The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-11-07
CHARGES OF FRAUD.


TO the President.
The following open letter to President
Arthur has been made public;
Hon. Chester Arthur, President Of the United
States:
SIR: Having recently resigned clerkship
In the treasury department desire to give you
an explicit reason for my action and to furnish
you with the details concerning the transaction
of public business that feel assured are I'M
known to you. 1 was employed in the first
comptroller's office. In the absence of the
first comptroller First Deputy Comptroller
Aug invariably called me to his assistance.
know the manner in which accounts are pre-
sented and passed upon in several divisions of
the first comptrollers Office, but am especially
familiar with the books and accounts of the
judiciary division, having occupied desk in
that division long enough to acquaint myself
thoroughly with the details. | resigned my
place in the service of the United States for the
simple reason that / declined to be an Access
sorry to the systematic frauds that are being
perpetrated through the first comptroller's Of
flee of the treasury department. [ challenge a
production of the records in the first comp
troller's Office to dispute single statement
contained herein | only give few instances
of wrongful extraction of the public funds and
assert that l am ready TO multiply the exam
pies. | say the United Staes attorneys present
false bills to the department and that they are
allowed often.
THEIR FALsITY HAS BEEN SHOWN
TO the first comptroller, and as an example
cite the case of William A. Stone, United States
attorney for the western district of Pennsyl-
vania, and / say that his charges in his ac-
count of 1888 were manfestly Illegal, and l
assert that | myself called the attention of the
comptroller to them and that in the presence
of Witnesses ha said fha claim vvo illnna1 nd
should not be allowed. l say that the first
comptroller sent for r. NJ. Reynolds, first
auditor, in whose Office the account had been
audited, and that the first comptroller severely
censured the act of the auditors Office and
again asserted the bill and all of its character
would be disallowed in the comptroller's of
flee. l assert that, Notwithstanding this
promise, the bill of William A. Stone was al
lowed. The bill of Nathan S. Dixon, attorney
for Rhode Island, was also brought to his at
tention by myself, and promise given me
that it should not be allowed, but it was al
lowed These are only a few of the many
of this class that might be cited John A.
Shields, commissioner Of the United States
court New York city, filed bill for 81 400 for
swearing United States deputy marshals and
supervisors of election at the election of 1880.
If any sum was due it was payable by bene-
ficaries, and not by the United States. took
the bill to the first comptroller, and he
ADMITTED ITS ILLEGALITY,
and promised its disallowance, but 1t was af-
forwards allowed. l assert that Joel b.
Echardt, marshal of the eastern district of
New York, presented vouchers showing that
he had paid TO the supervisors and deputy
marshals at the election of 1850 more than
$4,000, and say that whereas the law con-
templates that these supervisors of elections
shall serve one day, almost every one of them
charged and was paid for full maximum of
five days and assert that l myself carried
uAnRharc N ha fret ,at,tr 1lar at,1
called his attention to them and offered to
bring half million dollars of the same sort,
and | assert that over my protest the claim was
allowed and paid. This is one instance of its
kind. / assert that the senate executive docu-
ment of the Forty-eighth session, No. $50,
which is supplemental and shows the addi-
tional expenditure in the star route cases only
begins to show the enormous sums that were
actually paid out in the so-called star route
trial-and l assert that the sum of about SILL
300 shown to have been wrongfully expended
by that document bears two false statements |
made by the first comptroller. He says: II
now assert that this was settled in this office
without being called to my attention or that |
Of the chief of the division. That
STATEMENT is NOT TRUE.
took the account to the first comptroller and |
pointed out its illegality and this after the al
owance of this S1l ZOO the sheriff of the judi
,iary district through whose hands the bill |
If its allowance, and assert that whereas the |
payment of the witnesses in the star route tri-
lis should appear as having been paid in the |
District of Columbia, the bills of these wit
lesses for attendance were sent by such wit
lesses from the various states and territories
md were paid. l assert that clerks in the
United States courts charged illegal fees that
we're allowed and l say that G. H. Hill, of
Boston, informally charged per diems for
very day in the year except Sundays, the
Fourth of July and Christmas, when every
'ody knows that court is not always in session.
assert that II. G. Geisberg, clerk at Kansas
>ity Mo-, filed an em0lulent return for 1888,
hat bore unmistakable evidence of fraud, and
assert that am ordered by the chief of the
judiciary division to pass the account just as
was presented and that when l refuse to
o so
WAS REPRIMANDED
Y the first comptroller for not doing so. l
ssert that on my own motion went to the
apartment of Justice and that the matter was
Investigated by an agent being sent to Kansas
ity and portion of the illegal items disal-
)Wed.
/ deem it my duty to say that the first comp
'ollor is, in my opinion, personally honest,
ut that he lacks courage to stand up for his
onvictions and that when these various out
de officials act in concert as they do they
)mpel him to accede to their demands. Heis
so monomanac on the subject of his so
llled decisions and devotes his time and that
his immediate subOrdinates so exclusively
the production of these decisions that he {
nds little or no time to attend to the details
his Office | stand ready to prove by vouch- s
IS on file in the registers office of the treasu- ,
department that millions of dollars have
lus been wrongfully taken from the United I,
tates treasury.
Very respectfully, your obedent servant, :
j. j. BARKER. I