Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-03-13
Federal Fund
THAT
Not Chinese

Washington, Jan. 3.--The year Just
closed has been a record breaker Tor
/ the conscience fund of the treasury,
| the amount received from conscience
stricken people reaching the heavy
sum Of S35,SGS.22. being 1888 1882
more than the previous year. and run.
ming the total sum to more than $3.50.
400 since the technically called con.
science fund was opened in Septem.
bor 1871.
The history of the fund is not with.
out interest. The account was opened
with a contribution of less than 81,
which was forwarded to the treasury
/ ny q resident Of New York I'm SCptom.
/ Der. lSl1, who stated that he had tax.
/ on the amount from the Government
/ and wished to make restitution. ON.
! Gals Of the department state that II
4 was not known at that time what TO
do with the amount sent, and a simple
memorandum was made and the slip
/ IT paper filed in one OF the several
| lrawcrs, where 1t remained undisturb.
ed for many years.
| II looked as II there would never be
another Sonscience.stricKen citizen
who wouldAcnd in a contribution, and.
/ in fact, II was not until 1861, soon after
the breaking out OF the rebellion, that
/ the name Conscience fund" was Civ.
en-.
At this time q bundle was received
containing $4,000 in bonds, accompa
MED by a statement that the sum HAD
| long been due the Government, and
vas prompted by conscience. This gave
the fund its name, and II has since re.
| NAMED open. The amounts received
are covered into the treasury as a mis-
Cellaneous receipt, and may be used
| like other assets of the department for
any purpose that Congress may deem
proper.
Remittances are received almost
weekly there are two or
three cases a week-and, as a rule, the
letters are not signed. Frequently
they are signed by Clcrgymcn at the re.
quest of penitents. AS nearly all the
communications are anonymous, aC-
| acknowledgements are made through the
local press.
The smallest amount ever received
vas 2-cent stamp, the sender explain
ing that he had used once upon a time
o cancelled stamp to prepay postage
on a letter. No money has ever reach.
ed the fund from the hundreds who
use penalty envelopes for private cor
respondenCe.
The largest sum eEer received was
from London-$14,25O. Some one
transmitted this through the Ameri'
can Consul General to the State De
partment, and thence to the treasury,
There was no reason whatever assign
ed for this priclSing of conscience. The
largest sums received last year were
$4,000 and $4,000.
A great many of the letters accom-
panylng the remittances are preserved,
and the lifting of the red tape of the
establishment gives some interesting
reading. The majority OF bona fide
conscientious correspondents either
give no explanation, or content them
selves with very brief statements OF
the reasons for the return of the money
without attempting the task of work
ing on the feelings Of the treasurer.
The contributors are chiefly those
who have defrauded the government
while acting as its agents and officers,
or who have evaded the Internal rev.
enue taxes on customs duties.
The men and women who have only
gouged the government slightly arc
generally heard from after revival OF
religion in their immediate neighbour
hoods. They feel that in order to ge;
Bquarely in the straight and narrow
road they must make good their little
stealings from the government, and
while the treasury doesn't stand in any
pressing need of these contributions, II
fills the heart Of the treasurer with JOY
10 know that the world is getting bet
ter.
Many Of these letters on file are from
jocose correspondents, who have no.
SCRUBBED to make light of so serious