The record-union., 1893-09-23
AUTooRATs IN THE DEPARTMENTS
Mon IN Washington Whose Only Law
is Their Own Sweet VIII.

AUTOCRATS IN THE DEPARTMENTS.
Men In Washington Whose Only Law
is Their Own Sweet VIII.
Among the most remarkable features
/ OF this Government by the people is the
| extraordinary authority vested in cer-
! tain subordinate officials at Washington.
| For instance, no man in the United States
WleldS such power III money matters as
] the First Comptroller of Currency. he
is entirely independent of the Secretary
of the Treasury, and even the President
has no means Of coercing him, as the fol-
lowing story, related by the Gto6e-DeDeo-
| crdt, shows: When Grant was in the
White House, First Comptroller Tayler
refused to countersign warrant for the
payment of a big claim out of the funds
of the Treasury. The President sum-
moned him and said:
~ ou must sign."
Il will not, Mr.. President" replied the
recalcitrant official.
Then l will compel you to do so,"
! said General Grant.
! ''Y on have not the power" reioined
the Comptroller coolly and respectfully.
I'VE will see about that" said the
/ President. II will consult the Attorney
General"
The Attorney General, on being con-
suited, stated that the Comptroller was
right; he could not be forced to counter
sign the warrant. Next day the Presi
dent summoned Mr.. Tayler and saids:
Il find that | cannot compel you to
countersign the warrant However, /
can get another First Comptroller
Very well, MIR. President" replied the
officer. You can have my resignation,
but not my signature
In tact. the only way in which the
President can override decision of this
powerful official is by dismissing him
and appointing another man. All of the
accounts of the Government, except those
which relate to customs and the Post
oi1lce Department., are settled by warrants
| countersigned by the First Comptroller.
! Without his signature the payments can
not be made.
! There are two autocrats in the Post
of1lce department. One of them is the
Assistant AtUorney-General. 1t is his
| junction to decide whether matter offered
for mailing is immoral or not He acts
as censor for the people. Whenever a
postmaster in any city is doubtful re-
| gardlng the morality of publication that
is sought to be mailed, he forwards copy
to the Third Assistant Postmaster GEN
eral, by whom it is referred to the Assist
ant Attorney-General. Very likely the
latter may be too busy to investigate the
! subject personally, in which case he
turns 1t over to one OF his clerks, who
| peruses it and marks any passage which
| ne considers indecent. Thus the law lord
has simply to glance over the selected
tIdDIts OF improperly and pass on them.
The Assistant Attorney General also de-
termlnes what mail matter shall be con-
sldered fraudulent and be excluded as
such from the post.
The Third Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral is himself an autocrat. He has au-
thorlty to exercise his own discretion in
depriving periodical publications of the
advantage OF second-class postal rates.
Publications intended for advertising
purposes primarily are not allowed those
rates. On account of the "kreutZer
Sonata" a whole series of books, of
which it is one, was shut out of the mails.
Publishers commonly get out volumes in
series, because in this shape they go sec
ond-class as periodicals so long as they
are issued at least four times year. The
decision against that work did not act
ually exclude it from the post, because it
could be and was sent at first-class rates,
sealed, SO that nobody could lawfully
bOpen the package and find out what was
inside.
The autocrat Of the Department of Ag-
riculture is the Chief of the Bureau of
Animal Industry. He has authority to
kill any animal he may choose anywhere
in the United States. When one of his
inspectors reports that such and such cat
tie are afflicted with an infectious disease
he orders them purchased and slaugh-
tered. The value of the beasts is judged
by two appraisers, one chosen by tho
owner and the other by the bureau. Ii
they cannot agree, they appoint third
person to decide. In case a man refused
to have his live stock thus disposed of
the police and United States Marshal