Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-10-31
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The STRONGEST GRAB-GAME YET EssAYED
ON THE TREASURY OF THE UNITED STATES, is
involved, we fancy, in the accounts Of Collec
tor Bronson. His salary is Sc, 600 per an Ium
at which rate he has been paid. Heis under
stood also to have been paid his claim on &C
count of " fines and forfeitures" collected by
him while in office, on which alone he received
probably at the rate of about SIS 900 per annum
And he further claims that he is entitled to one
third of moiety of the penal duties col
lected Mt the port of New York during his ad-
ministratiop of the custom house, which for
the quarter ending On the 30th of September
1859 were, we have ascertained $l5 ,667 25;
or at the rate Of S62,709 90 per annum. So
his claim is for pay on this account (ene-third
of a moiety of the whole) at the rate of Sl0,-
6l9 II per annum. Thus, we have Mr. q. c.
Bronson setting up a total claim for pay as col
lector of the port of n Y. at the rate of S24,
6I8 IL. per annum. With the recollectionof
the earnestness with which he repels the idea
that he could possibly have desired the office,
this modest demand for compensation strikes
US as being sngularly refreshing Ofcourse he
will only get it by direct vote of Congress to
that end, if we may draw reasonable conclu-
sions from the sagacity so far displayed by
the Secretary Of the Treasury and his assistant,
in detecting similar speculations On their
charge, and their frmness in resisting them.
As for procuring a vote of Congress to this
end, the idea is wild The national legisa-
ture never intemded to pay any such compen-
sation fer services as collector of the port of
New York, and no power on earth will induce
them to vote that such is the meaning of any
law or laws on the statute books.
In putting forward these outrages and un-
justifable demands Mr.. Bronson is following
the example set by his predecessor, Mr. Hugh
Maxwell. It will be remembered that during
the last hours of the last session of Congress,
when it leaked out here that the weighers.
measurers and guagers of the various ports OF
the country were pressing claim for extra
compensation involving an aggregate expen-
diture from the treasury of some So, 900, 900.
if allowed, and that Messrs Maxwell, Ring and
Bokee --Collector, Surveyor and Naval Officer
of the Port of New York-were about to be
paid 500, 759 50 for extra compensation on
claim 10 one moiety ito be divided between
them of the penal duties collected in New
York atfer a stop was put by the Depart
ment to the previous divisions Of the spoiis
after this fashion, the House passed resolu-
ton, which, in effect, forbid the Secretary of
the Treasury from carrying out a decision of
Attorney General johnson, made on the I'd OF
March last, under which these three func-
| tionaries would have "grabblel' the heavy
| amount mentioned above.
On the Sth of March, Attorney General
Cushing signalized his entry into the Govern
ment by an elaborate Opinion reversing that
| Of his predecessor and Oh the same day Sec
rotary Guthrie Issued an order cOuntermand-
| ing the order Of lis predecessor. the execu-
ton of which, as before explained, was only
| prevented by the direct interference of Con-
gress. To be sure of their claim, however,
| the Collector (MaxwelU had taken the liberty
| to make what he termed special deposit of
| the 500, 769 50. That is to withhold it from
the treasury. 0nthe 26th of May last, Ring q al
ministrator and Bokce brought u suit-iupffus
IN inrifn0'-against Maxwell, in the United
States Court for the Southern District of New
York, for the shares of this money so withheld
| by him which they respectively claimed A
man with one eye will perceive that it is
| equally Maxwell interest US theirs, that this
suit shall be decided against HIM.
| He is but noaatnuily the defendant the
Treasury being TO pay the piper Gneluding
| his one third in case the plaintiffs gain it :;
and neither of the trio getting a red cent E be
| (AiaxwelI) wins the cause So the public may
put in its pipe and smoke all the real defence
Maxwell may be reasonably expected to make
against this suit. We thus present the histo-
| ry Of this case, that the public may under
stand the game in which Mr.. Bronson appears
| TO have taken full hand since his recent
| removal from Office. Now, where is this bu-
siness to end If a collector of the port of n
Y may withhold S65 900 of money collected in
| The name of the Government, under pretence
that he has claim on portion Of it, and that
| he, rather than the Government, is response
BILE to other officers of that port for the liqui-
dation Of the claim to the RESI-, which they set
up against the Treasury, surely James Collier,
late collector of the port of San Francisco, did
right in withholding $500, 1000 of the monies
paid over to him on account of duties, under
| the plea that he, too, held claims which the
| Government accounting officers refused to al
low. May not every land Office receiver, every
| collector of the customs, every U. S. marshal
| and in fine, every disbursing officer Of the
Government who chooses to set up claim for
| extra compensation upon any pretence play
| just such grab gain, if this proceed ent passes
current We regret sincerely to find Mr.
Bronson lending the weight of his high pro-
LESSONS of disin;erestedness, to the success of
| this fragrant scheme to render the Treasury of
| the United States the mere pasture ground of
| cormorant officials
MORE Hor WATER FOR THE ADMIs1sTRA-
TIoS.-From what seems to be understood in
Washington, We have reason to believe that
| the President far from, o,,;obJo oonoo.,