Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-30
BALLOON FIGURES
The STEALING FROM THE NATIONAL
ADMINISTRATION.

Rsfutstion OF the Charges Against Rspub-
Hoan OmciaIs Made in the Democratic
Campaign slsnder Book.
Several Democratic newspapers and ora.
tors are accepting as il they were gospel
truth the charges in the National Democratic
campaign book purporting to be based on
the statement Of the register Of the United
States treasury that Republican officials have
stolen s2i 900 UDO from the United States A
complete retutation of this lying statement
is found in the following cutting and inter
estins letter from Hon. Edward Mcpherson,
who says:
"lf the Registers disclosures show that
vast sums Of money have been stolen by Re.
publican officials, they also show that other
vast sums have been stolen by Democratic
officials
The total sum Of the balances due the
United States is given on p. 2O4 of the Regis
tsr's statement at S25, 500, 1874. OF this sum,
Democratic campaign book for 1855 (p l4D
states that 81, Sg3, ,476 accrued since the year
1851 This leaves Sl2, ,9l5,7l as having &C
crued before FOL So that the Democratic
have been equally expert with the Repub-
lican. But, in point of fact, they were thir-
teen times as expert. The statement Of the
Registers balances does not include the bus
mess of the postoffice department, or Of GER.
tain bureaus Of the treasury department 1t
is, therefore, incomplete. Supplying tn.
omissions and including all the operations OF
all branches of the government Of the United
States
This is the net result: OF all the losses,
both in the receipt and in the disbursement
OF public moneys, as ascertsined by the treas
ury department down to June %, 1883, and
officially printed August Is, 1881, the per-
csntags for the period prior to June 30, 1861,
was S. 81 for every 81 900; and the percent
age for the period from June 80, 1861, to June
80 1888, was thirty-nIne cents for every
81 200 During the latter period the total
receipts and disbursements were $50, 7G7, ,S5l, =
73l, and the total losses were $l+, +6I, l%7, or
thirty-nine cents per 81 900. So that the
rate of losses prior to 1861, compared with the
rate of losses since 1861, was the proportion
which s5.2r bears to thirty nine cents-or
over thirteen times as great. In other words
to Use tbs current Democratic phrase, Demo
cratic 'defaulters' have been thirteen times
as agile and successful as Republican de-
faultsrs.' Or to put it in another form, the
Democratic officials prior to 1861 managed
to loss out Of a sum total about One-eighth
as large, nearly twice As much as the Repub-
lican officials since 1861 were able 10 do.
"The claim of loss of s.. .Sr9, 1874 in balances
is made on the theory that every balance
carried on the books of the register is an
actual loss and defalcation. But that is not
true There are balances on the books
against the names Of John Adams, president
Of the United States; John Quincy
Adams, minister to Russia; Daniel d.
ThOmpkins, vice president of the United
States; Andrew q. Curtin, minister To
Russia; Augustus &. Dodge, minist er
TO Spain: Alexander H. Everett, minis
ter to Spain; Ninian Edwards, minister to
Mexico; Caleb Gushing, attorney for the
United States before Che Hudson Bay com
mission; James Gddsden, minister to Mexico;
John Lothrop Motley, minister to Great
Britain; Joseph A. Wright, minister to Rus
sia; j. Sterling Morton, secretary OF Ne
braska territory; James W Nesmth, mar
shal OF the territory Of Dragon; Gen. John
Armstrong, minister TO Paris; James A.
Bayard, envoy TO Ghent; Reverdy johnson,
minister 10 England; Francis Lieber, umpire
Of the American and Mexican commission; :;
Henry Middleton, minister to Russia; John
Z. Ward, minister 10 China; E W. Slough
ton, minister to Russia, and very many
others of like grade and character.
mo one believes that these gentlemen were
or are 'defaulters,' but all are alike pilloried
in the sweeping denunciation of the Demo
cratic campaign COMMITTEE. The balances
disclosed by the registers last are not defal-
cations. The acting secretary of the treas
ury, transmitting the list 70 the house OF
representatives, did not say that they were.
He said that the sums named are the bal
arces due the United States as shown by the
books OF the register OF the treasury They
are not defalcatiOns. because the accounts are
unsettled, and like unsettled accounts in pri-
vate business, there are offsets against them
And if we can infer anything from serious col
lapSss already suffered by the United States
in suits to collect balances like unto them, the
offsets constitute much the largest proportio'
OF the balances But the Democratic cam
paign committee, not content with the accur-
ate and official statement both Of the acting
secretary OF the treaSu.y and Of the register
Of the treasury, adds 70 the words used by
them, and declares that these balances are
now due the government, On account Of
defalcations in disbursements and collec-
tions. This is a clear case Of int rpolation
and of willful perveTsiOn, but it Is not with
out abundant precedent in the practices OF
Democratic national committees. I'm
doubtedly both before and since 1851, there
are some cases of actual, fragrant, and pur-
posed default, but in the great majority OF
cases those balances represent merely imper-
feet vouchers and disputed questions Of fact
or law, or both.
HAn apt illustration OF the value of these
balances in showing actual Indebtedness, is
supplied by the last report OF the secretary OF
the treasury. npages So 5t1 aud SIS of that
report it will be found that On the 18th OF
June, 1885. the Hon. Daniel Manning, secre-
tary Of the treasury, accepted 500 in settle
ment of an indebtedness Of s., OBJ by Hon.
Henry w. Hoffman, late United States de-
positary, Baltimore, Md. Justice to Mr.. Sac
rotary Manning requires the admission that
he asked and received from Judge Hoffman
the full amount due from him TO the United
States on this account II the other balances
in the list are good in the same proportion,
the sl2, S93, ,476 in balances which have ac-
crued since 1861, will shrink on a test of trial
to about sl6l, 1853 in cash. Supporting that the
remaining balances should prove ten times
as valuable as the Hoffman Indebtedness
lid prove to be, what a meager ratio the re-
sulting million and half Of dollars would
bear to the nearly thirty-seven thousand mil
lions Of dollars, which wers the sum .otal of
che business of the government from le6l to
1855.
1T seems like trifling with popular intsll-
gencs TO give more time TO these balloon ils
ures' of the Registers list Of bogus balances.
Protected Rights of Hundreds.
During his service in congress Gen. James