The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-11-24
CAPITAL ~AUTOCRATS.
OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON WHOSE
ONLY LAW is THEIR WILL.

ONlf LAW 10 ITEM WILL.
A Striking Example Is the First Comp
troller of the Currency, Whose Decisions
Cannot Even He Vetoed by the President.
whe Has the Power Of Removal.
Among the most remarkable features
Of this government by the people is the
extraordinary authority vested in certain
subordinate officials at Washington.
For instance. no man in the United
States yields snch power in money mat
tiers as the first comptroller of the cur
rency. He is entirely independent of
the secretary of the treasury. and even
the president has no means of coercing
him, as the following story shows:
When Grant was i'll the White House.
First Comptroller Taylor refused to
countersign a warrant for the payment
Of a big claim on Of the funds of the
treasury. The president summoned him
and said:
"You must sign
Il will not. Mr.. President" replied
the recalcitrant official.
Then / will compel You TO do So" said
General Grant.
lyon have not the power" rejoined
the comptroller coolly and respectfully.
I'VE Will see abor,t that" said the
president. Il will consult the attorney
general"
The attorney general, on being con-
suited, stated that the comptroller was
right-he could not be forced to coun-
tersign the warra1.t. Next day the pres
ident summoned Mr., Taylor and said:
Il find that ! cannot compel you to
countersign the warrant. However. !
a get another first comptroller"
Very well, Mr.. President" replied
the officer. lyon can have my resi.nH-
ton, but not my signature"
In fact. the only way III which the
president can override "A decision Of this
powerful official is by dismisSlng him
and appointing another man. All Of the
accounts of the government. except those
which relate to customs and the post
office department. ar" settled by war
rants countersigned by the first comp
~troller. Without his signature the pay
lnents cannot he made.
There are w autocrdts i'll the post
Office department, One of them is the
assistant attorney general. 1t is his
function TO decide whether matter Of
fered for mailing is immoral or not. He
acts a censor for tho people. Whenever
a postmaster iii amy city is doubtful re-
garding the morality of IA publication
that is sought To be mailed. he forwards
a copy of the suspected work to the third
assistant postmaster general. by whom
it is referred to the assistant attorney
general.
Very likely the latter may be too busy
to investigate The subject personally. III
which case he turns it over 10 one Of hi>
clerks. who peru~"s ii and marks any
passage which he considers indecent.
Thus the law lord has simply to glance
over the selected tidhits OF improprietv
and pass on them. The assistant aftor-
ney general also determines what mail
matter shall be considered fraudulent
and he excluded a. such from the post.
The third assistant postmaster general
Is himself an autocrat. He has authority
to exercise his own discretion in depriy-
ing periodical publications of the adj
vantage of second class postal rates.
Publications intended for advertising
purposes primarily are no allowed
those rates. On account of the ''kreutzer
Sonata" "A whole series of books. of which
it was one. was shut ont of the mails.
Publishers commonly get out VOL
umes i'll series. because in this shape
they 60 second class as periodical publ
cations SO long as they are issued at
least four times a year. The decision
against that work did not actually ex-
clude It from the post. because it could
be and was sent at first class rates.
Asaled, SO that nobody could lawfully
open the package and find out what was
inside.
The autocrat of the department of
agriculture is the chief Of the bureau of
animal industry. He has authority to
in the United States. When one of his
inspectors reports that such and such
cattle are afflicted with an infectious
disease, he orders them purchased and
slaughtered. The value of the beasts is
jpJ.Sed by two appraisers, one chosen
by the owner and the other by the bu-
reau. If they cannot agree, they ap-
point q third person to decide. In case
a man refused to have his live stock
thus disposed Of, the police and United
States marshals would be summoned.
The payment adjudicated is made by
check. The chief of the bureaus author
ity IN such matters is absolute over the
territories and District of Columbia.
For operations III any state he must have
the consent of the governor. but the gov
ernor's consent cannot lie withheld be-
cause he is i'll "A position 10 coerce the
state. If he chooses. he can quarantine
the state, preventing ali animals from
going into or coming out for Ill lndefl
mite period.-St. Louis Gl"be-Democrat
The Need Was Mutual.
Sleepy Cifizen-Wbat do You want in