The Portland daily press., 1895-08-24
LIBRARIAN SPOFFCRD.
He Denies Any Misrepresentation of Money
Accounts Neglected Because He Was
Oyerworked.

| Librarian Spofford has made this state
ment in. regard to the sensational ac-
counts sent out of a shortage in his Office
| fees is baseIess. The copyright law dis
| tinctly provides that for certifying copy
OF copyright record there shall be col
lected 50 cents The applications for such
records are very numerous, because OF the
constant litigation involving copyright
property. The furnishing of certified
statements as to how the record stands
is no part Of the regular, correspondence
| but is to meet special demands Tor evil
dence to defend or institute suits invol-
wing copyright property. Tho charge
| for this labor, about 90 cents an hour,
| fairly represents what the government
pays in clerical salaries, and the search
| fees charged are regularly recorded IN the
cash book and paid into the treasury, thus
reimbursing the government for ITS own
expenditure on these special searches.
| ''As to the statement that fraudulent
vouchers have been presented /, the facts
| are that two bills, one for $25 and one for
about S., both bearing re ,eipts, but
neither marked duplicate, we're render
| ed in the accounts from the library, the
duplication not having been detected
either by myself or by the clerk having
these accounts in charge The amount
overdrawn was atonce made good on atten-
| tion being called to this error.
"Regarding payments of salaries, 1T IS
| true that the librarian has for Il long time
| secured larger services for the library
under appropriation specifically for. q
| larger sum than that paid, and this under
| the authority of the law which provides
| that whenever the duties Of clerk OF a
| higher grade can as we'll be performed by
one of lower, it shall be lawful to en-
| ploy more than one within the limits of TIE
appropriation made. Acting under this,
1 have in good faith employed in cases
where no expert of adequate experience
| was found for vacancy two persons for
| the salary of one person for a much longer
| time within the limits of the appropria-
| ton made. This has secured for the
government much more service for the
amounts and it never occurred to me as
thing improper, much less illegal
| MIR Spofford said that instead of there
being only "a persons employed in the
| library, as had been stated, there We're
actually 3S, the law requiring 30
"To those who know anything about the
multifarious duties thrust upon the libra
rian, y continued Mr.. Spofford, it will
| not appear strange that have asked for
separation of the duties Of register of
copyrights, which should be under the
charge of distinct bonded officer connect
ed with the library of congress-, from
UuOSe VI llDIdfldl, sO ttS W oOetaio ciio III
benefit of the publications recorded under
| the copyright law.
''The net result of the matter, SO far as
now seen, is: That there will be due the
treasury about 1872, 600 no adjustment Of
copyright and salary accounts, although
no absolutely final audit has yet been
reached. The amount due, am. of
course, ready to pay Immediately
Mr.. Spotford said, in continuation,
that he had received no intilnation that
his services were likely to be dispensed
with by the Presidnet He added that he
had received the most courteous treatment
at the hands of the executive officials.