Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-12-21
aHisesllaaeu,ls 8sadias.
CONSCIENCE MONEY.
$4,000 of II Received Yearly by Eng
lish Chancellor.

$4,000 of II Received Yearly by Eng
lish Chancellor.
Eyes" said a treasury officer, with
whom the writer recently had con-
versation, 1--WE usually receive some-
thing like 10000 a year on account
Of the trouble given by guilty con-
sciences. It comes in all sorts Of ways.
I have known single sovereign
wrapped in a piece Of paper, to be
dropped into our letter box with an
added pencilled sentence that 1t was
for conscience money! Then, again,
we often get sums by registered let
ter with similar statements attached.
/ have opened packets containing as
much as f100."
What was your queerest expert
ence in that kind Of receipt" I in
quired.
1--WE got q tin box, and heavy 1t
was, by post one morning" said the
clerk when we opened it we found
a short note saying that x. x. x
wished to make amends for his de-
ceit in returning his statement of in
come, and adding that we should find
the amount due in sovereigns in the
box. So we unpacked the small per-
cells there and took from each the
gold coins they enclosed. The total
amounted to 1850, which you will
agree was very good haul for one
mornings work in this way!"
"You don't get such strokes Of
luck every day." I asked.
"Oh, no; they come very irregu-
larly. Sometimes d whole week
elapses without our receiving one, but
seldom more than that. And 1t Is
curious that most people wish to have
some acknowledgment Of the receipt
of their conscience money In the daily
paper, which is why you so often SEQ
in the press a paragraph after this
style:
"'E. Y. Z.-The Chancellor Of the
Exchequer wishes to acknowledge re-
ceipt Of f150 on account Of unpaid
income tax
"Or it may be that the advertise
ment runs in the name Of the COM
missioners of inland revenue, but 1t
is generally the same announcement
bar that. The very largest amount
the treasury ever got at one swoop
from this source, so l am told, was
FL, 900, though that did not come un-
der my own cognizance here. And
I believe the lowest sum we have
ever had was a shilling, which some
body once dropped into the letter box
with the usual explanatory note.
That defaulter must have had a
very tender conscience indeed, far
more so than most men who pay in
come tax. Dodging the payment Of
this tax is reckoned not only right,
but even creditable, by some men; but
five postal orders for a pound each
which came not long ago to us for
conscience money proves that not
every man can stifle the. still, small
voice when he has succeeded In do
ing the collector"
II suppose" 1 put in, that the
treasury does not take any special
step to discover the personalities Of
any Of these conscience stricken de-
faulters who thus send their money
to its Golfers unexpectedly"
NO" he replied, I'VE should gen.
orally find the task impossible. Be-
sides, we are only too glad to get
the money at all. Many folk look up
on the treasury as a veritable gold
mine, a department never really need
ing money. But I can assure you
that this is wrong. Our motto has
long been, and 1 believe it always
will be, The smallest contribution
received So we welcome
these various gifts Of conscience
money whenever they arrive. And
the oftener they come and the larg-
er they are the better we like them"
Tit Bits.