The New York herald., 1867-03-09

Tho Custem House Broil-Terriblo Onsaaghs
ON tho Confessional Committee's Report.
The report of the committee Of the House Of
on the affairs of the New York
Custom House, which was recently ushered in
with loud flourish Of trumpels and a keen
relish by some Of our contemporaries, Is receive
ing terrible overhauling on all sides It 10
one Of the most singular documents ever put
forth from responsible or respectable source.
It reads very much like the narrowing stories
Of conjugal infdelity, divorce cases. hearllcss
abandonments and startling crimes told in some
of the sensational Sunday papers, and turns out
10 have about a. good foundation. All it,
material statements have been promptly con-
tradicted on the Hoor Of Congress and else
where, and this morning 1t receives severe pun
ishment from every side. The cards Of E. O.
johnson and others show conclusively that tho
report Of the committee was no error Of judg-
ment, but wilful and deliberate misreprcsenc
tation of facts and distortion Of testimony for
the purpose Of accomplishing an unworthy
object
Collector Smythe comes out of dangerous
contest with political guerillas entirely un-
harmed. His plain, straightforward conduct
has fortunately bafied the cunning plots Of the
shrewdest and most tunscrupulous lobby leaders
and Office brokers in the State. He is shown to
be the only Collector of the port for a number
of years who has not directly or indirectly
used the patronage of the Custom House to his
own advantage or for the benefit of members Of
his family or near connections But while he
escapes unscathed some of the particular friends
of the committee are placed in very awkward
position. Mr. Henry G. Bowen, Of the lndepcn-
dent, whose share in the "big plums" of the
Custom House was carefully ignored and con-
cealed by the committee, has been smoked out
Having in the customary style Of the high
moral-pressure radical press branded the ex-
posure of his interest In the general order bust-
ness under former collectors as "an sbominable
falsehood," Mr.. E. @. johnson publishes an
ugly document in the shape Of an agreement
signed by Bowen, by which he, his brother and
another party, "their heirs and assigns" wero
guaranteed thirty per cent on the storage Of ell
general order goods from the 9th day Of Sep
tember, 1861, 80 long as such general order
business should remain In the hands Of the par.
ties upon whom 1t was at that time bestowed.
The report of the committee was got
up for the purpose OF removing the
Collector and putting some one else In
his place. That was the end and aim
OF the whole business But although tho
shrewdest political engineers have been
engaged several months In, manufaoturing
this terrible torpedo which was designed to
blow the old Collector through the roof Of the
Custom House and . new Collector in at tho
window, now that IL has exploded, 1t has only
hurt the fingers Of those who fred Il The
truth Is, the Tenure Of Once law which was
passed by the last Congress over tho Executive
veto enables the President to keep Collector
Smythe in the New York Custom House just a.
long as he himself remains in possession Of
the White House. That law contains at least
one provision that Is advantageous 70 tho
country-it insures permsnence In ONCE, un-
less the incumbent commits crime or ID
proved to be incompetent We are In favor Of
such rule, and believe that Il win IN the end
prove 10 be public benefit In this case,
however, 1t returns to plague It's inventors. Il
prevents the desired removal Of Collector
Smythe, and through its operation the efforts
of Thurlow Weed, the Bixbys, Msther, Barr.
Brown, the highly moral and sanity hide
pendent and the whole fry that have been
and tumbling after the @big pl-ms"
of fhe Cuatorn Houae All ro kor n0thinr 49,.