The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-09-17


missed during the fiscal years ending
June 50 ISL 1882 and 1Sss. $50 $50 so
Compromised AL, SSs rs
Loss TO the ,4l3 06l o.
LOSSES UNDER VARIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS.
Assuming that the MCPHERSON Coon state
ment is correct as to the loss to the Govern
ment by reason of defalcation of United
States officers from the commencement of
Washington's administration down to 1861.
which they make S24, AL, s29.32 for period
embracing seventy-two years, we will now
show by the reports of the Solicitor of the
Treasury, which have been transmitted to
Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury
and the Attorny General in their annual re-
.ports. that the Mcpherson. Coon statement is
fla fly contradictory Of the reports of those
Cab net officers from Lincoln's first inaueu-
ration down to June 50, 1888. These reports
show \ 1tal loss Under the eight years of
Lincoln's administration from official defal-
cations, after deductins' collections, Of s24,-
657 ,972.16.
Stolen under G,snt (lSrst term, $685.
729.77.
Stolen under Grant ,,7ecOn i terml, sl,S74,-
%.
Stolen under Hayes, ST. 72452Ss1.
Stolen under Arthur's tn rec years S6,OO4,-
SO027.
Total loss. after deduch.1g collections,
S45, 527, 625.27.
1t is thus shown by official re. oorts to Con-
gress OF the different Secretaries III the Treas
ury ana Solicitors of the Treasury from 1861
to lss5, that during the twenty.th. rec years
OF Republican administration of the Govern
ment the thefts of public money aggl- egated
Sl5,52i ,62527, while from Washington 8 ed
mlnlstration down to Buchanan's botlA in
elusive, period of seventy-two years, tn ere
was loss of but S24, Al, 500 80, an excess of
SD, O65. 7GS 80 stolen in twenty-three years on
years OF previous administrations, covering
every President from Washington TO Buchan-
an, both inclusive.
LET THE BOOKS BE OPEN.
The acting Secretary of the Treasury hav-
ing lent his signature to the Mcpherson
statement as correct and thus certified to a
fagTant falsehood, as is shown by the report
OF the comptrolling officers, the law officers
and the Secretaries of the Treasury, includ-
ing such men as Salmon p. Chase, William
Pitt Fessenden, Hugh Mccullough and Lot
n. Morrill, it furnishes other strong reasons
why the books of the Treas ury should be
opened for inspection by new parties.
In this connection it would be well to refer
to the following fact: Four years ago SEN
ator Davis, OF West Virginia, when Chairman
OF the Committee on Appropriations Of the
United States Senate overhauled thoroughly
the accounts OF the Treasury Department.
BE forced from unwilling witnesses all Of
whom were officers of the Treasury, the tes-
Gmony that there were ], 300 ensures on the
1reasurer's book, and millions of dollars en-
tered so as to make the books balance with
out a single item to show when the entries
were so made or what had become of the
money. This extraordinary showing did not
receive proper attention at the time, because
we were in the midst OF great prosperity,
MAGNITUDE OF THE THEFTs.
The magnitude of the amount stolen in
the twenty-three years of Republican a@.
ministraIiop can be estimated in the follow
ing manner: If the amount stated-namely
SIS, 527, 525 27-was invested in standard
dollars and stored in the Treasury, subject
to the order of the Star reuters and the other
Republican thieves who have taken it, calcu-
lating that ], 200 pounds would make a fair
load for horse and cart, and that SIG 600
weighs 1000 pounds, it would take 2,S45
loads of $4,000 each to haul it to Republican
headquarters.
Estimating q cart and horse to be fourteen
feet long and four feet between each cart, If
placed in single file this Republican steal
ing would make procession nine miles and
tbree-quarters long.
Estimating the procession would move at
the rate of three miles an hour, it would
take Mr. Elkins at Republican headquarters
three hours and fifteen minutes to review it.
and the line would extend from the Battery
in New York City to beyond Harlem, and
yet Senator Hawley said in his Brooklyn
speech that stealing under Republican ad-
ministration had been reduced to a
minimum"