The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-03-12
A DISAPPOINTED FuNcTIoNARY.

time-honored custom. Among the employees
there is an old white haired gentleman who is
known as Judge Lawrensou. He has been
there more than half century. through oil
the mutations OF politics-a signal illustration,
as to both physical and official longevity of the
tradition cited at the opening of this article.
In all those years he has neither died re-
signed. He has administered the oath of Office
to all the Postmaster-Generals aud Assistant
| Postmaster Generals who have qualified in that
| Department for Al years, beginning with those
| appointed by President Polk. When the dis
tinguished party arrived the venerable Judge
was ready with his Bible, expecting to be called
on once more TO perform that Office. When he
found that the oath bad been given by Justice
! Field it almost broke the old mans heart. He
actually shed tears as he turned sadly away
| when informed that the service had already
been done Mr.. Villas, when told the circum-
stances, made haste to offer an apology, assur-
| ing the patriarchal attache of the Department
| that had the matter been explained to him be-
FORE no one should have been permitted to
usurp his place. But the Judge refused TO be
comforted. The long time had been broken
and it was impossible now ever to have it
mended.
| CHANGING THE TREASURY.
None Of the Departments except the Treas
ury require any further formal ceremony than
| that heretofore described, when changing
| hands, Nor is anything necessary there. as a
| general thing, unless new Treasurer is ap-
pointed. The latter official, and not the Secre-
| taTy, is the direct custodian of the public
money and his bond presumptively indemni-
! fies the Government against loss. very gen.
eral impression prevails that the present Treas
| ureT A. u. Wyman, will be retained. Should
| this be the case, no count of the money and
| bonds in the great vaults will be necessary,
unless the new Secretary should consider it his
| duty to order it, to assure himself and the
country that the money represented by such
| large figures in the monetary statements is &C
taally there. If the Treasurer and Assistant
Treasurers-the latter ut the sub Treasures
are all changed. there will be the greatest job
of counting ever attempted in the country, the
amount on hand being now much larger than
heretofore.
THE LAST COUNT
of the funds in the Treasury was two or three
years ago, when Treasurer Gifillan resigned
and Mr.. Wyman was appointed This only in
ciuded the money at Washington, and not the
large amounts at the sub Treasures. The work
of verifying the figures in this instance Oc-
cupied nearly five weeks, with half q dozen ex-
pert counters of paper currency, two weighers
of coin and bullion, and ten or twelve men to
handle the latter. In all such cases the pack
ages of bills are all counted piece by piece. 1t
is a fact that ladies make the most expert count
ers as TO both rapidity aud correctness Ia
six hours sSillfut expert can count 10000
bills, irrespective, of course of their den omna-
ton. This is at the rate of nearly 1000 an
hour, or more than 100 each minute, making
no allowance whatever for rest. If for this
80 minutes he given each day the average will
exceed 120 per minute. At that rate one per-
son would count million oBe-dollar bills Ia
% days, five-dollar bills in five days. tens in
two and a half days, twenties in a day and a
quarter, fiftes in half day, and hundreds in
an hour and half
WEIGHING THE SILVER.
The vast quantity of silver coin is verified
by weight. 1t is usually packed in the vaults
in sacks, each containing 81 900, and weighing
about III pounds. One million silver dollars
weigh about 1900 pounds or Sc tons of 1900
pounds. There arc nine sub-treasuricS, located
at New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston,
Cincinnati. Chicago, st. Louis New Orleans,
and San Francisco In the vaults at these
places and at Washington there are in round
numbers 153, 100000 standard silver dollars.
These weigh $500 tons, to which may be added !
1850 tons of fractional silver coin and $50 tons
of silver bullion. In weighing the dollars the
scale is carefully set at the exact spot at which
1000 of them should balance. Each sack in
turn is then dumped" in and if correct is
refiled and passed TO the other side Of the
vault The dumping as the Treasury peo
pie call it's done TO guard against the posi-
bility of any Of the sacks
HAVING BEEN EMITTED
Of their Legitimate contents and filed with
base metal of the proper weight, and thus de-
ceive in case they were weighed blind" 1t
will readily be seen that 30 TINS examine and
weigh more than $4,000 of these thousand
dollar sacks is a work of no small magnitude.
1.-THE fact is said a Treasury employee, it
is too much of a jon for the Democrats to I'M
dertake, but they will have TO do it if they
change all the Treasurers You just tell them
how much work it will be to count the money.
aud perhaps you'll scare 'em out, so they'll let
MIR. Wyman and the others stay"
THE GOLD COIN
is also verified by weight greater care if posi-
BILE, being taken in weighing and examining it.
million dollars in gold weighs about AGO
pounds or more than two and half tons. The
Government has in its well filled prison $175,-
100000 in gold coin, weighing 10000 pounds.
or 35S tons, besides 40 tons of gold bullion.
To make a complete transfer it would be neces-
sary to count $3.50, 000, 600 of paper money, the
speed of which has already been indicated In
addition to this there would have to be counted
$ll4.000.G00 of paper currency held in the re-
serve fund. and 1851 100000 of Government
bonds held to secure the circulation of the Ma
tional banks of the country. The aggregate of
money and bonds to be counted or weighed is
about 81 100,000,000. 1t cannot be denied that
there is some force in the remark of the Treas
ury clerk above quoted, and its due c0nsdera-
hands at the National bellows.
THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
is much more extensive than any other. IT
embraces very much besides the mere making
and handling Of money like great bank. 1t
includes the collection of customs and internal
revenue, the Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing, the erection and supervision of public
buildings, the Bureau of Statistics. the Life
Saving Service, building and maintenance Of
lighthouses. the United States Coast Survey,
the Marine Hospital Service, the minis besides
many other items Of lesser Importance.
THE DEPARTMENT or THE INTERIOR
is one of great Importance, embracing the Blu
reaus of Pensions, Public Lands, Indian Affairs,
patents, Agriculture, Education Railroads. Cen
sus, and the Geological Survey. The Post Office
Department has more persons directly in its
employ and control than any other. There are
over $1,000 post-oiiccs in the United States
The postmasters and tho army of persons en-
plOyed i'll the various branches of the mail serv-
ice exceed rs, 600.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT.,
although ranking first in Importance is the
smallest, noninslly speaking. 1t controls all
our Ministers and Consuls TO forcignGountries
and its chief duties aud functions are in con-
nection with diplomatic negotiations with other
nations Of the world.
THE WAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS
are simple in time of peace Their duties are
almost wholly confined 10 those indicated by
their names.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL,