The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-09-29
THE BOOKS OPENED.
An Incomplete Table Of Defalcations Since
1861 Shows That the Republican Party
Owes the Government Nearly Thirteen
Million Dollars.

Owes the Government Nearly Thirteen
Million Dollars.
One Of the most striking chapters Of
the Democratic campaign book will be
that which is devoted to the defalca-
tons of Republican office-holders dur
ing Republican sway. 1t has been pre-
pared with great care and much labor
from official figures, and makes a more
damaging showing than was ever an
ticipated. The chapter is headed
Opening the Books,'' and vindicates
a promise long made by the Democracy
to the people of the country. 1t says
the Democratic party, through it's press
and by its speakers, declared for the
past ten years publicly that If it could
turn the rascals out and get at the
books they could demonstrate that the
Republican party, in its long lease Of
power, had, through its various off.
GERS, by defalcation in collections and
disbursements, stolen millions of the
peoples money. Mr.. Tilden. in 1876,
claimed the amount to be over S., 0O0,.
600. The amount will reach 500, 00O,.
600 or more.
Under a resolution of the House,
passed January %, the Acting Secre-
tary of the Treasury transmitted a let
ter to the House Of Representatives in
which it is shown officially that the
balances now due the Government on
account of Gefalcations in disburse-
ments and collections since 1861 is
1888, 470. In this document each de-
linquent is named and the exact am
cunt due the Government stated. This
does not include the overhauling of the
accounts of the Post-office Department.
The Sixth Auditor says that the ans
cunt of work would be so enormous to
get up the accounts of all the officers
under the Post-office Department., and
get at the balances due from each of
them, that it is impossible with the
present force to accomplish it So it is
found from an examination of the
books in part, showing only about half
of the disbursing and receiving officers
accounts, that the balance due by these
receiving and disbursing officers, for
which they have defaulted to the Gov
eminent, is over $4,000, 900. The
balance due from the others amounts
by the same ratio to larger amount.
The foregoing statement and the table
which is hereafter inserted does not
include shortage, as has been said, in
the Sixth Auditors office, which has
charge of the vast expenditures of the
Post-office Department. 1t was there
that the star route thieves figured.
Nor does it include the shortage in
the Third Auditors. Office, which
embraced the expenditures of the War
Department., where Howgate, Hodge
and other kindred spirits had their day.
Nor does it include the shortage in the
Fourth Auditors office, which has
charge of expenditures in the Navy
Department, where the Robson gang
paid more for the repair of old ships
than they originally cost, and had no
ships left.
The records will show that since the
Democratic Administration took hold,
as is heretofore shown in the report of
the First Comptroller of the Treasury,
an earnest effort is being made to col
lect all these balances, and with much
greater success than could have been
anticipated, owing to the long lapse Of
time. This is simply partial peep
into the books. The short time that
the Democratic Administration has
been in power rendered it impossible
at this time to give full exposure OF
all the delinquencies and defalcations
of the Republican office-holders who
we're not prosecuted for their robbery
and plumber, but kept in power by the
Republican party. The branches OF
the service in which these defalcations
occurred are shown by the following
table:
| Customs disbursements. ....S 199, 1914 on
Internal Reyenue disbursements, 1850 on