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

Washington Special, Sept H. to New York Herale.I
The Democracy of the District of Columbia
ratified the nomination of Cleveland and
Hendricks by grand open air demonstra-
ton tonight. A street parade Of the local
Democratic organizations and Democratic
Clubs from the country, meeting on the
plaza in front of the City Hall, speeches
from men prominent in the Democratic
ranks and the adoption of resolutions ex-
pressive of the loyalty of the Democrats OF
the District to the standard bearers of the
party constituted the important features of
the ratification.
REPUBLICAN DEFALCATIoNs.
One of the speakers at the main stand in
front of the City Hall tonight was Congress
man Post, of Pennsylvania, Secretary of the
Democratic Congressional Committee. In
the course OF his speech he said:
Secretary Mcpherson, of the Republican
Congressional Committee, has issued a Cir
cular purporting to show the losses of the
Government from Wasnington's admins
tration down to June 80, 1888, treason of
defalcations of public officers and figures
out very discreditable state of public af.
fairs for Washington's administration COM
the preceding immaculate administrations
of Hayes and Grant.
He says the percentage of losses, based
upon the receipts and disbursements of the
Government, was under Washington 81 so
on the 81, GOO, while under Arthur it is only
one and eight-tenths of a mill on the 81 600.
He reports the total amounts stolen under
Washington during his eight years to be
$3.50, $40 80, while all that has been stolen
under Arthur's administration, down to
June so 1888, is 50, 364.69; and on this in
significant sum he bases his percentage of
loss on the en- ormous receipts and disburse-
ments, and thus gets his one and eight
tenths of mill as the percentage of loss on
81, eco. The Acting Secretary of the Treas
urv, Charles E. Coon, certiies to the correct.
ness of this statement, August 10, 1884.
This statement of Secretary Mcpherson
and the Acting Secretary of the Treasury as
to the amount stolen under Arthur's admin
istration is so utterly at variance with the
knowledge of every person who has read the
current news of the past six months that its
falsity was exposed with the statement
But an examination of the annual reports of
the Solicitor of the Treasury, who is the law
officer of the Treasury Department, charged
with the prosecution of the defaUlting Off
GERS of the Government in civil suits, to the
Attorney General, for the three fiscal years
preceding June 80, 1888, shows this McPher-
son-Coon statement TO be absolutely false so
far as the amount they report as stolen un-
der Arthur's administra ton Is concerned.
FIGURES OF THE SOLICITOR or THE TREASURY.
The following are the figures of the Solic.
itor of the Treasury, taken from the official
printed reports:
Amount OF Oscillations for the year
ending June 80, 1884, upon which
suit has been entered by the United
States Attorney General to recover..S 4SS477 81
Collected on the same by suits......-.... 1855 Of
Total loss on same....................s I7d692 90
Amount of defaleatiOns during the fis-
cal year ending June go 1882, upon
which suit has been entered to re-
42 400 "a
Collections by suit on same............... 1924 ii
Total loss to the GOvernment.........s 42t,I9s 10
Declarations during the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1855. amount sued on to
Collections by suit on same............-.. 1924 80
Total 6I7su "a
Total amount of defalcations during
the three years preceding June so,
1888, upon which the United States
has sued to recover in United States
Total amount OF collections on same fS s 50
Total loss to the Government $50, 800 p
HOW SUITS ARE BROUGHT.
These suits against defaulting public Off
GERS are brought upon q transcript OF &C
count made by the First Comptroller of the
Treasury, who certifies to the settlement of
the account and, that the officer has defaulted
for the balance stated and the Comptroller,
who is the final accounting officer of the
Government, recommends suit be entered
against the defaulter to recover the amount
of the defalcation. The Solicitor of the
Treasury, if he comedies with the view Of
the mptroller on the expediency of bring
ing suit forwards the Comptroller a state
ment of account or transcript to the proper
United States District Attorney and directs
him to enter salt to recover the amount
stolen as certified by the Comptroller.
The statement of the amount of defalca-
tons above given is shown to be correct, as
suits have been filed by the Government in
the various United States Courts to recover
that amount. In those cases where, on
grounds of personal or political expediency.
suits have not been brought the names of
the officers and the amounts stolen can not
be sscertained from any official publication.
The total loss to the Government for the
three fiscal years preceding June 80, 1883, as
shown by the certificates OF the First Comp
troller of the Treasury, fled in the United
States Court and sued on by direction of the
Solicitor of the Treasury, the law officer of
the Government in charge, is 81 500, 1877.
from which deduct collections, SIS, $3.50,
leaving total loss of 81, $50, 81 to the
United States from the thefts of its disburs-
ing 01lcerS Tor the time stated Dy McBnerSon
and Coon, instead OF s., 364.09, as they GER
tify.
ADDITIONAL LossEs-coMPRoMIsEs.
II we add to the amount certified by the
first Comptroller and Solicitor of the Treas
ury as having been stelen-viz.: 1880
S00.26, the amount stated by Attorney Gen.
eTal Brewster as stolen by the Star-routers,
1900, COO, which is properly chargeable to
the Arthur administration for its failure to
collect it by an energetic prosecution the
steal of Burnside. disbursing officer of the
Postofice Department in 1884, $S5, 900; de-
falcation of Morgan, disburslng officer of the
State Department in 1884, S1S,000; Navy
Department Medical Bureau frauds in 1884
estimated at $780, 600; defalcation of United
States Marshal Hall, of Pittsburg, in 1884,
and reported by Attorney General to be
S153,000, we have the amount stolen under
Arthur s., O04, S0027, instead of s.. 634. 90. as
stated by Secretary Mcpherson and certified
as correct by Acting Secretary of the Treas
ury Coon.
The falsity of this MCPHERSON Coon state
ment is still further proven by the following
statement, the figures of which are taken
from the annual reports of the Solicitor of
the Treasury to the Attorney General, who
reports the compromises of officia defalca-
tons for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1881,
1882 and 1888:
For the year ending June 50. 1881, de-
falc6tOnS 0t... Sbl0,9O3 %