St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-09
THE DEPARTMENTS.
A Report on the Way in Which
They Transact Business.

WASHINGTON, March S.-The report
submitted to-day by Senator Cockrell
from the special committee which has
been studying the methods of transact
ing government business in the execu-
tive department is volume of 26S
printed pages, in addition to volumin-
Gus appendix. The committee devoted
a year to the work, Senator Cockrell.
its chairman, remaining in Washington
during the entire recess of several
months to prosecute it, yet it is not
assumed that the task has been exhaus-
lively performed. A life time, indeed.
would be insufficient for the mastery of
the whole subject, as any reader of the
report will discover for himself The
committee finds much in certain places
to commend, and very much in others to
condemn as unnecessary, ridiculous and
farcical circumlocutiOn. The report at
the onset classifies the forces employed
by the government, including the off
GERS and men of the army and navy,
and finds a grand total of III, TAG indi-
vidualS. The reports received from
the various departments in reply to the
committees letter of inquiry are pro-
nOunced Exceedingly valuable" but
they failed to show the connection of
bureau with bureau, division with divis-
ion, in respect to any single item of
business transacted, and for the purpose
of getting information of this character.
the committee caused a few specimen
items to be traced from initiation to
completion. The first of these is an ex-
penditure of 100000 by the treasury de-
partment for stationery for the fiscal
year 1887. The simple statement of the
of transaction bn
innate to the settlement warrant re-
quireS twenty-One printed pages. The
history of. the settlement of Consul
William F. Grinnell, of Bradford, Eng,
for the second quarter of 1887, covers
thirteen printed pages. In like manner
and with like results, marShaFS ac-
count, district attorneys account,
QuartermaSter'S account and the account
of receiver of public moneys are traced
and submitted. These were not excep-
tional cases, but were selected by
chance, and the results are submitted
by the committee without immediate
comment.
The committee finds the method of
payment in the signal Office "a need
less triplication of accOunts.' 1t finds
the second auditors clerks writing
thousands of letters to the quartermas-
ter generals clerks for information to
be obtained from copies of pay rolls in
the quartermaster generals office, the
originals of which were prepared in
and are now on file IN the very office
whence the inquiries emanate. 1t finds
the condition of business in the general
land office now and for many years past
chaotic" which results from want
OF lack of plain, correct business
methods and requirements, promptly
and uniformly enforced upon the local
land officers and the employees of the
general land office. 1t finds that the
tract books of the office have been ne
elected since the year 1882, and that in
formation that should be readily accessi-
BILE, is by reason of this ''gross careless
ness and negligence" to be sought here
and there through the records at great
expense of time and labor. 1t finds that
registers and receivers instead of exer-
cising the quasi-judicial functions con-
ferred upon them by congress, are
treated merely as clerks of the depart
ment, heaping upon the Washington
Office vast accumul ations of undigested
matter, which takes its chances with
the accumulationS of the past decadeS.''
Wisconsin Timber Stealing.
Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, March s.-Commis-
sioner Atkins was secretive and nom