Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1885 — Overhauling the Books. [ARTICLE]

Overhauling the Books.

The Chicaago Tribune says: Hendricks never mode a more specious plea than when he asked for a change of administration that the Democrats ‘might look at the books.’ There was no end to secret frauds and iniquities which the Democrats declared they would uncover as soon as they had control of the department. It was broadly hinted that vast sums were still carried on the books when the money had in fact been stolen. Accordingly, the first thing the administration did when it obtained control the treasury was to employ experts to go over the books with the scent of a hound and the eye of a lynx for the slightest flaw, with a corpse of of accountants were put at work counting the money on hand. In a few weeks the books had all been scanned with the utmost care and the hundreds of millions of money all counted, with the result of finding a shortage of just two cents! Such was the inglorious ending of most eager, stystematic, and even desperate hunt for flaws or frauds —a shortage of two cents!” It is hardly credible if the Chicago organ hss such a thing as an intelligent reader, that he should be imposed upon by such stuff as this. It is scarcely necessary to remind him tha there are thousands of ways t steal without disturbing the balo ance between the cash on hand and the books. The books may stillbalence when the thieves are stealing thousands of clollaas’ worth of goods at the back door, and it is within the knowledge of t e editor of this organ that the books may still balance when the city treasurer has been getting away with a half a million of the city’s fimds. — Chtcago Times.