Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 2, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1858 — A Great Many Little Leaks Let Out a Great Deal of Money. [ARTICLE]

A Great Many Little Leaks Let Out a Great Deal of Money.

The unequaled and alarming extravagance of the present Administration divides public attention with its infatuated devotion to slavery. We hear quite as often of great sums of money squandered, as of great election frauds countenanced and confirmed. The Treasury is being hunted through with as much minuteness, and the forays into it traced home with as much perseverance as was ever shown in the investigation of Kansas forays and frauds. It has been found that the Administration has expended a surp us of near $20,(100,000, the regular revenue reaching about $40,000,000; has borrowed $20,000,000, and in the last hours of the late session, obtained leave to borrow $15,000,000 more; which the Treasurer says will be expended before Congress meets in December, and all this in a little over one year. Where, even under the corrupt and costly government of Pierce, we used to keep the expenses far below the receipts, leaving a surplus every year of $15,000,000 or $20,000,000, we now expend every dollar of revenue, and nearly $60,000,000 besides. The revenue has fallen off', it is true, but if it had continued at the highest mark ever reached, it would still have fallen $30,000,000 below the extravagance of Mr. Buchanan’s administration. Now the question becomes interesting; “where does the money go!” We have picked up a few facts which will throw some light on this point, and show how a great many little leaks let out a great deal of money: The Congressional printing is done at such enormous rates that a responsible business man at Washington, Mr. Heiss, agreed to furnish an office at a cost of SIOO,OOO, and do all the work for Congress during the term, at the established rates, and when done he would present the office to the Government. The present printers to Congress have sold out their work at heavy profits to Wendell, the owner of the Union, and yet he makes enormous sums from iflt All the binding, jobs, blanks and everything needed by the various departments are furnished by him. How he comes by such “fat” contracts is explained by the fact that Secretary Toucey owns a paper mill in Connects cut, and furnishes the paper to Wendell. Thus he and the Secretary play into each others hands. This is one leak. Another is found in the pocket of Appleton, Assistant Secretary of State, who gets SIO,OOO a year from the Union, or Mr. Wendell, for taking charge of that sheet, and Wendell don’t give that much lor nothing. The State Department is thus made to help him with good jobs. Here are some other “leaks.” Senator J. C. Jones, of Tennessee, had a contract to supply 1,700 horses, at $159 eaclr, which will make the neat sum of $270,300. It stated tiiat the horses were to be of a particular coloi and size; but when they arrived a Fort Leavenworth, they were found io be of all sizes and all colors, but we.e nevertheless accepted. The brother oi the Hon. J. A. Ahl, member of Congress tor the Cumberland, York and Perry District, had a contract to supply lor the army 300 mules, at $175 each, making $520,500; also, an order for 200 from Russell and Majors, Government contractors, at the same price, amounting in all to $87,000. The kind of mules delivered could be bought readily at $l2O each. It. is unnecessary to add Mr. AhLvpted for Lecompton, and is a candidate for re-election. One singular feature of all those profitable arrangements is, that no Republican or American, CT Douglas man, can be found who has shared in them. Lecompton men only get into such good contracts. The law is, Hint the lowest bidder shall have the contract; yet a case is known of a bidder for a mail contract in this State, who put in a bid of $1,700, the lowest, and got it; but being qn opponent of the Lecompton fraud, the Department was notified of tiie fact, and his contract, on-some f rivolous pretext, was cancelled, and in a week given to an active Lecompton man at $7,000, four times as much as the bid to which it was first awarded. The contract was lor carrying the mail on some of the river routes West, we have lorgotten what one. Another leak of no slight magnitude is the collection of the revenue. Our readers will remember that during the debates on the appropriation bill Mr. Colfax, of this State, moved to strike out the appropriation of $4,000,000 for collecting the revenue, and make it $3,000,000. He showed that the sum demanded was twice as much as Corwin had needed for the same service in Fillmore’s term, and one-third more than was ever needed before. No Administration had ever used such a sum; but the Lecomptonites, whose power over the cities lies in the “sinews of war” that the Custom Houses supply, and in the party drillers who get good situations in those institutions, voted him down, and insisted on spending $4,0t)0,000 to collect a revenue that will hardly exceed $30,000,000. In other words, for receiving the money that comes from the duties, Urey pay nearly twenty per cent. We may guess how money goes, when an Administration demands one-third more to collect the revenue than was ever needed before, though the revenue is nearly one-half-less. The foil >wing figures will show where the money goes. They are statements of the salaries paid to Custom House and other officers, at various places, with the amount they collect. Such offices are profitable—to the party: At Niagara 19 men are employed at an expense of $12,000 to collect $8,000; at Oswego 32 men at SIB,OOO to collect $6,000; at Buffalo 20 men aj 17,000 to collect $10,000; at Burlington 33 men at $16,000 to collect $8,500; at Wiscasset 8 men at $7,000 to collect $130; at Portsmouth 21 men at SII,OOO to co lect $5,500; at Marblehead 9 men at $2,200 to collect $250; at New Bedford 14 men at $7,500 to collect $4,800; at Perth Amboy 13 men at $4,500 to collect $1,500; at Ocracoke 7 men at 2,000 to collect SB2; at Toledo 7 men at $4,400 to collect $567; at Detroit 10 men at $36,000 to collect $485; at Benecia 3 men at $4,400 to died $2,300; at Stockton 1 mull at to collect $143; at Sacramento 1 „,3,600 to collect 402; at San Du, at 7,600 to collect 30; at Mv.. a men at 7,050 to collect 45; mt, I’edro 6 men at 4,20.0 to collect 304.—0/ute Journal. ■ QfF John Divar, a watchman in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad at La Salle, fell asleep on the railroad track on Monday night, and was run over and instantly killed.