, 1884-10-01
SHAMELESS FRAUDS.
An Exposure of the Country's
Corrupt Civil Service.
Unblushing Thievery and High
handed Robbery.
Specification of Charges Which
Come Near Home.
A Very Brisk Report.

AA1IOAAA A1HOA VI NAC - hAGA ANALA =
on the United States Marshal's account il
made public. 1t is signed by the Demo
cratic members of the committee, and
says: "a stream never rises above it:
source, and as long as those who possess
the power of appointing these officer:
have no appreciation of the true dignity
Eof the public service, and regard Offices
only as the rewards to be bestowed upon
their most INSCRIPTIONS political allies,
there is not much reason to hope for any
great improvement in the character of our
appointed officers" The testimony be-
fore the committee clearly shows that ut
ter ineficienCy and criminal practices have
prevailed in many parts of this branch Of
the public service for many years past and
that the government has been a heavy
loser thereby.
There is sameness as also variety in the
testimony. The investigation reveals
the wonderful unanimity with which
these officers of almost every grade and in
several portions of the country have
plundered the public treasury, and yet the
variety in ways and means by which they
have worked their schemes is equally
curious, and shows they have taxed their
ingenuity to the utmost to find modes of
accomplishing the one unhallowed pur-
pose of getting money they were not en-
titled TO, They charged for arrests not
made, for travel not performed, for ex-
penses not incurred, for guards not en-
ployed; they knowingly rendered false ac-
counts against the Government; misap-
propriated the public funds; became de-
faulters to the Government and to the
courts; increased their accounts in the
name of fictitious persons; arrested per
sons upon false charges worked up by
themselves; extorted money from private
citizens, and in ways without number have
swindled the Government and oppressed
the people
8 Numerous illegal acts are cited on the
part of Marshals in the Southern States
in proof of the above charges, and the re-
port calls special attention to the ingenuity
of officers in evading the law and the
shameful prostitution of the powers Of
their Office for unworthy ends. Frivolous
and vexatious prosecutions had been so
common that an effort was made TO stop
it, and an order was issued that no United
States Commissioner should issue a
warrant of arrest in Intenal Revenue
cases without an affidavit from the In
ternal Revenue officer that he had ex-
amined the case and that the prosecution
should be had. In order to evade this
the Deputy Marshal secured appoint
ments as revenue officers so as to be able
to make the official affidavit required.
They then worked up a case as deputy
marshal, signed the afidavits as deputy
collectors, and then served the warrant as
deputy marshal, in this way completely
multiplying the order made for the protec-
ton of citizens. 1t would be difficult to
devise schemes by which the dearest
rights of citizens could be more thoroughly
trampled under foot.
Continuing, the report says: The tes-
timony shows that Stillwell H. Russell, as
the Marshal of the Western District Of
Texas, so managed the affairs of his Office
that in about three years $40, 600 of Gov.
eminent funds passed through his hands
in such a mysterious manner that it coulC
not be accounted for; besides amount.
taken from his deputies and which w
cannot ascertain. This Marshal carrieC
off the books belonging to his Office ant
systematically swindled private citizens
and, according to the testimony, whole
sale forgery was committed in his Office 70
the purpose of ~defrauding the Govern
ment. Russell was indicted, tried an
convicted, and is now serving out hi
term of sentence in the Southern Ilinoi
%penitentiary at Chester"
Of John Hall, who was Marshal in tn
Western District of Pennsylvania for min
consecutive years, the report says: III
actually returned as earned during thes
nine years., $50, 1903, when in fact he ha
really earned $lS6, 96l. This spirit {
peculation seemed at one time about I
reach up to the examiners of the Depar
ment of Justice. We may well agre'
says the report, with the Chief Examin,
in saying that abuses in the fee system al
not confined to any district or section
the coun ry, but are, with a few notab
exceptions, so prevalent and 81 odious tn
it is not to be wondered at that DepuI
Marshals and Deputy Collectors of Int
! nal Revenue have been shot down as
they were enemies of the people. Sue
a systematic scheme of ~defrauding ii
public and harassing the peaceable CHI
ye zens of the country, is, of course, witho
any possible justification or excuse.
does seem hat if those high in positi'
!, and having the appointing power hi
. made any reasonable effort to secure no
est and capable men they would have m
with better success. In fact, it is hard
understand how any man, unless hims'
an expert in these wicked practices Al
skilled in discriminating between bad al
good men, could have succeeded in sele
ing SO many disreputable public oficia