Evening star., 1917-03-10
Number OF Precedents Cited.

No public official has been removed
from Office under. this law since it be-
came law. February %. 1896. There
deficiencies created without authority
in law. notably that for the federal
mint last fall. 1t is even understood
that committees of Congress, where a
deficiency was faced by some branch of
the government have given direction
that the deficit be created. promising
that the money would later be pro-
vided.
Presumably the duty would devolve
upon the Secretary of the Treasury as
the superior official to remove di-
rector of the bureau of engraving and
printing who created a deficit; this Sec
retary McAdoo could hardly do in view
of his responsibility in authorizing it.
1t is not to be expected that the Presi-
dent. as next superior. would remove
the Secretary of the Treasury for
breaking the letter and not the spirit
of the law
Another assumption is that the law
was not written into the statutes to meet
such a situation. Law officers consider
that it was intended to prevent a pub
lie official from taking an initiative in
expenditures when the matter was one
for prime legislative consideration and
for its authorization before being car
ried into effect: in other words, to pre-
vert expenditures wherein Congress
had not been consulted and where its
attitude was doubtful
Director Ralph has left of current ap-
propriations enough to meet his pay
roll through May. For materials the
actual balance of appropriations will
weeks. He is especially short of dis
tinctive paper on which are printed
the paper money and other securities.
Requires $4,000. 900 Stamps a Day.
The Post Office Department requires
so. 900, 900 stamps a day for the public
service, and is receiving that amount
in one and two cent stamps from the
bureau and is putting them out for sale
at the same rate. This is the average
that Director Ralph expects to keep up
every day until the end of the fiscal
year, appropriation or no appropr1a :
tion: expecting. however. that an extra
session of Congress may sooner meet
the situation. So the mail will proceed
The value of the internal revenue
stamps turned over by the bureau every
day is between $l,500.000 and s1.750, 900.
These represent revenues from stamp
taxes of various kinds. including taxes
on spirits. wines and fermented liquors,
tobacco. sundry war emergency stamp
revenues. etc The tax is paid by the
purchase of stamps; should the stamps
not be available, it is a fair assump-
ton that the tax would be withheld
until some method. at some remote
time, could be devised.
In paper money of various kinds the
bureau is turning out to meet the pub
lie demand the vast amount of SEQ, 0,00O.-
900 (face value) a day on an average
1t has orders for $500, ,OOO, 900 of federal
reserve notes. OF United States notes
alone the output is $4,000 sheets, or
], ,360, 900 notes of various denomina-
tions: approximately an average of
$S.00O,000 day. To shut down on a
public demand of this magnitude would
undoubtedly create a situation that
would be difficult for the financial and
business world to meet.
Business over the country, as is usual
in times of prosperity. is making an
unprecedented demand for paper money
OF small denominations: hence the re-
cent decision Of the Secretary OF the
Treasury to convert ten-dollar United
States notes into one dollar and two
dollar notes, an order that is now be-
ing carried out by tho bureau. Then
there is an abnormal demand for new
money and for money for redemption.