AMERICAN SWINDLING AND CORRUPTION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 747, 11 August 1876, Page 3

AMERICAN SWINDLING AND CORRUPTION.

—o—(Melbourne Argus.) It is somewhat startling in the centennial year of the American Republic to find one of the leading journals in the United States commencing an article in these words - “Another revolution is wanted in the United States. The American spoils system is a Worse tyrant than the British King. It is greater discredit to submit to the former than to the latter. We must get rid of it.” And the sooner the better; for the system of fraud and spoliation is assuming dimensions of appalling magnitude, and is proved to have extended its ramifications through every branch of the public service. Next to the whisky frauds perpetrated with the connivance of the revenue officers at Chicago, St. Louis, and elsewhere, the greatest swindle yet brought to light was exposed by the House Committee on Invalid Pensions, at Washington, on the 25th March. At the close of the civil war Congress made grants of land amounting to ICO acres each to the soldiers who had fought for the Union. These were distributed through the Pension Bureau, of which Mr Henry von Aeuiam, of New York, was chief commissioner from 1860 until some time in 1871. During his tenure of office 2,300 dormant bounty land warrants authorised to be issued to persons who were either dead or had otherwise forfeited them, accumulated in his charge, and the regulations of the office prevented this from being made known to his subordinates. Three friends of his, Messrs Cheney, Van Meter, and Hill, all lawyers, were at this time engaged in the prosecution of certain claims against the Government at Washington, and theyformed a ring, in conjunction with Von Aernam. The name of one of the legal trio was inserted in the blank left upon each document for the purpose of being filled in with the name of the administrator or guardian of the person to whom the warrant rightfully belonged; application was made to the commissioner for the issue'of such warrants by Van Meter, and the order was made in due course. In this way the whole of the 2,300 documents passed out of the office in a single year, and were placed upon the market in JSew York, Boston, and other places, their current value being from 170 to 200 dollars apiece. The entire batch is estimated to have fetched LBO.OOO, the whole of which sum went into the pockets of the four men named, the particulars of the transaction having been elicited by the Committee from Mr C. W. Seaton, the chief clerk of the department.