The San Francisco call., 1903-01-25

counterfelts made OF pure silver, Wnlch
contain the exact quantity OF the Govern
ment coin and are the exact size. These
meet.
In currency, too. all sorts of devices ap-
pear. At one time a large number OF
COCnterfeits OF 500 silver certificates ap-
peared. and so clever was the imitation
that the Government called IN the entire
Issue OF that date.
AS counterfeits appear 1t is the custom
Of the Secretary OF the Treasury to I'M
medlateiy notify the sub-tIeasurteS, so
that they may be on guard
If they had nothing TO do but take IN
all the money that comes their way tE-
Treasurer and his CLERKS would not hdI
earn their salaries. If the yearly receipts
stayed in the treasury they would nave
TO set to work and dig bigger cellar.
But just as fast as the treasure pours
in it leaks out, and that's where the men
troubles begin.
In little BITS and large lumps the gold
and silver are handed out TO people VINO
hne up and show they have claim on
share Of their uncles dollars.
Now 1t is the widow with crumpleu
pa Fer in her hard that entities her TO her
quarterly pension allowance; now II -
the paymasIer Of the army, who must
come with dray - carry away wnat ne
needs 10 pay the boys who wear the Dlu5
clothes ana brass button, and there are
merchants ana soldiers, contractors nank
messengers, stiu more pensioners ana VINO
not each stretching nand toward Oncie
Sans pocket.
The army heads the list when II comes
master stationed at san FRANCISCO mas
payroll of from twelve 10 fifteen thOu-
sand men and neariy a million dollars.
There was day when TINS money vas
practically all paid at the Preside. and y
proved juicy balt for every variety ot
CRATER known TO civiiizauon Men Who
were about 10 he discharged ana VINO
were known to have saved some OF theiE
pay were haunted from reVeIhe 10 taps
by the man with every sort or schems
from Chinese lottery % oil wells
-
taDushed a camp on Angel Island and
that is where men about 90 be discharged
spend their last days. When the time
comes the pay master takes ms oags or
gold goes to Angel Island and there, Iar
from the maduening crowd OF graIleiS'
pays the men As result more of them
can buy tIc1ets home and not few Of
them go with money orders III thel
pockets.
For the boys in the Philippines the
money goes by steamer every two months
That IS how often they are paid. and only
the amount of two months pay is en-
trusted 10 the paymaster stationed tnere
Then there are shoes and clothes and
things TO eat, buildings and repairs ana
ships seamen's wages and tuel ana nall
hundred ct ceteras for the maintenance
of the army here and in the Philippines,
all OF which are paid for out OF the money
in the San Francisco suo-treasury.
The chief quartermaster comes along
with bills amounting to about three hum
dIed thousand a month, tina depot quar-
termaster with hundred tnousaho more. nor.
and the transport quartermaster Wlln
another two hundred, good seven million
'This clothes the soldiers, furnishes
fcrsge. buildings, fuel and other supplies,
takes men to the Philippines ana pack
again. but does not give them moutnIuL
of food. That they may eat, the ueas-
urer has more checks TO honor, those
issued by the commissary and subsistence
departments. This lessons the supply OF
treasure by more millions. -,
art
periences a run OF small customers or
days after the pension agent mas sent oul
the quarterly checks the paying ..,s teIler 81
the Treasury Is as busy as tne PedhuS
man at the circus. Matmed. lame. halt and
blind veterans of two wars, their SISTERS
and their cousins and their aunts CONS
trOopfnR down upon him. nearly thirty
eight thousand strong. and When they
have passed the treasurer Is poorer oy
some two millions quarter
They do not all come IN person, Tor not
so large a percentage OF the population OF
San Francisco claim pensions Non-resl-
dents can get their money from tnelr
bankers, for anybody ls glad enough 10
accept Uncle Sans paper II he will not
accept anybody's. This Is why oank mes .s-
cashiers window with sacks to DO filled
with shovelfuls OF gold.
A pension check Is never outlawed. but
If held longer than three years II cannot
be collected except at washington Few
are held that long, though one man on
ffteeu years because he thinks the
money is safer in the treasury at Wash
ington than in any bank.
Verify wars and warriors are expensive
luxuries. But they are not the only drain
upon Uncle Sans money bags
Peace hath It's expenses as wei as us
victories. No one man issues so many
checks on the treasury as the general dis
bursing agent, who in this case happens
to be also the Customs Collector, the man
who puts in the most millions.
At odd moments, between his work Of
/ figuring duties and counting fat piles OF
gold that he has rakcd in for Uncle sam
, this man has,to see that the stOnemasOus
! and carpenters and ironworkers employed
/, on the new postoffice get their pay: that
) claims of foreign Consuls are properly
, settled: that expenses connected with the
revenue cutter service. Chinese exclusion
. laws and certain Hawaiian affairs are
: met. in fact. there is a yard-long list Of
: things for which he authorizes payment Of
2 money by the treasury Not the least
important of these are premiums which
the Government now offers TO those who
import raw materials and ship them out
I of the country again as manufa tured
D goods, and which for the past year have
amounted to something like a million
2 While this one man Is a collecting and
q disbursiEg agent the two funds are as
saparate as though the moneys did rot
=. go in and out OF the same pocket. AS col
' lector of customs he may have a quar-
. ter of million dollars on hand. yet rot
r a cent of IL could he touch If he had a
y half million to pay out as dlsbursing
agent Indeed he could not even take
: out enough to meet the expenses Of his
= own office.
: Into the treasury every dollar must -,
n the necessary amount of money is placed
a TO his credit BY advice from Washington.
a and UPON this he draws The same rule
holds good in all other departments, and
q there is not a man all along the line VINO
will not tell you that the system IS simple
r and perfect.
= Down 10 the very last penny must every
: transaction check up with always a triple
= or quadTuOle check upon IT,
! A paymaster in Manila once found that
his account did not balance by one cent.
n and although employed in the department,
+ al Washington when the error was dis
+ covered he could not pay in that cent and
n take a receipt, but was compelled Co send
a the amount to the Sub-Treasury at San
4 Francisco by money order, paying regis
n try fee on the letter and get receipts In
r. duplicate. one TO be fled with the Secre-
n tarv OF the Treasury
q Down to the last atom must care be
\ taken in the matter OF signatures There
was an instance recently where warrant
" in favor of a very prominent San Fran
d ciscan was returned from Washington