Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1842-06-04

the business OF the several departments OF
the Custom House, to be used in the short
space of three months; and, therefore, the
greater portion of the articles purchased
must have passed into the hands of Mr..
Curtis, who succeeded to the Office of col
ector about the close of that quarter, or
have been frauduently distracted from the
Custom House, of which no evidence was
given to the Commissioners; but in the
accounts and vouchers rendered by Mr..
Curtis in the second quarter of the same
year, being the first quarter after he had
become collector, there is charged, for dis
bursements in the purchase of stationery
ordered and received by him for the col
lector's office alone, 81 1853 rs; for the APP
praisers Sis SO; for the storekeeper,
1908 81; for inspectors, S24 so; for the
store in Washington street, $50 Sc; max
ing in the whole, the grand total of &c.,
942 80 for the stationery alone, during
one half of the year ls4i."
"The single item of steel pens and quilts,
of the latter of which but few were or
dered, and therefore scarcely worth men,
tioning, amounted, during the three years
of Mr.. Hoyt's administration of the Gus
tom House, to the sum of $6,255 16 !! J!
The price of these pens, charged in the
bills rendered and paid by Mr.. Hoyt,
ranged from the minimum of nine dollars
per gross, to the maximum of twenty-five
dollars per gross the larger portion being
of the lower class, which are in general
use for clerks, both mercantile and official.
The dispositions of David Felt, E. ]. Emo,
and Josiah Hayden, who are large dealers
| al. Il. 81, to
to show the standard price per gross of
the descriptions used at the Custom House.
If purchased in boxes, which is the most
convenient mode of supplying clerks Qhe
cards being entirely useless) it will be seen
that the first class of "Gllots' Mangum
Bonum pens, or pens of equal quality,
!, could be supplied in the New York market,
at four dollars and fifty-cents per gross
on the card, or one half that sum in boxes;
and what is denominated the commercial
pen," at two dollars per gross on the card,
or 81 so in boxes. Taking the average Of
these prices, and considering that l9-2Oths
|, of the pens supplied to the Custom House
are of the latter class, it will appear that
at these rates the sum appropriated by
, Mr.. Hoyt while he remained in Office
, would have supplied the enormous guam
tity of 432,237 pens, making an average of
I44,O79 per annum, to be distributed among
about one hundred clerks who are con-
stantly employed in writing, or an aver
age of about 1900 pens each per annum.
The report states that Mr.. Emo offered
to supply Mr.. Hoyt such pens as he paid SO
per gross for, at S. so per gross; but he
= declined the offer so decidedly, as to pre-
! vent repetition of it.
1t may be asked why particular indi-
viduals are allowed and paid at rates rang
: ing from 50 to S22 per gross, for pens, for
: the use of the Custom House, where an
, offer to supply like articles at the moderate
y price of 81 SO per gross is contemporary
! rejected and summed! The undersigned
. refers to the volume of evidence taken by
. the commissioners to demonstrate the fact,
- which, in the absence of clear proof might
s we'll be doubted, that this and numerous
other cases of favoritism, so gross and pal
r pable that none can mistake it, had their
origin in a system of fraud on the public
S Treasury to promote the interests Of Sc
:, lected partisans, who could be relied on
for efficient services in popular elections.
# This conclusion is strongly enforced by
: the mass of evidence taken in relation to
the existence of Custom House TAX, reg
uarly levied and paid, in advance of cleo
y tons for city officers, for Governor, and
" Representatives in the State Legislature
for members of Congress, and for Presiden
and Vice President of the United States
10 during the whole period of the two proceed
n ing administrations of the Federal Govern
ment. This TAX was graduated on a scale
corresponding with the salary received by
i each officer and the Importance of the
, pending election, and a refusal to pay it
30 was Immediately followed by removal from
50 office.
Is 1t will also be seen, by the report OF
y the Surveyor and other evidence, that nu
lie merous officers of the Customs were alb
n sent from duty. either by the express per
m mission of the Collector or without censur,
r from that officer for weeks and month
1T prior to elections, for no other purpos
II than to influence voters, and lend their ali
m to the success of candidates favorable tC
the party in power, while their salaries
l. as officers, of the Government, suffered NJ
'r diminution in consequence Of their absence
70 from duty.
ID Notifying as it is, to be obliged to ex
he pose such conduct in high and response
BILE officer of the Governmcnt--conduc
which reflects so much disgrace upon thu
country, the Commission states that dut,
leaves him no alternative, and that the fact
stated are established by chain of test
mony which to every impartial mind mus
be conclusive.