New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-10

DR.. Daniel Lee, formerly Of Bufllo in our
State, just then editing The Southern Cult
rd.or, at Augusta, Ga. and, on Mr. Ewbank's
Recommendation, Secretary Ewing appointed
DR.. Lee Clerk in the Patent Office to collate
and prepare Agricultural matter for the Com
missoner's forthcoming Report. DR.. Lee &C
cepted the place, STIMULATING fora much larger
compensation than had ever before been paid
for the service, did the work, aud received his
money.
There, il was supposed by Mr. Egbank, the
engagement was at an end. The duties which
DR.. Lee was employed to perform, were in
their nature occasional; they were entirely
suspended through the greater portion of each
year: and Mr.. Ewbank wished TO be at liberty
to choose his Assistant in preparing his Agri-
cultural matter as maturer experience and
fuller knowledge of the duties Of his position
should dictate But no Dr. Lee had tasted
the sweets of office, and he was fully deter
mined not TO Surrender them. He could write
for his Southern CuliiratOr. and for the one or
two Rochester papers with which he already
was or soon after became connected, about as
well from the Patent Office as anywhere; the
first use of the Agricultural Statistics trans
mitted from al parts of the country TO the
Patent Office, in reply 10 the Commissioners
circular requests for information, could be
rendered of decided use to him in his vOca-
A.. ~ 600 ,bo+ ~ nnth for
him to do officially for eight or nine months of
each year, rather recommended the post in his
estimation than otherwise. And this determi-
nation of Dr. Lee to draw $4,000 (after I'M
successfully trying to get $4,000 from the In
ventors Fund year after year, with aperfect
knowledge that the Commissioner whom he
was employed to aid did not want him but was
greatly DESTROYS to be rid of him, has been the
main cause Of all the trouble encountered by
Mr.. Ewbank and of his ultimate removal The
Patent-plrates and cormorants who prey on the
life-tlOod of Inventors (under pretense of aid
ing them at the Patent Office, where they often
do them moro harm than good) have of course
been bis natural and indefatigable enemies but
their annoyance would have amounted to very
little but for the powerful aid aud comfort
that the lamented death of Gen. Taylor al
forded them from the inside of the Office.
On Mr.. Fillmore's accession to Office, DR..
Lee Gas former resident of Buffalo) became
afrequent visiter at the White House. When
in the Legislature of our State he was the
widest and most sweeping Radical ever sent
there, and so advertised himself through var-
Gus journals for q considerable time. Now,
however, he had become q most intense Con-
servatiye, and soon became partner in The
Rochester American newspaper, originally start
ed as Native organ, and since subsiding
naturally into the most malignant type Of Hunk
ersm. For this establishment, Dr. Lee soon
began to purvey jobs from the Patent Office of
printing labels, &c, without shadow of
authority from the Commissioner and at
length, in March last, on an Advertisement
from the Patent Office making its appearance,
he caused grave complaint to be lodged
against Mr.. Ewbank with the Secretary of the
Interior, that it had not been ordered to be
published in that superlatige Administration
journal, The Rochester american, although the
papers authorized to publish it in this State
were all as Conservative as could be desired
namely, The State Register, Albany Com
mercial Adreniser, New York, and Commercial
Adreriiser, Buffalo. Yes, Mr. Ewbank on the
formal complaint of Hon A. NJ. Schermerhorn,
NJ g., was required to justify to his official SUI
peror his neglect TO order an official advertise
ment to be published in the paper owned in
part by one of his clerks
This is not q solitary case. Early in Jan
uary last, Mr.. Ewbank had to meet CON-
plaiLt made directly to the President by his
clerk, Lee, that he had ordered an advertise
ment to be published in The Rochester Demo.
erat, the oldest and most influential Wing pa.
per in its section, but viii b. not being Silver
Grey, was denounced in the charge as bitterly
no, tile to the Administration. Mr.. Ewbank.
as soon as he could fed time to look into the
case, responded that he had nothing what.
ever TO do with the matter IN question-.hat
the advertisement had been given out by the
clerk whose duty it was to attend to that
business, who had selected the papers to be
employed in this instance from the official list
long ago furnished him from the Department
of the Interior, and knew no more whose
corns ne was excoriating than Mr. Ewbank
himself! And these are but specimens of the
paltry onnoyances and discreditable tittle-tat-
tie to which Mr.. Ewbank has been exposed by
his greedy and malicious subordinate.
One of the gravest charges preferred from
time TO time against Mr.. Ewbank was that of