New-York tribune., 1895-02-01
DOCKERY LAW CRITICISED.
1T Is SAID TO HAVE "REVOLUT1ONlZED
THINGS" WITH 4 VENGEANCE
one TREASURY AGENT PRoNOUNCES 1T AN IN
ToLERABLE LOT or TRAsH'-cAusING DE-


ToLERABIE LOT or TRAsu-cAusING DE-
LAYS ~ SETTLING ACCOUNTS
tRY TELEGRAPH To THE TRrBuNEl
Washington. Jan. 3l.-The workings OF the DOCK
cry law reorganzing the administration OF the
Treasury and the Department OF JUSTICE are lar
fror giving that entire satisfaction and extortins
that universal approval 50 sedulousiy ad'ertseu
by the Dockery Commission Itself Below are given
some opinions OF it's operations from experienced
officers in the Treasury. whose names are withheid
for obvious reasons one of these experts SAID 10
day:
II is a most abomnable mass OF lessia'ste I'VE pr Is
visions Apart from the fact that most or II ~
senseless. an OF i, is written ia II
is n perfect tumble. 1t has done as much az & tne
Wilson Iricc-, ;orman Tariff bill TO MAKE n,,,
,and's Administration and the Dem9crauc Pu'
oaious II would seem incomprehensible. yer ~ Is
rhe fact that the system OF acconn,,s siargnd by
lnauguratcd by Alexander Hamilton en'at gu ucS ~
Albert Callatln. and pronounced perlect py E Sun
secretaries OF the Treasury as nu.nlte t aisctej
sherman and Manning should nave psen t nyekarv
for such an intocrabie lot OF trash as the DooAerE
law" which was drawn by a., sn nficc under
Nr riryeand assisted by one-horse clerk Wl9 Wli
in am pryH'e .5 ys9ss"Sk = MEEK i in ' The rsf pace
the auditors. with one exception M MMete oip ,n In
p,1s~ their Salaries they all for it, Mansur'
who held down the second Controller Vn',, n,,nS,l
loved Ike a steer when he heard OF the propvISSu
change but when he MAS assured that ne wouI i,h p
made Assistant Controller a $500 sT"; preat
ppirc~ i'c~' of wisdom Mansurs deputy. Nickol.
fourthrate clamasen kicked but wn"' % Scams ne wns
a Dockery man" rive or six more Sn PSen,se PInt,ts.
nXperIrnccd a change OF heart. and AT once de
nouncel the Hamilton methods OF dolhs pus'''T I ~
Work OF the Department we're warned against st
taking any part in opposing the poTHIs h Or naturally
kept quiet or Logan Carlisle would have attended
to tner And to-day. Il any cerk "ers nmhI SO
openly his dismissal would surely follow"
A short time ago "A United States Marshal from
a Western State came 10 Washington TO nave MS
accounts settled. He went 10 the Department OF
Justice and was tod that although his vouchers had
been on hand forty-iive days 1t would be impos-
sible TO examine them until other things were DIS
posed OF. Dockery hal given only seven e'eLns tn
TO the Attorney General anu nnts uTs Of Federal
Court officers. amounting to l.UD every qua,
hnn ne ~ soi he rs.examinei in the Auditors
Office where he was told they would be taken up
dav they We're received Appealing to the chief
| clerk he succeeded In getting an examination IN IN
supposed was a nnal settlement. but to his dis
gust he was told that under the Dockery law ms
| tary's Office before drafts We're drawn.
Another marshal sent IN reqnislton Tor mohTy M hey
accounts had not been rendered within twenty
days the to sS wsGh hsy for hm o send
them earlier as the judge OF his court mad been %
marshal was obliged to get a waiver from the
! Secretary Of the Treasury before he could get
! his money.
| There Is particular passage OF the Dockery
| law which seems to be vicious. After providing
that the Secretary OF the Treasury shall pre-
scribe certain rules governing the rendition OF ac-
I counts the law states that II Is the purpose OF
| this provision to require the prompt rendition OF
accounts. without regard to the mere convenience
OF the officers The ostensible purpose in passing
! the law was TO expedite business, to do away
! with what called double auditing" TO pro-
mote the efficiency OF the service. and to bring
about generally better condition of things fol
the convenience of people having business with
| the Treasury Department. So far the very oppo
| there Is only double. hut triple audit
/ Under the old system accounts were settled and
paid in sixty days: it now takes about ninety
from the time they are received. These are a few
of the practical results of the Dockery law
| As one Senator said: IL voted for II not knowinf
| anything about il, but Dockery came TO me anC
! urged me to vote. declaring that II would revolu
| tionize things I'm the Treasury Department, anC
that he had set his heart upon passing It, die
| vote for IT. | that IL has 'rcyoutonized
! things sure enough. think now that Alexander
! Hamilton did have more sense than Dockery."
! If Mr. Dockery wants to know the truth abou
| the workings OF his so-called reform measure. h,
ought to ask for the opinions of the United States
United States courts. whose accounts are held M
! in the departments from sixty to ninety days
! He cannot get IT from those whose salaries wer,
| increased. II Squeers. the schoomaster OF Dothe
| boys Hall. had called upon his scholars to know
| who was the greatest and most angelic man II
| the British Empire. they would have unanimOusl,
| declared "Wackforl SQueers.