New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-09-01
' lie RIBUN E.
ru.,,m.House IuvessigationTCoi.
The Hteunra's Report.

rt. Cusrosn.House Invessigation-Coi.
AHo Yteuars's Report.
n, sse Editor of tie Tribune:
The readers of your valuable paper will recelect
Tint early in May las, you published copious sx-
EJECT. from a Report made to the House OF Repre-
sen,atiyes by Hon. George Poindcxtcr one OF the
Commissioners appointed by the President to look
into the pas. and present administrations CT Inc
affairs of the New-York Custom-House-remark-
ipp at the time the publication was made That you
did 80 without comment or favor, leaving the
persons implicated to make such answers as tney
should deera proper and necessary. Coi. WIN.
NJ SryuARr. of Maryland, another member OF the
Co,o,,;s.;on. has made an additional Report, also
ordered printed by the House OF Representatives,
MORO vouminous even than Mr.. Poindexters s,
in which he takes the liberty To dissent in toto
from Mr.. Pondexter's Instructions and conctu-
stems in the whole matter, not only relating to the
present management Of the Custom-House, but IN
relation TO most of the other " astounding and
pune ent pass gcs, as they truly appeared at the
time, and SAYS those conclusions and assertions
were not at all warranted by the proofs lhe
brief space that we shall devote to this subject at
this time will enable only 10 contrast some OF
the more striking passages in the two reports
touching the management OF the Custorn'Hou
under Mr. Collector Curtis.
Mr.. Pondexter's first charge is, g that he found
all the arrangements of the Custonl-House when
he entered upon the invcstigaton) and most OF the
officers thereof, precisely in the condition IN winch
they had been left by Jesse Hoyt, on his removal
from Office" Mr.. SrEUART asserts that on the
very day that Mr. Curtis came into office,
mos, mnortap, change and reform begun, which
has ever since continued in the affairs OF the e.
Prior n, that time the cash daily received was GeP0seu 70
rs
his bank account his disbursements M Iars, IRON
the day Of hs coming mo dpe 9 noe cef ueb
made payable the order OF The cashier whose
necessary 70 the recs, OF me S
to the credit the Treasurer OF the United o'a'es inc
transfers being made twice each week"
Mr. Steuart goes enumerating other and I'M
portant changes and Improvements that we have
no, room to mention in detail, together with the
removal and appointment of scores of officers, In
The aggregate quite as much in the way OF revo-
luton as any prudent man could be expected to
do and attend to the other duties OF so responsible
an Office, in the brief space of some SIX weeks
And vet MIR. Poindexter gravely asserts that ne
found every thing just as Mr.. Heyt left it !"
Mr.. Poindexter's next charge relates to the
management of the Public Stores and the con-
tinuaton of Mr.. George H. WATSON as Store
keeper Mr.. Steuart shows that Mr. Curtis re-
ceiyed the highest testimonials from merchants
and others as to the tried character aud qualltl-
cations of Mr. WATSON to gil this very place. Not
satisfied. however, with the loose manner in which
Mr.. WATSON kept hi. accounts for the expenses of
the Public Store, within one week after coming
into office he ordered MIR. Chip, one OF the Clerks,
to keep cashb of all the expenses for carriage
labor, &C. in order to show the daily disbursements
for these purposes. And the moment an intimation
was made to the Collector that all was not right
with WATSON, he suspended paying money to him.
and only advanced small SUMS to the Clerk, Mr.
Chip to meet the daily expenses of the Stores
and informed the Commission OF the facf. very
soon after this, Mr.. Wasson was discharged And
here follows one of the most " astounding OF all
the cousive and corrupt transactions OF the present
Collector, as shown by MIR. Poindextcr. He says:
In direct opposition to this arrangement which he pro-
fessed 10 have made greater security aad economy III
this branch Of expenditure Mr. Curtis two days thereafter
paid 10 Mr.. Wassoa amount nearly equal to nve thou
sand dollars payment and under the pressure OF ire
sislble proofs of his former cerruptons he dismissed him
from the public service, first filling his pockets with sum
corresponding with lift did urpass the advaRcesmade
TO him. under the same head OF expenditure, at any time
during the term 81 Mr. Hoyt"
After all this flourish of rhetoric the reader will
be not little surprised to learn that the facts in
this case, as shown by Mr.. Steuart, are simply
that Mr. Curtis required receipt from Mr. Was
son, on his dismissal from Office, for moneys had
and received by him previous to that date as dis
bursting officer of the public store, which amounted,
from April LIST TO May 2sth, 1.-TWO months) TO
S4,673 81; and this was in proof before Mr.. Poin-
dexter at the instant he charging the Collector
with corruptly filing his CVasson's) pockets be-
fore DISMISSAL ~ Comment is unnecessary.
1t would be desirable here to go into farther de-
tail on this subject and show that even MIR. Poin-
dexter himself reluctantly admits that since the
removal of WATSON and the appointment OF Mr..
Edgar as storekeeper, reform so thorough and
labor alone that in an average business year nett
saving of SIC, 900 will be realized to the Treasury;
and that should the farther reform take place
which MIR. Curtis has repeatedly urged upon the
attention OF the Secretary of the Treasury, to re-
qure the carriage on all merchandise sent to the
appraisers stores to be betrayed by the importers,
it is believed that upward of Fifty thousand dollars
will be saved annually to the United States.
The next point taken up by Mr.. Poindexter Is
the printing and stationery of the Custom-House.
His FIRST assertion under this head is that imme-
diately after coming into Office, Mr.. Curtis en-
pleyed the Messrs. Wait, near relatives of his to
supply the principal stationery and printing of the
Custom House," aud proceeds to give quotations
from their bills of s,atiosery, .by way of eram-
PIES" to show the enormity Of the prices and
amount received by them compared with the mar
ket value as shown by David Felt, as follows, viz
Prices Charged. Market Yaue
Foolscap paper, per ream, 81 % s. 30
Letter do. do 90 so
Steel Pens, per gross, 10 90 SO
One Ledger, IL 0G 90
Without particle ofexpana,ion, as Mr. Pom
dexter purposely leaves this subject, here is some
thing truly alarming Bur what are the facts !?
In the first place it should have been shown that
the paper furnished by the Messrs. Wait was the
very best in the market and ruled, and that the
pens were q Gilotts hes. double barrel, retail