Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-02-20
THE CONSCIENCE ACCOUNT
Sums Varying from -Four Thousand Dol
lars to Ten Cents

Clerk Dascomb, of the division Of pub
Tic moneys. in reply to q question the
other day, writes . Washington cor
respondent of the Cleveland Herald
cit is merely turned into the treasury
the same as money received from other
sources of revenue The amount re-
ceived each year appears in the annual
reports It varies q good deal; this
year it may be $500, and next year
$4,000. Not one in fifty of these
remittances ever furnishes the slight
est clew to the identity of the sender.
Someof them contain brief explanatory
notes, stating for what the money is
due the government, but signatures of
any kind are extremely rare. Some
simply say This money belongs to
The government. or WORKS to that
effect. Many do not contain even a
scratch Of pen or pencil. The money
is merely enclosed in piece of blank
paper. We suppose all such to be
caseseof conscience and treat them
accordingly. It is. of course, impossi-
bic to give receipts for the money.
Occasionally they write: Please ac-
knowledge receipt in the newspapers
That is why we always take pains to
have the receipts of conscience money
mentioned in the Associated Press
dispatches. The sender is very likely
to be looking out for such items.
When he sees it he knows that his
money has reached the treasury, and
his troubled conscience is at rest.
1.-THE only cases which have any
body's name connected with them, are
those like one we had few weeks
ago. A Catholic priest in Boston
wrote that one of his members. on his
deathbed, confessed TO him that he had
wronged the government out of $50.
He desired to make restitution. but
desired his name withheld. He ac-
cordingly enclosed the amount with
interest at per cent. for nine years,
$50 in all. The man evidently didn't
want that thing to bother him hereaf-
ter, and prolong his stay in purgatory.
The priest signed his own name, and
we acknowledged by letter the receipt
of the money. We have had a num-
Der of instances of that kind, in which
the activity Of conscience appeared to
be stimulated by serious illness or the
confessional.
1.-The principal reasons for remit
ting, when the senders make any
explanations at all, are that the money
is due for taxes or customs duties
evaded, or for petty frauds to avoid
payment of postage. Iremember one
case of a lady who, after spending
some time abroad, returned to this
country, bringing with her valuable
article of wearing apparel. / think it
was for her own use, and not strictly
dutiable, but her conscience troubled
her about it. She went back to Eng
land, and while there told one of our
consuls the story, and requested him
to ascertain the amount of duty. He
did so, and she Immediately RENTED
it to us. She wrote a nice little note
accompanying it. full of contrition,
and expressing the hope that Uncle
Sam would forgive her. but she hadn't
the courage to sign her name to it.
1.-THE largest amount / remember to
have received in a single Enclosure.
was $4,000. It is a little singular that
for this large sum there was absolutely
nothing to show whence it came, ex-
cept the postmark on the envelope.
Even this may have been misleading,
az it is very possible the person sent
it away somewhere to be mailed. He
was evidently very careful to conceal
his identity, as the Enclosure was in
currency, four one thousand dollar
bills. A draft would furnish a clew
that might be followed up. Upon the
paper wrapped around the money was
written Place this to the credit Of
conscience, and that was all.
ssThe smallest remittance that re-