The Treasury Accounts

The charge recently made in the Seuatc by Mr. Davis, of West Virginia, in relatiou to changes in the treosnry accounts was such a strango one that ftlmost everybody jumped to the conclusión that Mr. Davis must have been misled by tho intricacies of the national bookkcepiug. It was assumed that a few words from Mr. Bristow or Mr. Boutwell would explain everything. But no such words havo been spoken, and tho aspect of tho case is becoming serious. The point under examinatiou ia this: Included in the annual report of tho Sscretary of tho Treasury is a table prepared in the Begister's office, showing tho outstanding principal of the public debt at the beginning of every fiscal yoar from the organization of the Government to the present time. Of course, af ter the amount has once been ascertained and the accounts for a givon period are closed, no future occurrence can make any change in the amount of the debt at that time, and the tables ropeat themselves from year to year, with only the addition annually of a new entry. So stood the report until 1870, but from that date the reports for the previous thirty-six years were altered. Begmniug with 1835, the amonnt of the public debt for almost every year as now reported is entirely different from the amount as given previous to 1870. In some cases it is loss, in others moro. The sum total of the mh'iitious exceeds the subtractions by more than $247,000,000. This is an eztraordinary affair, and the Fi nance Committee of the Senate, which has it under investigation, ought to insist upon a f uil and frank explanation. If the table prepared by tho Kegister to accompany the annual report of the Secretary is not a transcript from his books it is a fraud upon tho public. If it is a transcript frooi them, liow is the alteration within six years to be occouuUmI for? There ought to be no difliculty in ascertaining upon whose authority the chango was made. If Mr. Boutwell is the man, let him be called upon for his reasons.-