Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-10-01

shows that utter inefficieucy and erIrui
nal practices have prevailed 10 many
parts IN this branch of tue public service
Tor many years past, and that the Gov
eminent has been heavy loser therehv.
mere Ii a sameness. as also a variety.
IN the testimony. The investigation re-
| veais the wonderful unauinsity with
which these officers, Of most every grade
and IN several portions of the country.
nave piundered the public treasury by
false, fraudulent and fictitious charges.
| aud yet the variety In the ways and
means by which they have worked their
schemes IS equally curious and shows
tnat they have taxed their ingenuity to
sue utmost to mud modes to accomplish
the one 1nhaliowed purpose of getting
money To which they we're not entitled.
Ihey charged for arrests .ot made. for
travel not performed, for expenses no,
incurred, for guards not EMPLOYED.
They knowingly rendered false accounts
against the Government, misappropri-
ated pubiic funds, became defau ters to
the Government and to the courts, in
cured accounts in the name of fictitious
persons, arrested persons upon false
cnar2es worked up 10y themselves, ex-
torted money from private citizens, and
| IN ways without number have swindled
the Government and oppressed the peo-
| pie.
Numerous illegal acts are cited on the
| part of marshais IN Southern States. ia
proof of the above charges, aud the re
port calls special attention to practices
exhibiting the ingenuity of the officers
IN evadIng the law, and in the shameful
prostitution OF the powers Of their of
nee Tor unworthy ends. Frivolous and
vexatious prosecutions had been 80 com
mon that An effort was made To stop
| them, and An order was issued that no
/ United States Commissioners should is
sue warrant OF arrest 10 An Internal
| revenue ease without an affidavit from
the internal revenue officer that he had
examined the case, aud that the prose
cution should be bad. In order to evade
this, the deputy marshais secured ap-
| pointments "a revenue officers. 80 as to
be abls to make the official affidavit re-
| CURED. They then worked no CAS-. As
| deputy marshal, signed the alfidavits AS
| deputy collector, and then served the
warrant rs deputy marshal, in this way
| completely multiplying the order made
for the protection of citizens. Il 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-
tlmony shows that ). FL. Russell, az
Marshal of the western district of Tex
az, so managed the aft iirs of his Office
that in about three years $40 600 Of
Government funds passed through his
hands In such mysterious manner that
II could not be accounted for, besides
the amounts Illegally taken by his dep
utles. which We cannot ascertain. This
Marshal carried off the books belonging
to his office, and Systematically swim
died private citizens, and according to
the testimony wholesale forgery was
committed in his Office for the purpose
of defrauding the Government. Rus
cell was indicted, tiled and convicted,
and Is now serving out his sentence in
the Southern Illinois peniteutiary at
Chester
OF John Hall. who was Marshal of
the Western District of Pennsylvania
for nine consecutive years, the report
says: He actually returned AS earned
during these nine years 1903. when,
IN fact, he had really earned xls,696."
This spirit of peculation seemed at one
time about TO reach up to the examin-
ers of the Department of Justice. I'VE
may well agree" says the report, with
the chief examiner III saying that the
|
fined to any district or section of the
country, but are with few notable ex-
ceptions 80 prevalent and so odieus that
IL is not to DO wondered at that Deputy
Marshals and Deputy Collectors of In
ternal Revenue have been shot down as
if they were enemies of the people. such
we're the systematic schemes for de
frauding the public and harassing the
peaoeable citizens of the country, of
oourse, without any possible justitiea
ton or excuse. 1t does seem that if
those high in position and having the
appointing power had made any reas-
enable effort to secure honest and oapa-
ble men, they would have met with bet
ter success. In fact. it Ia hard to under
stand how any man, unless himself an
expert in these wicked practices aud
skilled i'm Determinations between bad
and good men, could have succeeded in
selecting so many disreputable public
officers. but the very peculiar civil ser
Woe rules adopted in the appointment
and promotion of this class of officials
will doubtless account for some of the
bad results"
The report here names several of
ficials who were rewarded by promo
ton or other wise, in spite of Illegal
aets. and saws with such a system
of selection and advancement of of
ficiaIs, Il il not to be wondered at that
the country has been cursed with
officials whose least henious crime was
that of public plundering. Probably
the most remarkable case of thus re-
warding bad characters WAS that OF
Judge Conger formerly Associate jus
tice of the Territory of Montana.
Charges OF such a serious nature,
. - h.a -
made against him that be WAS
suspended from office. There were two
petitions for warded to the President in
connection with this matter; one asking
for the retirement of the judge, was
signed by ZIG citizens. representing T5
per cent of the taxable property of Gal
latin county; the other asking for his
restoration 10 the bench. was signed by
50 persons, of whom we're then under
indictment in the court for fraud, asd
one for withholding county records, one
had been several times arrested for lar
oeny. and was then being pursued for
tho theft of sixteen horses, and of tbs
remainder, - were saloon keepers and
gamblers at Miles City. In the face of
these facts, the President of the United
States, in the exercise of the functions
Of the high office held by him, deemed
| III ais duty 70 tae pcOpto W hhis ktcat
country. TO restore Judge Con2er to the
bench"
The report recommends the abolition
of the corrupting fee system, and the
fixing of definite salaries for United
district attorneys and marshals. aud
closes with the statement that the III
yessipations have disclosed wauton
waste of public revenues, and Grimm
al disregard for the rights and safe
guards of the people,.
The Tranfe Fight.
Nkw YoRx, Sept. 30.-The Chicago
Railway Commission to-day further con-
sidered the settlement of the questions
at issue al that point, aud an under
standing was arrived at which, when
} confirmed by parties not present at the
} meeting. will lead TO an immediate
restoration of rates on east bound
traffic.
ON wall street.
NEw YogK, Sept. So Governments
| ...U~,. r~slvravs frmar EfOoks tfsgfay