Birmingham age-herald., 1895-08-22
THE CASE OF MR. SPOFFORD The Librarian Said to Be Short
 $35,000. HE MAKES A STATEMENT There Is an Admitted Confusion of Accounts
 Due to Pressure of Work. CHARGE OF ILLEGAL FEES IS BAsfLEss The Core of the Whole Matter, He Says, There Is Due the Treasury About
 $22,ooo-He Is Ready
 to Pay.
CHARGE OF ILLEGAL FEES IS BASELESS

WaShlnStOn, Aug. Zl.-1n ne accounts or Congressional Librarian Spofford, which have been under investigation by the auditor of the treasury for the state and other departme nts since last January, are said to show shortage of at least s35, 900. This shortage is said to exist in the pay roll accounts of the library, and in addition to this is a discrepancy in the copyright accounts. The accounts have been examined by an expert in the office of Auditor Holcomb, and his report is believed to have been carried to Presi- dent Cleveland at Gray Gables by As sstant Secretary Hamln of the treasury department, who went to his cottage at Marion, Mass, a few days ago to spend his vacation.
 At. the treasury department no infor- nation whatever can be learned regard ing the matter, the officials declining to discuss or to reveal the results of the Investigation
 Mr.Spofford was shown the statements regarding his accounts, and made the following statement:
 Tn a matter involving so many par ticulars, both of misstatements and dis tortion of facts, it can only be said that this Is not the first time nor is 1t likely to be the last that public official has been held up to odium for offenSeS not committed. Stripped of all sensational statements, the whole matter rests upon an admitted confusion of accounts grow ing out of the extreme pressure con stantly upon the librarian of congress and register of copyrights to the whole country This neglect has been owing to the fact that while the daily and arduous businessof deciding upon and issuing copyrights and the almost incessant de d fl,.a hra -iq n by congress and the public cannot be postponed, the matter of accounts can be and has been delayed.
 "The charge of having received illegal fees is baseless. The copyright law dis tinctly provides that for certifying copy of copyright record there shall be col lected 5U cents. The applications for such records are very numerous because of the constant litigation involving copy right property. The furnishing of cer- tified statements as to how the record stands is no part of the regular corre- spondence. but is to meet special demands for evidence to defend or institute suits involving copyright property. The pay for this labor is 50 cents an hour, and fairly represents what the government pays in clerical salaries and the clerk fees charged are regularly recorded in the cash book and paid into the treasury, thus reimbursng 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 $6, both bearing receipts, but neither marked duplicate were rendered in the accounts from the library, the dupllca- tion not having been detected either by myself or by the clerk having these ac- counts in charge. The amount oyer drawn was at once made good on atten- fiop beinp called to this error.
 "Regarding payments of salaries, It IS true that the Hbaran has for along time secured larger services for the library under appropriations specincaily TOT larger sum than that paid, and this un- der the authority of the law which pro- yides that whenever the duties of clerk of higher grade can well be per formed by one of a lower, 1t shall be law fuI to employ more than one within the limits of the appropriation made. Acting under this I have in good faith employed, in cases where no expert of adequate ex-. perience was found for vacancy, two persons at a salary of one person for much longer time within the limits of the appropriation made. This has secured for the government much more service for the amounts and it never occurred to me as a thing improper and much less illegal"
 MT. Spofford said that instead of there being only twenty-four persons employed in the library, as had been stated, there were actually thirty-eight, the law re- quiring thirty.
 'To those knowing anything of the multifarious duties thrust upon the li- brarian,' continued MT. Spofford, 'it will not appear strange that have asked for a separation from the duties of reg ister of copyrights. which should be un- der the charge of a distinct bonded offi- ,cer connected with the library of con gress from those of the librarian, so as to secure the full benefit of the publica- tions recorded under the copyright law. The core of the whole matter, so far as now seen is: There will be due the treas ury about $22.00 on adjustment of copy right and salary accounts, although no absolutely final audit has yet been reached. The amount due I am, of course, ready to pay immediately"
 MT. Spofford said in connection that he had received no intimation that his services were likely to be dispensed with by the president He added that he had received the utmost courteous treatment at the hands of the executive.
 MT Spofford was appointed to his pres ent office by Abraham Lincoln in 1864.