East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1859-10-20


all goods arriving from Canada, whether
imported or in transit from the United
States, to require all vessels clearing 10
leave manifest Of their cargo before OBJ
tanning the same, to do the business of
the Office through the United States De-
pository, at this place, and 4 am tie only
Collector scho has eCer kept az account nth
that officer.
also procured the establishment of
bonded warehouse, in which bonded
goods are now stored, and it is the first
ever established in this district. | also
required all the officers who had specific
duty to perform TO attend TO il thoroughly,
on pain Of removal, and brought into
active service many who had not done
duty before. found more difficulty in
exacting payment in coin for Marine
Hospital dues, Inspection Fees, and
other small amounts, than in enforcing
any other regulation, and only did so or
could do so, when l fully realized the nc
cessity of it. AS bank notes had always
been taken here, it was regarded as an
'exaction on my part to demand coin, and
| | did for some time take and pay out
bank notes in small sums, but never what
| is called Western or uncurrent bank
notes, nor when there was the slightest
objection, or when | supposed it could
make any difference. Again, large
amounts of Treasury Notes were sent
me to pay out for the erection of the new
Custom House, the Marine Hospital ex.
penditurcs, payment of officers ofcustoms,
&c. These could not all be exchanged
| for gold, and current notes were as good
to those to whom the money was to be
paid as gold; and If had not made such
an exchange, the work on the CUSTOM
house must have stopped, and the other
accounts have been unpaid at a time
when, on account ofthe panicthen existing
the result would not only have been discred-
| table to the Government, but disastrous
to the community. Under these circum-
stances, | did not hesitate to exchange
small portion of them for current bank
notes, but never, in a single instance,
were those notes paid to party who OBJ
jected to receive them, and never do
think was there one instancein which they
were as good as gold. at the time sup
posed was doing not only right, bat that
/ was entitled to credit for the exertion L
made to accomplish the exchange. The
payment of demands by Federal Officers,
| in funds other than in coin, has certainly
not been confined to myself, or TO this Of p
fee, for have been told by witnesses =
that they have been paid for their atten-
nance on the e. s. Courts, by the pres
ent u. S. Marshall, in checks on one Of
the City Banks, and have no doubt but
an investigation would show that others
had been paid in the same manner.
have not only not received or paid out un-o
current bank notes, and ifany have been
paid out, it has been against my orders
and without my knowledge, but l refused
to receive ar pay out aay bank notes after
learned it was positive requirement
of the Department to do SO. When l.
eceepted the office, understood that the
Collector was required to pay for all the
books and stationery Of the office out OF
the fees, and that the balance was per-
quisite of the office, and on the this un-
derstanding have always acted without
conccalmcnt or evasion. Such believe,
has always been the practice of this office,
and there never has been any objection
made to it, to my knowledge, from the
Department or.any other quarter. The
ordinary r.s &C tl.o office have been
much less since have held the otnce,
than before, in consequences of the almost
total suspension Of business which follow
ed the financial crisis of July, 1851
I have never collected any fees but such
as were, in my opinion, strictly, and
would be maintained by the COURTS
Every dollar ever received by me for the
payment of the officers of the Customs,
has been honestly and fairly disbursed to
them. To show the malignity of my
accusers and their utter want of candor
and integrity, it is only necessary to state
: that they only offered to prove whatl
had never denied, that had treated the
surplus fees as perquisitc, and had paid
, out a small amount of paper money On
| no other charge made either in papers or
| the Department, did my accusers offer
, any evidence, nor was any given. The
error committed in not enforcing all the
regulations, on taking charge ofthc Office,
, resulted almost as matter OF course,
, from my want of experience, and the con-
I dition in which took possession OF It,
If the practices 1 found existing were
: allowed with impunity; l had good rea-
: son to suppose, and have always thought
0 that SO far from being liable to ccnsurc,
{ was entitled to great credit for tho re-
f forms which voluntarily introduced
These reforms commenced almost with
s the first day Of entrance into office, and
!. continued until the business is as strictly
IS and as properly conducted as that of any
,f office in the country. All this has been
}. accomplished under the most adverse
% circumstances. The only advice ! re-
o ccived from those who had any expert
IS cncc, was that which has most led me
,c into error, and which was given undoubt-
1t edly for that purpose. ! have heretofore
stated some of the practices in this Office
rs when was appointed. ! will also give
" some statistics which are now on the lilies
n Of the department, as a specimen OF inc
if manner in which business WAS neglected,
RS and of ihe reforms have brought about
r though without experience myself, or tho
a benefit of the services of any who had'