Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-07-26

General Rathbone drew from August
I, 1890, to April 30, 1000, the sum Of
$1,365 as. a per diem which was un-
authorized and that the drawing OF
the same was fraudulent and there
fore recommend that he be required
to reimburse the postal revenues OF
Cuba in that amount"
The bills rendered for furniture for
the official residence, the report says,
contain many items such as charges
for trunks, gloves, dog collar, over
coat, hats for coachman, boots for foot
man, shirts collars and cuffs for coach
man, etc.
Rathbone claimed that 1t was the Gus
tom of all countries that officials should
be furnished with such attendants and
they should be clothed at the expense
of public revenues. When the charac-
ter Of these purchases became known
to the postmaster general, he wrote to
Director General Rathbone as follows:
"I have today, for the first time, seen
certain of your bills as director general
of posts, which were brought here by
Col. Burton. Some of these bills are
not only without authority, justifica-
ton, but are scandalous, and never
should have been passed or paid. The
auditor who is responsible toa different
department was inexcusable in allow
ing them, and your action in presenting
them for allowance was grossly repre-
hcnsible. without waiting for re-
view and reconsideration of these bills
by a rightful audit, you should at once
reimburse to the island treasury the
sums thus improperly paid"
Rathbone made numerous official
trips. In April, 1890, he made tour
'of inspection, accompanied by his
family, and his expense account cover
cd the entire expense of his family. In
May, of the same year, he came to the
United States and charged up as official
expenses his expenses to Cincinnati
and Hamilton, o., where he went on
private business. The report says
Rathbone "was aware at the time that
these charges were unauthorized and
fraudulent"
In November, 1899 when his family
were in New York, he charged $3.50
for eight days iu New York, while
waiting for a steamer. He stated that
no part of this expense was for his
family. The report says:
~ do not think it Is reasonable to be-
lieve that the director general expend-
ed S29.5O a day for personal hotel ex-
penses while in New York awaiting
the sailing of the vessel for Havana,
but do believe that these expenses COW
er the entire hotel expenses of himself
and family and that they have been
fraudulently charged against the postal
revenues of Cuba"
The report also calls attention to
warrant for $500 drawn by Rathbone
June 80, 1899, for which no accounting
was made and another $500 warrant in
May of the same year. 1t says:
'From the records 1t appears that
Rathbonc had drawn two warrants to
himself in the sum of $500 each, receiv-
ed the money thereon, and made no ac-
counting whatever for the same to the
departments of posts. There stands
against him, therefore, the charge of
unlawfully appropriating $1,000 of the
Cuban postal funds for his own use."
The report says that Rathbone's ap-
proyal of bills was evidence Of collus-
ion with Neely and Reeves to defraud
the government. Continuing it says:
"Gen. Rathbone has been engaged in
the government service many years
and knows such method Of present
ing bills and such expenditures are
wholly unwarranted and bears the
strongest evidences of corruption,
Therefore for him to approve such ac-
counts renders him equally guilty with
Neely. The total amount of these mis-