West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-08-29
rheBooks Should BE Examined.

hen Mr hendricks told tho Demo
Gratis of indianapolis on his return from
the Chicago Convention, in referring TO
the recently discovered frauds and steal
ings at Washington: I'VE need To have
the books of the Government Offices
opened for exam nation" he gave ut
terance to one of the most urgent de-
mands of the times.
For more than tweuty-thrce Years
these books have been exclusively i'm the
hands of Republican partiSans, who
have manipulated them TO conceal the
corruption. the robberics and the rascal
tiles of the thcir employers. Every
attempt To explore the records thor
light tho hidden proofs of Guilt. has
failed from the opposition, the collision
or the management of Republicans i'm
Congress and i'm official life.
Investigations have gone TO a certain
point, and like that OF the Springer com
mlttee at the late sessi m. they have i'm.
variably stopped. or have been success
fully obstructed when the scent was
kcencst and seemingly most easily fol-
lowed. Some mysterious influence has
always blocked the way To- full eN-
poSure.
Hundreds of millions have been
stolen from the Treasury during this
long lease of Republican rule ounter-
felt bonds, false Treasury notes, dupli-
cate stamps, and other fraudulent is.
sues have been partially traced. but il
is wholly impossible 10 estimate the eX-
tent of the robber.es, the furgcrics and
the frauds upon any known data.
These charges do not rest upon polite
al prejudice. Senator Edmunds. when
Chairman of the Committee of Re-
trcnchmcnt, made n report To the Sen.
ate, March ), 1869, showing that about
Sl9,OOO,0 900 i'm United States bonds. and
slO,O00,000 in Treasury notes, legal
tenders, etc, were unaCcountcd for by
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
He sad:
" Tho books and accounts between tho VA.
rous subdivisions of the printing establish.
OF 9cicct' sull cNistingl, so irrcRulurly kept.
ana contain, many of them on examination,
SO many erasurcs and alterations as consider
ably TO diminish confidence In the accuracy of
results derived from such sources"
Mr. Edmunds might have added that
original plates and dies were stolen from
that bureau and furnished to profession
al forgcrs for issues OF bonds and notes.
some of which were so well executed rs
TO be used by Jay Cooke Il Co i'm the
days OF their great power at the Treas
ury.
One of the earliest acts of Congress
made the Register of the Treasury tho
official book-keeper of the Governments
IL provides that he shall "kecp all ac-
counts of the receipts and expcnd lures
OF the public money, and OF all debts
due to or from the United States"
Under the admirable system organ
lied by Alexander Hamilton, the Rcy-
lister alone made all the statements of
receipts and expenditures and o. 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 inn
portant 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 or
dered the Register on the 9th of No
vember, 1871, TO adopt the formers 8
figures, and to disregard the accounts
and vouchers on file i'm his Office, which
were the only authoritative basis for the
statements i'm question
IhlS extraordinary step led TO an in
vestigation by the Senate, which, first
and last, extended over three years.
Originally IL was crampcd bv Rcpub-
lican majority. But when the Demo
Gratis gained a temporary as endancy
in that body, the Trensury officials shut
the gates down practically while pre-
tending 20 open them wide.
Some remarkable disclosures we're
ma lc in that investigation Hundreds
of discrepancies were found that could
not be satisfactorily explained. In 1860
the Secretary Of the Treasury, the Reg
ister and the Treasurer, all agreed that
the net revenue was 1888, II 4 ,sOj. Ok.
In 1870 Mr.. BOutwcll's new mctho re-
duccd this aggregate 10 1923, ,Og2. 7Sj. 52.
without word OF explanation as 10 the
ten millions thus arbitrarily stricken
out
A balance of sc, 293. s27. ~ was abso-
lutely forced 10 make the conflicting
accounts agree. The books Of the Gov
ernmcnt Offices must be opened for cx-
animation, as Mr.. Hendricks saws. but
the first step neces- -ary for that work is
to turn the rascals out This is the su-
premc issue Of the campaign - IVash-
tHytOH Cor. N T. SUH.
A Self Condemned Party.