The Washington critic., 1888-03-17
such IS RED TAPE"
"Unole Sans" Labyrinthian Process
of Settling n Simple Account.

HpplVNNu pg NiiO Ju'lBt VI NiV 'oultt
swears to the correctness Of it and
gives it to the clerk of the court, who
forwards il to the First Auditor of the
Treasury. Now the rigmarole begins
The assistant messenger in the First
Auditors office takes the latter out of
the First Auditors mailbag and
stamps upon it the date of its receipt
A clerk opens it and enters the ac.
count in big book labeled: "Record
of letters and accounts received" He
also stamps upon the account his
initials.
The account is carried by a messen-
ger to the chief of the Judiciary Divi-
sion, who turns il over to q clerk to
audit. This clerk examines the ac-
count to see that it is in due form,
He satisfies himself and then prepares
letter stating that the account has
through the chief of the division, Is
initiated and passed on to the First
Auditor, who signs it, and then an
other clerk encloses it in an envelope
and deposits il in the outgoing mail
directed to the District Attorney. This
receipt only notifies the Attorney that
his account has reached the Treasury.
1t conveys no intimation of allowance
or otherwise. The next step is to refer
the account
TO THE ATTORNEY Y-GENERAL
for his approval, if any special counsel
fees are charged. In due course of
time the account is returned from the
Department of Justice with the proper
Endorsements 1t goes through the
hands Of the Deputy First Auditor and
back to the Chief of the Judiciary
Division. There it is assigned to a
clerk and Examined on its merits"
as the sayingis No error being found,
the Auditors report on the account is
prepared, marked Exhibit b." and
attached to the account, certifying that
it has been examined and found to be
all right The clerk who examined
the account initials il and puts it on hi
chiefs desk. The chief examines it,
initials it again, and sends il by mes
senger to the First Auditor, who signs
the prepared report and sends the
paper to the Record room, where two
clerks make separate records of it.
They make some Endorsements and
send the paper back to the Judiciary
Division, where the same clerk who
has already handled the account twice
receives it and enters it on his
Register of Judicial Accounts"
TO THE COMPTROLLER.
Now the account is ready for the
First Comptroller, and thither it goes
in the hands of messenger, while
the Auditors Office sends out a notifi-
cation to the District Attorney that his
account has been adjusted.
The performance in the Comptroll-
er's office is fully as elaborate. There
the account is again stamped on the
| back with the date of its arrival, and
| goes to the chief of the Comptroller
| Judiciary Division, where record is
made of it after it has been handled
three times. A clerk undertakes to
revise it, and after so doing he fills
out the Comptroller's certificate.
The account and exhibits go through
the hands of the chief Of the divis-
ion and reaches the Comptroller,
who signs the certificate. 1t should
be stated that the papers have been
twice initiated in the Judiciary Divi-
sion of the Comptroller's office. At
| ter being entered of record i'll the
Comptroller's office the account goes
| next
TO THE REGISTER
of the Treasury by messenger and is
received by a clerk in the copying
room of the Division of Receipts and
Expenditures Here again the time
of arrival is stamped on the back.
Another clerk examines the paper
and registers the account in a big book.
Then copyist receives the account,
copies and initials it, Another clerk
indorses the original and the copy.
The original account stops with the
man in charge of the judiciary jour
nal, while the copy goes to the Regis
ter of the Treasury to be signed. The
copy travels through several rooms
and is carried across the street to the
Department of Justice, where it is re-
ceipted for in book carried by the
messenger.
The chief clerk at the Department
of Justice examines the copy, sees
that it is all right and fills ont a requi-
sition for the amount, of which requi-
sition an entry is made, first in the
"requisition book" and then in the
| appropriation leuBer.
ACROSS THE STREET AND BACK.
The requisition is carried to the At
torney-General and signed by him
and forwarded to the Division Of War
rants, Estimates and Appropriations,
in the officerof the Secretary of the
Treasury. There ii Is receipted. The
condition of the particular appropria-
ton is examined. Finding there is
money available, the clerk in charge
of this particular duty hands the
requisition to another clerk, who
draws warrant for the amount. The
warrants recorded in a book and goes
to another clerk, who enters it in an
index. Now the Assistant Chief of
this Division superyises what his sub
ordinates have done and the Chief of
the Division passes upon the super
vision. More initials. Warrant and
requisition are attached by q wafer
and sent to the Assistant Secretary of
the Treasury, who signs the warrant,
after which the papers go to the First
Comptroller again, where the warrant
is recorded in book by one man, mi.
tailed in red ink by chief of division
and signed by the Deputy Comptroller.
| Now the papers 90 to the Office of
the Register of the Treasury, where
the original account has been waiting
all this time. There is another double
round Of comparing, copying, check
ing, recording and initiating in which
ten clerks play their respective parts.
At last the account reaches the
United States Treasurer's Office,
where two records are made and two
clerks put their initials on the papers.
| The draft is filled out, registered and
initiated. A messenger carries it to
| the Treasurer and he signs it. AT last