Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-09-25


LOSSES UNDER VARIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS
Assuming that the McPherson-Coon
statement Is correct as to the loss to the
government by reason of defalcation of
United States officers from the com
mencement Of Washington's administra-
tion down to 1861, which they make
$24, AL 1929 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 attorney general in their annual
reports. that the Mcpherson Coon state.
ment is fatty contradictory of the reports
of those cabinet officers from Lincoln's
first Inauguration down to June 30, 1888.
These reports show total loss under the
eight years of Lincoln's administration
from official defalcations, after deduct
ing collections, of $24, 657, 972 16.
Stolen under Grant first term, S.
765, 729 n.
Stolen under Grant second term,
81, 374, 500 20.
Stolen under Hayes, 81, 725, 523 81.
Stolen under Arthur's three years,
Sc, OO4, 800 81.
Total loss, after deducting collections,
$45, 527, 625 27.
1t is thus shown by the official reports
to Congress of the different secretaries
of the treasury and solicitors OF the
treasury from 1851 to 1868, that during
the twenty three years Of Republican adj
ministration of the government the thefts
of public money aggregated $45, ,527,
625 27, while from Washington's adj
ministration down to Buchanan's, both
inclusive, a period of seventy two years,
there was a loss of but $24, AL, S29 80,
an excess of $21, ,065, 795 95 stolen in
twenty three years of Republican admin
istration over seventy-two years of pre-
vious administrations, covering every
President from Washington to Buchanan,
both inclusive
LET THE BOOKS BE OPEN.
The acting secretary of the treasury
having lent his signature to the McPher-
son statement as correct, and thus certi-
fed to fragrant falsehood, as is shown
by the reports of the comptrolling Of
ficers, the law officers and secretaries of
the treasury, including such men as
Salmon P. Chase, William Pitt Fessenden,
Hugh MeCulloeh and Lot NJ. Morrill,,
it furnishes another strong reason why
the books Of the treasury should be
opened for inspection by new parties.
In this connection 1t would be well to
refer to the following fact -Four years
ago Senator Davis, of West Virginia,
when chairman of the committee on
appropriations of the United States SEN
ATE, overhauled thoroughly the accounts
Of the treasury department. He forced
from unwilling witnesses, all of whom
were officers of the treasury department,
the testimony that there were 1, 300
treasurers on the treasurer's book, and
millions of dollars entered so as to make
the books balance without 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
administration can be estimated in the
following manner: If the amount stated
namely, $45, 527, 625. 57-was invested
in stardard silver dollars and stored in
the treasury, subject to the order of the
Star reuters and the other Republican
thieves who have taken it, calculating
that one thousand pounds would make
fair load FIR horse and cart, and that
SIG, 900 weighs one thousand pounds, it
would take 2, 845 loads of $16, 600 each
to haul it to Republican headquarters.
Estimating cart and horse to be four
teen feet long. and allowing four feet
between each cart, if placed in single
file this Republican stealing would make
procession nine miles and three-qu
ters 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 min
utes to review it, and the line would ex-
tend from the battery in New York city
to beyond Harlem, and yet Senator Haw-
ley said in his Brooklyn speech that
stealing under Republican administra.
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