Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-05-16
GUARD THE MILLIONS
OF THE GOVERNMENT
Faithful. Men Who Watch Over the
National Treasury in
Washington.
NOT A THEFT IN "a YEARS

And Since 1865 the Teller Has Made But
Ono Mistalse-NIcn Who Count the
Coin Not Under Bonds-Ncter-
ans In Service.
A Washington special says: 1t is not
known generally outside department
circles that there is force of men at
work In Washington which handles ev
cry dollar of the millions issued and
redeemed by the government who are
under no bond. There are safeguards
In the treasurer's office as there are in
banks, but more reliance is placed in
the honor of the men who handle the
governments cash than in the checks
of the elaborate system which con-
trolls 1t.
Wherever money is handled" said
Assistant Treasurer Meline. I'VE come
to q point Where we must rely on the
honesty of the individual. All checks
and safeguards have their limit. /"
We don't look on this as money. :"
Mr.. Meline said, as he picked up a
package of notes. we look OH it as so
much merchandise
Mr. Meline has been in the govern
ment service more than quarter of a
century. Treasurers change usually
once every four years; but the assistant
treasurer and cashier, the tellers and
the clerks who handle the millions
which Uncle Sam pays out and takes in
remain unchanged from year to year.
Only death or resignation makes a
change in the active force of the treas
10.
another man takes his place in the
strict order of promotion for merit. If
the civil service reform theory finds a
perfect exempliflcation anywhere it is
in the office of the treasurer of the
United States.
The cash room is the place where
money is paid out direct to all who
hold checks on the treasury. There is
gallery from which a secret agent
could keep an eye on the clerks, but it
is not intended for this use. In fact,
no one watches anyone else very close
ly In the cashiers office of the United
States treasury. There hasn't been a
theft there for twenty-four years and
there is not an employee there whose
word isn't good for a million.
Handles &4O,OOO,OUO "a Year.
The paying teller is William Gibson
He stands at little grated window
and pays out an aggregate of $40 000, 900
in year, all of it in cash. His counter
is In the usual wire cage, open to in
spection from every side. Money comes
to him from the cashiers Y .ult and is
issued by the vault clerk ON memoran-
dunn. MIR. Gibson's signature is good
for millions with the vault clerk. TEL
Ter Gibson has been in the treasurers
office since 1865. He has to his record
one error in thirty-flve years, and that
error cost him 5000. Paying out $500 on
a check, he divided $1,000 package of
$40 notes into two parts and gave the
larger part to the man at the window.
When he discovered the error later the
man who presented the check was 5000
richer. Mr.. Gibson had to make IL
good, and the only way he could have
saved himself from loss was by going
to congress for special relief act
The treasurer of the United States
does that every little while when there
is q shortage In cash, and congress al
ways passes the bill.
The treasurer is responsible for Mr.
Gibson. as he is for every other en-
pIoyee of his office. and he gives a bond
which covers every reasonable possible
ity of defnlcation and theft. More than
one treasurer of the United States has
said at the end of his term that lie
treasurer's position is one of the few
we'll paid offices under the government
which Us not much sought when there
Is a change of administration.
Next to the window of the paying
teller Is that of the exchange clerk.
Anyone can bring money into the
treasurer's office and exchange 1T for
fresh bills or for bills of other denomi-
nations. The exchange teller keeps
100000 in change constantly on hand
His chief concern is guarding against
counterfeits. which are not infrequent-
ly offered by innocent holders
The third window in the cash room
Is the window where the governments
own banking business is transacted
and here often $3.0O0.0O0 is handled In a
day, but much of this is in credits.
A Veteran In tho Service.
Next to Mr.. Gibson, the greatest re-
sponsibility rests on the Keeper of the
cash room vault. His name is Quaiffe
and he has constantly in his keeping
$l70000,OG0 in currency. Every dollar
OF 1T is complete, With signatures and
seals. Mr.. Quaiffe. who entered the
service Of the treasurer In 1865, has
charge of all the vaults, including the
silver and gold vaults in the basement.
His personal charge, however, is the
NehulS ia liie CASH IooIIl. I1eFe are kept
notes, gold and silver used in the every
day business of the government All
the coin is In bags and the paper
money in packages of uniform size.
strapped and labeled Mr.. Quaiffe
once kept account for four years of
the amount of money that passed
through his hands, and it aggregated
500, 100000.
He was personally responsible for
this money from the moment it entered
his possession till he could show a re-
ceipt for it from one of the tellers.
Any man in charge of this vault could
take several millions without fear of
immediate discovery, but 1t is not to he
supposed that the custodian of the
governments cash has ever been
tempted.
Often quite alone in the vault. Mr..
Quaiffe could slip a package of $lOO, 900
into his pocket and no one would be the
wiser for many months. The money in
the cashiers vault is in bundles.
ranged on shelves, assorted according
to denominations. Usually these bun
dies are issued with seals unbroken: hut
odd amounts are made up from broken
TOO MUCH WINE.