The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1842-06-02
From The Ner York Express.
FIRST PART OF PoINDEXTER'S
REPORT

We make room this evening for that part
of the Report which relates TO the carriage
ut the Public Siorer, which, though but a
mickle, makes a inuckle, as our readers viii
see. We shall 20 90 with further extracts
from time 10 time.
First, as 10 carriage and labor The IN
dersIgDed. on his arrival IN the city OF New
York, and at the commencement OF the IN
vestIgatlons which he was charged to make,
found all the arrangements of the custom
house, and most Of the officers thereof, pro
cisely in the condition IN which they had
been left by Jesse lloyt, on his removal from
that Office; and so they continued for sever
al months after the labors of the commits
sioners begun. 1t will therefore be only
necessary to lonk into the system adopted
By Hoyt, 20 show its real character under
the new collector, until reform was produc.
ed, TO some extent, by the Investigations OF
the commissioners. twill be seen that the
expenditure OF money, by Jesse Hoyt, for
carriage and labor, was not only euormousin
amount, but applied, as tie Undersigned be-
lieyes, TO corrupt purposes, and paid out by
the order of the collector TO the accounting
officer of ,he custom house, without any sni
6cieni voucher To show the actual amuon'
Of the labor performed, or the carriage for
which payment was demanded aud made at
the cashiers Office. The Goth answer Of
John A. Fleming, auditor Of the custom
house, 10 his testimony, will show the char.
ac,er and description Of all the vouchers on
which these payments have been made. -
They contain but two lines, without any sPe-
cification whatever:
"Pad for carriage.
Do. for labor"
Which in al. cases the auditor, under the dl.
recion of the collector, admitted as suiil-
cient voucher 10 authorize the payment OF
any amoIGt carried out by the slorekeeper,
George A. Wasson, whose receipt was TAX
en- for the same, under which it was charged
to tue Treasury of the United States, aud
approved by the Department at Washington.
No evidence was required from the store
keeper of any description, either written or
otherwise, of the SUNS paid by him for cart
age or labor, to whom paid, at what time,
or al what rates, but every thlhg connected
with the transaction was taken for granted,
on the mere exhibition of the vague &C
count, as above stated and the amount OF
money from lime 10 time called for BY the
storekeeper was, by order Of the collector
and the sanction Of the auditor, ian officer
dependant on the COLLECTOR paid over TO
George A. Wasson, the principal stoTekeep'
er of the appraise's store in Nassau Street.
1t appears, from the testimony OF many
witnesses examined on this subject, that,
after Mr.. Hoyt became collector Of the port
of New \ FORK, there we're two privileged
carts employed in transferring goods order
ed to the public store IN Nassau street tor
examination, either from ships or other pub
= lie e.e:ee, ADD that all other carts were e.
cuded from participating 10 the transfer OF
such goods, notwithstanding great neon
veuience and DELAYS were experienced by
the want of a sufficient uumberof carts 10
- -~,i-'s '"'- T." i'O'
despatch of the business 10 the transfer and
examination Of goods ordered 20 that store
BY the collector. One Of these carts so
privileged, II is IN evidence, was the prop
erty of George A. WATSON, the pubic store.
hEeptT AllI ttIt dAAHhI7b NatSiNb IA
the name of George Shonrt, il may well be
doubted wl.plaer, by secret arrangement,
some officer, in or out Of the custom house,
did not receive i proportion of the profits.
The system adopted by the public store
keeper, who was The owner OF one OF these
carts, for estimating the charge on each
package transferred to said public store for
examination, was in substance as follows
Ga each package from 81 TO 80 cents, ac-
cording 10 distance and ii, at one load, the
cart should bring from four to eight packa.
ges, the fui! price Of load was charged on
each package ordered SO that, while the
merchau, could procure carts to transfer
goods an equal distance for from 81 ! TO 80
cents per load, the Government was charg.
ed BY these privileged carts, owned in
whole or in part By the custom house OIL.
GERS, sometimes at The rate Of tour full loads,
and sometimes extending to the number oil
eight loads, az appears by the testimony
and thus the labor which other carts would
perform for fifty cents, at the highest, was
charged to the Government at rates extend.
ing from two dollars per load to four or ey-
en- FIVE dollars per load. This system Of
charging will account for the enormous sums
paid to George 4. WATSON for carriage and
labor, without any sufficient voucher &c
Justify il, and which amounted, according
to the statement furnished BY The auditor, &c
the sutn Of 594.43J 81 as follows:
S,a,e,n.Dt ofs,sons,ls nil ~ --U,gnr- a7uSe
New YORK, ~ eqrtage and labor al The ap
gyaisers stare, in the ysars 1898, 1899, and
l640, eiz
Years. Carriage. Labor. Total.
In 1888. sl0,lGs % sl3,26O 90 S23, 1919 o.
In 1889, Is, 1926 26 81 $40 70 81 ,2O6 Oh
In 1919, 1898 % 1892 50 30,09j So
S9i,430 90
1t may be proper, If 1ot instructive, To
take some notice of this man, George A
Waeeau ,phnu, tpa found cccuo.,in0 ,Le