Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-03-13

TO TURNING IT ovER-THE RUSH FOR OFFICE
TIL CIVIL SERVICE RULE.
[Spec Al Correspondence of Stanton vindcator
w sHINGToN, March 1.-THE transfer of
the trious Departments to the newly appoint
ed S scretaries, on Saturday, supplemented
the Inauguration, and placed the national gov
eminent wholly in the hands of the new man
agement. The change was made very quietly,
and without any FUSS in an atmosphere of
good feeling. Beginning at the Department
of State, where Mr.. Bayard was sworn in at
exactly twelve o'clock, party of distinguish
ed gentlemen with Justice Field, of the
Supreme Court to administer the oath, visited
the Departments in turn. Within an hour
ALL THE CHIEFS
had been qualified and entered into the pos
session of their goodly heritage They were
received with courteous hospitality by those
who were to march out with trailing banners,
into the shadow of defeat.
The only Department requiring anything to
complete the transfer, beyond the brief official
ceremonies alluded to, is the Treasury. The
great and important job there is to count the
money. It is not likely that this will be done,
however, unless a new Treasurer is appointed
He and not the Secretary, is the custodian OF
the public money, and his bond presumptively
indemnifies the government against loss. 1t is
possible that the new Secretary may deem it
his duty to order a count, to assure himself
and the country that the big figures in the
monthly statements issued by the Department
tell the truth, and that the
MONEY IS ACTUALLY THERE.
The Treasury statements include all the
funds on deposit, not only in the vaults here,
hut at all of the nine sub-treasuries scattered
throughout the country At each of the latter
is a bonded assistant treasurer, who is re-
sponsible for the money under his charge. The
Treasurer of the United States is only person
nally accountable for that in the Treasury at
Washington. The last count made was two or
three years ago when Treasurer Gilfllan re-
signed and Mr.. Wyman was appointed. 1t took
nearly five weeks, with half dozen expert
counters of paper currency, and two welghers
for the coin with ten or twelve stalwart men
to handle the latter. I learned yesterday from
Mr. e. o. Graves, cashier of Treasurer Wyman,
something about how this is done, and I am
confident that it will be read with interest
Most persons receiving from bank or the
United States Treasury package of bills
marked $500 or ST. 900 are willing toaccept it
without counting. But when the Treasury is
examined every bill is counted, piece by piece.
LADIES MAKE BETTER COUNTERS
than men. They are more expert in the three
requisites of speed, accuracy, and the instant
detection of counterfeits About the greatest
speed obtained in counting is 40, 900 bills-ir-
respective of their denomination, of course
in day of six hours. Few reach this figure,
the average being considerably less. Allowing
the rate of 100 minute. This would require
rs days for one person to count 81 900, 900 in
one dollar bills, 5 days for that amount in
five dollar bills, p days for tens, day and a
quarter for twenties, 3 hours for ffties, and
an hour and half for hundreds.
WEIGHING THE SILVER.
The coin is all verified by weighing. The
silver dollars are slowed away in the vaults in
sacks, each containing $1,000 and weighing
about 70 pounds. The process is to set the
scale at the point where 1000 standard dollars
should exactly balance, and ''dump''-as the
> Treasury people say-each sack into it. This
is done to provide against the possible contin-
gency of any of the sacks having been emptied
of their legitimate contents, and base metal
substituted, having the requisite weight,
which would deceive provided the sacks were
weighed without being opened. When it is
found that the dollars are all there, and the
weight is correct, the sack is reilled and
packed away on the other side of the vault.
One million silver dollars fill 1000 sacks and
weigh 70. 900 pounds, or Sc tons. If the Treas
urer and assistant treasurers are all changed
it will be necessary to verify in this way 1885,
500, 001 silver dollars, filling 1853, 500 sacks
and weighing 1926 tons, TO this must be
added $3.50, 900 of fractional silver coin,
weighing 1,080 tons and 100 tons of silver
bullion. The total weight of silver crammed
into Uncle Sans plethoric purse is 6, 1856 TONS
allowing 10 tons to car this would load 81
railway trains of 25 cars each.
THE GOLD COIN
is also verified by weight, greater care being
taken in its examination and the adjustment
of the scale. Gold is Is times more valuable
than silver. million dollars in gold weighs
4,76O pounds, or nearly q tons. The govern
men has in its vaults $175, 900 in gold
coin, weighing Alt tons, besides ITO tons of
gold bullion. The gold would load SO railway
cars.
THE AMOUNT OF PAPER MONEY
to be counted in case of a general transfer is
about $130, 000,0 00 besides $114, 600, 900 of
unissued notes in the reserve fun1 Then
there are 1851 ZOO, 600 in government bonds
on deposit to secure the circulation of the
national banks The grand total of paper
money, coin, bullion and bonds to be coun-
ted OF weighed exceeds eze0en hundred millions |
Of dollars.
1.-The fact is, said jocose Treasury clerk |
who was standing by, ''it is too big job for
the Democrats to undertake. It'll take them |
pretty nearly four years to find out how much |
money they've got. You just tell 'em So and |
may be it'll scare 'em out so they'll let Mr..
Wyman and the others stay ~
WASHINGTON is FULL
of persons, from all parts of the country, who
are anxious to ''take hand" in some shape
in the management of governmental affairs