The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-03-18
From the Princeton Clarion
A Card.

movsl from the Collectors Office.
-
From the Princeton CIarion.1
A Card.
| FRIEND CALKINs: My friends and
the public generally, doubtless expect
from me some statement regarding
the annOuneementin in the public prints
of my removal from the office of Col
lector of the first collection district of
our State. feel it to be my duty to
the citizens Of the district, lnd par
tieularly those of them who have
been my personal friends and sup
porters, to give to the public all the
facts connected with this affair that l
am in possession of. In the first
place allow me to say that up to thls
writing | have not received a single
intimation direct from the Depart
ment at Washington, that y move
ment involving my removal from office
has been taken, but on the evening of
the 10Th of February l received o
note from Senator Morton, dated
Washington, February 18th, atating
that an officer connected with
the Revenue Department had called
on him a day or two before and in
formed him that charges " had been
preferred against me that would re-
quire my removal" That the
principal charge was that had placed
certain blank receipts, signed by me,
in the hands Of distiller, and that |
had permitted a gauger to sell
stamps" That the officer said they
exhonerated me from any intention
to do wrong, but said the irregularity
could not be overlooked. That he
asked time that l might have an op-
portunity to make my defense; and
that he asserted to the officer his con-
viction of my perfect integrity,
which could not be shaken but by the
> complete evidence" and adds In
: conclusion: THE matter is accord
ingly suspended for your answer. /
0 shall be at the Convention next week,
and will be glad to see you there"
Upon reading the Governor letter
at once inferred that the charges re.
! ferred to by the Revenue officer, were
!. that [ had placed in the hands Of a
8 05Stitler an order signed in blank to
: the storekeeper certifying that the tax
: on the spirits described in the form
upon which the order was printed
( was paid, and that he should deliver
the said spirits to the said distiller
) and that I had placed the tax -paiC
stamps in the hands of the GuageI
: signed In blank. When at Indiana.
polls, on the 22d of February,
learned from George b. Williams
Supervisor Of Internal Revenue fol-
D the State of Indiana, that these
charges were preferred by him to the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
/. against me. Governor Morton being
then in indianapolis, / prevailed or
Mr.. Williams to accompany me to hls
room and be present at my interview
with him. When there Williams
N read his report made to the Commits
sioner of Internal Revenue of tn
condition he found matters In tn
Y First District, part of which wer
the charges preferred against me a
:; stated above. And in reply to
Is question from me whether there wer
any other charges preferred agains
me than those set forth in his repor
: Just read, he stated that there tCer
- not. After hearing the report
] stated to him il presence Of Gov
III ernor Morton, that he had mis-
:. stated the facts with reference TO tn
d, withdrawal or storekeeper orders
80 that these orders were never with m
knowledge or consent In the hands o
the distiller as stated by him; tha
= they were placed by me In the hand
:. of the gauger and storekeeper, bot
l. Revenue officers, to be used by thel
h only when the tax was paid. An
that could satisfy the Commissions
R by the sworn testimony of the Assls
ant Assessor of this division, ID
L. ako~abaanaw Hnnru ~ Il
nj ouess at Bingham q Rarton's distll
srs cry, at which place it was charged Il
"irregularity" was committed, and I'll
D. bookkeeper of the establishment.
I also stated that / could pro-
that the practice | had been pursuiu
was the same as that adopted by M
AN Shepard when the present law We
'"' into effect, and pursued by him d.
ring the whole Of his official ter
thereafter. This was satisfactory
Governor Morton, and he so stated
- Mr.. Williams, and also said that 1t
would make the proofs as stated, th
Al he thought there would be no troubl
II was then and there understot
49, that the matter being suspended I
,f1i my defence, as stated to me by 60
BILE ernor Morton in his letter of the IL
md of February, was as soon as pos
BILE to prepare a statement of the taC
BY with the proofs as stated by me, a.
{. forward them to the Governor
I. Washington, Immediately on my l
turn home prepared my statemel
- and supported it by the afidavits
DIR. Sharp, Henry, @. Jaquess and
NJ. Soper, completely and emphatiea
are dieprOyiDg the statement that /
Sita SSni,a placed the orders" in the hands
snts. the distillers, as reported by the
Per pervisor, but that on the contri
: a. by ~ they were never out of the hands
less. possession of q Revenue officer.
mas as also proved by the deposition of N
ness, ton p. Ghee, Esq, Of Vincennes, v
such 4 ,a was Mr.. Shepard's clerk, that 1t
arti- been Mr.. Shepards's practice from
! do taking effect of the law of July Il
the thPe to the end of his official term, to S
pub these orders and tax-paid stamps
y, II blank and entrust them to the ste
e. keepers and gauger TO be used by th
when the ta1 on the spirits reI
ate. sented by them i0Gs paid,
un- These papers were mailed by mt
1tg q ~ Governor Morton, then at Washi
er of ton, on the morning of the 1st
1868, March, and In order that he mi
arch r know that | was not delaying
1 at matter, / dispatched him the So
10fer' ISfg' morning that l had mailed tn
This done l hattered myself tina
Feh, had not only furnished the auth
tiac or WoabinOtOn with a gatisfact