Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-05-18
The End uf the l'oray

I'OR moro than two weeks posse of De-
l partuent OF Justice agents, plus 100
expert accountants have been engaged in
g sweeping examination OF the records the
files and the stocks OF the Bureau OF Engrav-
ing and Printing. This investigation fol
lowed the summary dismissal of thirty
chiefs OF the divisions in the bureau and the
director OF the bureau himself in violation
Of the spirit il not the letter OF the civil
service law.
When the dismissals were executed
through executive orders issued by the
President, the men aud women involved
were not permitted TO return to the bureau
TO remove their personal effects. Tho order
had been kept a profound secret until the
big plant had been closed for the day and
the officials had gone to their homes. There
upon White House messengers called upon
the chiefs individually and delivered the
ukasc of the chief executive
The following day other officials went
through the desks Of the discharged meu
and sent to each such personal trinkcts or
papers as were not needed in prosecuting
the Inventory. The whole business was en-
pIesSiVe of the distrust with which the adj
ministntion regarded the men VINO were
turned out. Every circumstance OF the mat
ter tended 10 stigmatizc these people.
No direct charges were made. but a more
subtle means was found OF aSSaling the
integrity of Director Wlmcth and his exc
cutive staff. The country was left to
sumo that there had been irregularities of
a criminal character perhaps Wholesale ir-
rcgularities. 1t seemed ncOnCeivablc that
action drastic would be taken against
group OF officials against whom nothing was
to be alleged
Then. to add to the popular suspicious
which the administration has carefully
couraged, an order went out closing the bu
rcau itself while an Inventory could be
made More than 5000 employees were
laid on for ten days while the sseuths
Seuthed for damaging evidence. During
this period boatman on the Potomac River
found Il package Of water-loggcd Treasury
! notes. A great mystery was made OF this
and the limitations were that the paper
money had been stolen from the bureau and
that the perpetraior of the deed had sought
10 destroy the evidence by throwing it into
the river. Up turned janitOr in the Treas
ury. however. who confessed that he had
taken the old notes all Of which had been
Cancelled and rendered unfit for passage as
currency. before it was stolen.
Finally, the inventory was completed and
report submitted. This showed no seri-
| Gus Irregularities OF any sort. \ few minor
cases OF bad recording and misplaced ma
terials were discovered, il seems. but nothing
was uncovered that reflected upon the
! honesty OF any one of the men who had
been relieved OF his duties
In view OF this development the natural
thing for the administration to do would
have been to issue a statement showing
tina, no crime had been committed and
indicating the high character OF the people
involved Thereafter tho Presiden, should
have rcinstated the bureau chiefs who held
their Jobs under the civil service But
neither Mr.. Harding nor any OF his spokes-
men have done anything OF the sor- They
! have stood pat, and in doing it they have
| invited the reproach OF all upright men