Mr. Bontwell's Deficit

Our Washington correspondent this morning brings us an interesting glimso of the secret history of the Federal Treasury under the Kadical doniination. The quarrel betwuen Secretai'v Boutwell and Cominissioner Pleasanton now threatens - or as 1 em cracy, deeiring to gct at the trutu about all these people ought perbaps to say, now promises - to pass Irom a personal and Presidential into a Cabinet and Congre.ssional question. Both partios havo abandoned all prutence oí' a dosiro for peace. It lias become a duel of scalps. And airea dy in thia early stage of the duel the country Learas, wbat it ought to have known long ago, that 8ecretary Boutwoll has a very particular reason for desiring to keep control of the Bureau of Intumal Bevenue in thefact that his name stands dharged on the books of that bureau with a déficit, occumng during his administration of the bureau as Commissionor, of $2,266,OÜO. This is not a large sum, if looked at from thu Fodovul point of view. A few millions more or less are hardly ■worth speaking oi in conneotion with a governnifcut which can afiord to tliniw away nearly a million of duUnrs in a month on a useless " touting " for an úapossible loan. But it is an ugly buin to be pinned as " found wanting" against the name of a single government oificial. It is, as one may say, a " hole in the financia! sky " of the ila.ssachusetts Secretary. li' fcecretary Boutvell wero a Democrat there wou ld at once be sent up from Maine to Texas by the Eadical pret i ono corsontaneous howl that this bugo sum had been 6tolon by kim aml invested in Groton lnnds and Massaohusetts State stock under othsr people's names. Our Washington o pondence more deoently and oharitably 6eeks to explain the deficit as a reduit Bimply of Mr. Boutwell's incompetency and careleesness as a Commissioncr of the Internal Eevenue. Il wc accepthis explanation it will stillremain en - ficisntly evident that under a Comnii. t aioner -who couid suffer suoh a sum to be charged apainst himself tho mo ( monstrous poculations of othor peopl niUht lave gono nnnhockcd an'i uaobeerved.-