The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-11-01
The Books Should Be Examined.

When Mr.. Hendricks told the Demo-
Gratis of indianapolis on his return from
the Chicago Convention, in referring to
the recently discovered frauds and steal
ings at Washington: ..We need to have
the books OF the Government offices
opened for examination, he gave ut
terance to one of the most urgent de-
mands of the times.
For more than twenty-three years
these books have been exclusively in the
hands of Republican partisans, who
have manipulated them to conceal the
corruption, the robberies and the rascal
tiles of the their employers. Every
attempt to explore the records thor
ougtiy aud to bring out into the sun
light The hidden proofs of guilt, has
failed from the opposition, the collision
or the management of Republicans in
Congress and in official life.
Investigations have gone to a certain
point, and like that of the Springer COM
mIttee at the late session, they have in
variably stopped. or have been success
fully INSTRUCTED when the scent was
kecnest and seemingly most easily fol-
lowed. Some mysterious influence has
always blocked the way to a full ex-
posture.
Hundreds of millions have been
stolen from the Treasury during this
long lease of Republican rule. Counter
felt bonds, false Treasury notes. dupli-
cate stamps, and other fraudulent is
sues have been partially traced, but it
is wholly impossible to estimate the ex-
tent of the robberes, the forgeries and
the frauds upon any known data.
These charges do not rest upon polite
al prejudice. Senator Edmunds. when
Chairman of the Committee of Re-
trenchment, male report to the Sem
ate, March 3, 1869, showing that about
S49,000,0 900 in United States bonds. and
Sf0.000,0 900 in Treasury notes, legal
tenders, ETC., were unaccounted for by
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
He sa d:
% The books and accounts between the va
rious sub iiv ssons of the printing establish
ment have been. until reccatly to say nothing
of defects still existingj 80 irregularly kept
ana contain. many of them on examination,
SO many erasures and alterations as consider
ably 10 diminish confidence in the accuracy OF
results derived from such sources"
Mr.. Edmunds might have added that
that bureau and furnished to profession
al forgers for issues OF bonds and notes,
some of which were so we'll executed as
TO be used by jay Cooke e. Co. in the
days OF their great power at the Treas
ury.
enc of the earliest acts of Congress
made the Register of the Treasury the
Official book-keeper of the Government.
1t provides that he shall keep all ac-
counts of the receipts and expend lures
of the public money, and of all debts
due to or from the United States"
Under the admirable system organ
lied by Alexander Hamilton. the Reg
lister alone made all the statements of
receipts and expenditures and OF the
public debt from 1889 to the advent of
Grantism, when the Secretary of the
Treasury assumed to make publications
OF his own differing from those of the
Register.
These contradictions in regard to i'm
porfant facts. about which there could
have been NO proper disagreement if the
true data were consulted, provoked
much comment al home and abroad;
and the Secretary of the Treasury or
dered the Register on the 9th of No
vember, 1871, to adopt the formers
figures, and to disregard the accounts
aud vouchers on file in his Office, which
were the only authoritative basis for the
statements in question.
This extraordinary step led to an in
vestigation by the Senate, which, first
and last, extended over three years.
Originally it was cramped by a Repub-
lican majority. But when the Demo-
Gratis gained a temporary as sendancy
in that body, the Treasury Officials shut
the gates down practically while pre-
tending to open them wide.
Some remarkable disclosures were
ma ic in that investigation Hundreds
of discrepancies were found that could
not be satisfactorily explained. In 1865
the Secretary of the Treasury, the Reg
ister and the Treasurer, all agreed that
the net revenue was $3.50, IA, sos. 0S.
In 1870 Mr.. Boutwell's new method re-
duced this aggregate to 1923, 1892, 1862,
without a word of explanation as to the
ten millions thus arbitrarily stricken
out.
A balance of Sc. 293. S27.79 was abso-
lutely forced to make the conflicting
accounts agree. The books OF the Gov
eminent Offices must be opened for ex-
animation. as Mr.. Hendricks SAYS, but
tine first step necessary for that work is
to turn the rascals out. This is the SUI
prone issue of the Wash
ington Cor. N. Y. sun.
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