Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-08-20
POOR OLD UNCLE SAM.
Almost Everybody Tries to Loot
His Treasury.
Big Thieves and Little Thieves by the
Score steal Money from the Gov
ornment-How They Work
Their Schemes.
Especial washington letter.

Men who call themselves respectable,
and who are sometimes called honor
able, often try to loot the national treas
ury; and they do not seem to have any
twangs of conscience.
The protection afforded the treasury
by the senators and representatives in
congress, and particularly the chair
Inen of the committees on appropria-
tions, guarantees safety of the public
funds. There are more honest men
than dishonest men in congress; or else
they are compelled to be good for fear
of consequences. It is most likely that
their moral sense, in a majority of cases,
is well elldeveloped, for appropriations are
carefully scanned before being passed
in committee, or in the forum of de-
bate.
President Cleveland, however, found
it necessary to veto the river and baf-
Dor appropriation bill, and also the
general deficiency bill. There was an
immense amount of jobbery in the
river and harbor bill, but nearly every
member of the house of representatives
had slice of the steal, and hence the
bill was passed by two-thirds major
ity over the veto, and the money was
thus appropriated. Fortunately large
sums are left to the discretion of the
secretary of war for disbursement; and
the secretary is in no hurry to expend
the public funds needlessly.
The general deficiency bill contained
two rank steals, and everybody in
Washington knew that the veto was
right. The bill was killed by the veto,
and could not be passed by o two-thirds
vote, as the river and harbor bill had
been. -Four years ago certain sem
ator, who occupied q position of prom
inence and power, inserted an appro-
priation of S1,500,000 for the French
spoliation claimants, as an amendment
to the general deficiency bill. The bill
carried SO many important items that
President Harrison did not veto it, and
hence the treasury was looted to that
amount. During the past session of
congress the same senator championed
the French spoliations claimants again,
in the secret of committee room; but
did not do SO on the floor of the senate.
On the contrary, he intrusted the work
to another senator, who proposed the
amendment providing S1,OOO,Ooo for
French spoliaticn claims, while the
principal senator was absent from the
senate chamber for u few minutes.
That enabled the chief manager to say,
if ever accused of jobbery: Thou canst
not say did it."
The same appropriation bill opened
the way for enormous appropriations
under what is known as the Bowman
act. If the bill had become q law, there
would have been fully S100,000,-
600 drawn from the treasury in
side of ten years, for the payment of
obsolete and unworthy claims But
the president vetoed the bill, and there
by rendered his country great service.
Senators ana representatives who voted
for the big steals referred to would not
listen to the demands of smaller and
more deserving claimants.
But not only during the sessions of
congress are the cormorants here. They
are with us all the time, trying and
scheming to get their hands into the
treasury. There are schemers and plot
ters of every description, and not one of
them seems to think that it is wrong to
swindle the federal government.
Fifteen years ago appropriationswere
made for the purpose of constructing
tunnel mile long, to carry water to
a section of this city which was not we'll
supplied. The tunnel was constructed
under the direction of engineers of the
army, and when it was completed the
aggregate appropriations amounted to
nearly S2,000,000. About ten years ago