The daily union., 1856-01-12
uyIrgp STATES .. JAMES COLLIER.

The New York Herald OF the l5in ultmo oonAins An
elaborate statement In relation 10 this suit now pending In
the Supreme Court Of the United States signed by hessrs
Daniel s. Dickinson and John A. Collier, both Of whom
are Of counsel and Of whom is the brother and surety
defendant which, 10 The absence OF any reply ffom
he counsel for the government or the asthontes Of the
is calculated TO slead the public to the merits
OF the
preumin that neither the counsel for the United States
nor the officers the Treasury Department would deem
proper to enter into newspaper discussion Of still
pending in the courts have procured from reliable
source such information touching the suit Collier as
may serve to dabuse the public mind Of the msconeep-
lion and prejudice the statement referred to might other
wise produce.
Without intending TO give minute and detailed expo
son of case propose to advert to some Of It's lead
ing features and refer Of the various acts Of Con-
gress under authority Of which the accounting officers OF
the treasury were constrained dsallow several Of the
charges set up by Collier offset the large balance
of public money remaining in his hands, which balance
The officers OF the treasury been seeking to reclaim,
and which to the extent Of $is54c o5 after two years
and half of effort they succeeded in recovering.
Col Collier was appointed TO the Office Of collector OF
the customs for the district of Upper California in April
Is4o arrived at San Francisco and entered upon the du-
ties Of the Office November loh ls49 and superseded
in his Office on the l4th Of January 1851 having been Ia
office after his arrival in San Francisco about fourteen
mon,hs Upon his retirement from Office and his return
to Washington his presented to- and exam
ined by the accounting officers Of the treasury, and the
several statements referred in the letter of Mess Dckn-
son and Collier under dates Of June Z 1851 September a.
1851 and December &c. 1851 made and passed upon by
the Auditor and Commissioner.
|, is undoubtedly that these statements exhibited
balance as due from Collier much larger than the sum ac
tuay in his hands and demandedof him by the Commis-
soner is also true that not only these but sew
era subsequent statements OF his accounts under dnerent
dates differed from each other in the balances found que
from him the United States II proper TO state that they
we're each made up according to the facts as they appeared
the evidence produced to the accounting officers Mt the
date of the respective settlements.
The item constituting the principal difference between
the statements of June, July, and September 1851 and
that of March q 1853, charge of $4059as 80 made
up Of special depoes for duties and sums alleged to have
been paid to importers for Of depose Of money
above the precise amount duties subsequently ascerned
to be due
This credit was withheld for the that no vouch-
ers or other evidence sufficient to authorize the allowance
we're produced by Collier and the credits 80 withheld
were given in the subsequent statement the then Secretary
of the Treasury to whom the matter referred having
authorized the accounting officers SO to do.
As was not expected however, that the amount Of the
suspended items here referred would be paidMr Col
er having been informed by the Commissioner OF Gus
toms in his letter Of November 26 1885, shat further ac-
ton was suspended await information from the present
collector Of San Francisco and directed TO depose only
sthe remainder of the balance due from him TO the United
States"-and money was actually paid by him until
long after their allowance it hardly be material to in
ouire into the grounds upon which the credits were then
denied.
II would be here noticed but for the fact that Mr.
Collier and his counsel have made it subject OF constant
complaint against the officers Of the treasury mputng TO
careessness nattenton laundering their part what
was occasoned solely by his own inability or unwilling
ness remove by the production Of the proper evidence
the difficulties under which they labored in the settlement
OF his accounts 1t is sufficient TO say, that in the pro-
raeed correspondence conference with the Treasury
Department in regard these claims down to the 18th
March 1853, Mr. Collier succeeded in obtaining allow
ances credits amount sufficient to reduce bis In
debtedness exclusive Of interest the Of $2672 49,
Here the accounting officers under the last administration
stopped and the subject then brought to the attention
or the present Secretary of the Treasury.
In tbs course of the examination which then ensued 1t
was found that upon the presentation of his accounts
u addition to the charged for storage
gherage and other expenses account OF seized mel
chands and for other purposes there was single charge
in words For indemnity for suits now pending for
liabilities claims and rccamations for goods seized and
sold on account Of the United States and for commission
on moneys received and disbursed Si635oo. The pre-
cnce thus up for retaining this large of the public
money and which Is now renewed by Messrs. Dickinson
and Collier was Immediately replied to by the Commis-
soner OF Customs who informed him, as early as the 25th
April 1851 athat in all where moneys have been
paid into treasury by officers of the customs which, by
judicial decisions have been declared to be Illegally ex-
acted and in consequence thereof, judgments have been
rendered against such officers this department has paid
such judgments and costs and will continue so to do"
And yet the counsel for Collier say the money retained
until the department should give that the govern
uent would protect him. and that these being
given the defendant paid into the treasury the sum Of Sls
sac o5 on the I6th September 1852 The
given IN April 1851 and the money paid in September
l6bsremainng nearly two years and half in the hands
of Mr. Collier after the asked for had been
given.
IL should have been known however, by Mr.. Collier
that independent of this assurance the law bad made
provision for the very stated by himhe act Of Sd
all mon In