
| and legal"