The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-04-08

department of agriculture, $3.50, 1870;
for the department. of justice, $685.
O9S. 8s,s which includes the salaries of the
supreme court and district judges, pay of
United States marshals, and similar items.
1t should be added that the item for the
postoffice department is simply the
amount in excess of the estimated earn
ings; The appropriation is reallySmuch
larger than the amount stated \ UsI
The conscience fund" contributes
something TO the revenues, though, of
course, in avery smallway. Some people
imagine from the way announcements are
made of receipts from this source that
there is fund set apart made up II ON
these contributions, but this is not the
fact. i These amounts are all covered into
the treasury under the head of miscellane-
GUS receipts. A good deal of curious
interest attaches to these cases of con-
science. The term conscience fund" was
the invention of old Treasurer Spinner,
the man with an autograph which was
autographed. Thenty years ago, during
the war, letter was one day received at
the treasury department from man who.
inclosing check for $1,000, said that
that represented little incorporation
of government funds { f which he had
been guilty when acting as quarter
master in the army. Then came the hap
DIV idea into Spinner's handsome head.
|"Well call that contribution to the
conscience fund" he said, "and have il
announced in the newspapers, and perhaps
will get some more" The announcement
was duly made all over the country and
the department did get ''some more" For
ten years contributions were quite numer-
GUS, but latterly they have become less
frequent. 1t is question whether all the
dishonest ones have settled or whether the
conscience of the country is growing
more callous. These contributions have
never been very large in amount, probably
because the big thieves are not troubled
with scruples. The largest ever received
was $4,000 forwarded by former inter
nal revenue gauger in Chicago. Illinois,
as the amount of a bride he took
from distillers, and the smallest was 9
cents from Massachu let's mugwump,
whose sensitive conscience had been bur
dened for years with the Cancelled three
cent stamp, which as small boy, he had
carefully washed and used on a letter to
his sweetheart. He thought the nine
cents would adequately cover the princi-
pal and interest involved in the steal.
Most of the contributions are made by
women who have evaded the customs
laws by smuggling through some femi-
nine luxury. Now and then the depart
ment gets a contribution from some Of
fender through a clergyman who received
a. deathbed confession. But ordinarily
they come directly from the anonymous
offenders themselves. Next to the SNUG
glers in point of numbers come the
breakers of the internal revenue laws
The total amount of the contributions to
the conscience fund is unknown, as it has
not been kept separate in the treasury
department; but it is estimated by treas
ury officials that it would aggregate about
$350,000.
The treasury deptment was created by
the First congress during its session a
Philadelphia. When the capital was re
moved to Washington in 1900, small
wooden building was erected for thu
treasury, but this was burned
along with all the other public buildings
by the British in 1914. Another building
soon after erected was destroyed by tir'
in 1888, whereupon the present structur
was undertaken. 1t was first proposed t.
locate the new building near where tn