Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-03
.srrc1.1. TELEGRAM 10 THE prsrArcH.I

were only 500, 900.
.srrc1a1. TELEGRAM 70 THE pIsPATcH.I
WASHINGTON, May 2.-Representative
Bland, of Missouri, and Sayres, OF Texas
have returned to the Treasury month
pay, amounting to SAG each. This sun
they are entitled to, according to the de
cision of the Court OF Claims, for money los
through the Silcott deialeation. So far az
reported these two gentlemen are the only
members who have pursued such course.
We often hear of the conscience fund in
the United States Treasury, but there is nc
such thing. 1t is only name; only an ex-
preston. If YOU suppose you can go to the
United States Treasury and see a picture oil
the American conscience, drawn in pile oi
cold, hard cash, kept apart from the other
piles of cold, hard cash in Uncle Sans
vaults, you make mistake. What is called
the conscience fund is not kept distinct from
other moneys in the Treasury, and even the
letters which from time TO time come to the
Treasury Department accompanying the
Conscience contributions not kept
apart from other correspondence. There is
no distinct conscience fund and there are no
distinct conscience fund papers on hle In
the Treasury Department.
MANNING'S HISTORY OF IT.
About four years ago the United States
Senate called upon Mr. Manning, then Sec
retary of the Treasury, for a history of the
conscience fund, and the communication
which he made in reply, under date Febru-
ary g. 1886, although quite short document,
is the fullest account OF the conscience fund"
extant In a certain sense Secretary Man.
ning's history of the conscience fund is
very much like that celebrated essay on
''Snakes in Ireland" which consisted OF
one brief negative statement, There are no
snakes in Ireland"
Here is Secretary Manning's communica-
tion in full:
The Department is in receipt of Senate reso-
luton of the 18th ultimo, directing the Secre-
tary of the Treasury to inform tile Senate as to
the origin of what is known as the conscience
fund.- in the Treasury of the United States,
the amount of the same and what disposition
is made thereof
In reply thereto, have the honor to state
that the term conscience fund.-" as applied to
donations received by the Treasury from un-
known sources, has its origin in the popular
belief that such donations are made by persons
who have at some time srongfully taken or
withheld from the United States moneys which
were justly due, and who thus seek to make
restitution to the Government.
RECEIPTS FOR IS YEARS.
The moneys which have thus been received
from time to time have been covered into the
Treasury as miscellaneous receipts from per-
sons unknown" and have been used for the
general purposes of the Government in connec-
tion with moneys received from other sources,
having at no time been distinguished from
other moneys in the general Treasury.
The first donation of this character of which
the department has any record was made bv
the Register of the Treasury in 1897 ''for
moneys received from person unknown. stated
TO be on account of imports and tonnage" and
the total amount received by the Treasury up
to June 30, 1885, was S220,747 g.
No distinction is drawn at the Treasury
Department between the conscience" dol
lar and the consclenceless dollar; but it is
there Just the same.
One of the latest contributions to the
conscience fund, and one OF the largest in
long time, was received through Postmas-
ter General Wanamaker in the latter part
of March. The letter accompanying it was
fair specimen of all such letters and was,
OF course, anonymous. As a fair repre-
sentative of its class it may be worth print
ing in full. Here it is,
A SOUL SEEKING PEACE
NEW YORK, March "a, 1890.
Hon. John Wanamaker:
Inclosed you will find s., 500. which wish Won
~ BteASS ~ Sa4O SlSNlb VI Tile conscience luna.
Years ago Idefrauded the Government OF quite
a laree sum of money. Since then 1 have be-
come Christian man and have had this matter
lying very heavily on nv conscience, and, as
have made little money, have sent it to the
Government, so that have returned all that
was fraudulently taken, and the inclosed is the
Daance OF % per cent over and above the
amount stolen. pity any man if he mist mass
through the anguish of mind that l have ex
perienced, and even now, though / have made
60 TFHNN1 N1nFa
demnation and / suffer very deenly Do Won
not think that % per cent additional restitution
is sufficient to bring peace to a sorrowing soul?
Please see that this money goes to the proDer
place. There is no need of my name.
The largest and one of the most notable
contributions 10 this fund was made in the
year 1873-'74, when 26 Senators and 80 Rem
resentatlves in Congress returned to the
Treasury for the benefit of conscience"
their share of what was known as the back |
salary grab. By an act passed March 8.
1873, the members of the Porty-third Con- |
gress granted themselves
A RETROACTIVE INCREASE
Of salary, but that act was repealed at the
beginning of the next Congress- on Januarv
20, 1874. Some OF the Congressmen-thati is
TO say. 26 Senators and 50 Representatives
thought they had no moral right to take ad-
vantage of the short-lived law, and so re-
fused to accept the temporary increase of
salary. This conscientious resolve benefited
the conscience fund to a large extent.
Among the conscientious Senators who re-
fused TO take the grab were Ferry Zach
Chandler, Henry Wilson, Carl Schurz n
+. Bayaro, Charles Sumner. Hannibal Ham,
I'm, thurman, trellnghuysen Fentop. An
thony, U. L. Morton and John Sherman.
and among the 81 Representatives who re,
turned the money were Garfield Hawlar
George W. McCrary, ] NJ. Rusk' s. S. Coz
Frye and Hale OF Maine, c. R Fsr,TeH'
Phlletus SAWYER, Charies Foster, j. NJ, PEN
dleton, d =. burchard, L. P. Poland and
George F. Hoar. ""O
The list has never been made public ord
this is the first time that so large a seIect;ou n
OF the names has been printed.
sPINNER's VAIN EFFORTS
But Uncle Sam ought to examine his o
conscience and send few remittancss
anonymous or otherwise, to certain narso-, |
who are entitled to them. Mr.. f r SOU;
ner. when Treasurer of the United States
once tried to stir the old man up to a sense
OF duty, but in vain. If every man had his
own Uncle Sam wouldn't have a cent of
that conscience" fund, which now amounts
to about S25O,OOO. In his annual report.
dated October 29, 1872, Treasurer Simmer
said, among other things:
The conscience fund was increased during
the year IN various sums aggregatipp 500 o9T al |
and now amounts to SI29, l4477. On the orher |
hand the United States is indebted to indiv;dn |
ais on various accounts, but principally for un-
claimed interest bonds CIovernmants |
should set an example of honesty tn tho 1ao,ia |
Failure to account for an honest ipdebtedness |
IS as olshonest and is more mean than an an |
soIute 5eiuss .t 20 pay. 1t is, therefore, recon-
nended mat there should be preDared and |
ou ublished. after the close of eyery fiscal vear a
ISL OF All Unclaimed balances due from the Gov