Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-12-20
Murphy,s Corruption House.

Murphy's Corruption House.
Mr.. Conkling moved to take up his reso-
luton, offered yesterday, directing the Com
mittee on Retrenchment to inquire into the
charges made by Mr.. Schurz in reference to
the general order business in the New York
cuStOm-house..
Mr.. Patterson wished to say few words
about the investigation by the committee OF
which he had been chairman. The New
York Times of Monday had stated that the
Committee had held hole and corner in
vestigation, had. manipulated witnesses,
like Tombs lawyer, and had made a gar
bled and dishonest report. Now, said Mr..
Patterson, that statement is Indignantly
false from beginning to end, and it is made,
believe, to throw smut upon the commit
tee, in order to lessen the force of their
report, and for no other purpose. The COM
mittee had nothing to blame themselves for,
unless it be one thing. After the taking of
testimony had been completed, Collector
Murphy came here and asked permission to
go over the testimony. 1t was given him.
He brought a gentleman with him
from New York, and the testimony was
put into his hands. He went over
it all, and made such changes as
he desired in the character of his
own testimony. That, have since thought
was a privilege that the committee ought
[not] to have given him, but so great was
our desire TO be fair with all parties that we
thought best to permit the revision although
the Collector had seen the testimony before.
Mr.. Patterson denied that the committee
had charged the government any more than
the ordinary expenses for California trip,
and contrasted the expenditures of his COM
mittee with that of the Committee on
Southern outrages. The latter had spent
$4,000 since the LIST of January, 1871, while
his committee during the whole five years
of its existence, had spent only $4,000.
Mr.. Scott, Chairman of the Committee
on Southern Outrages, said its principal
outlay had been on account of witnesses.
They had examined over 900.
Mr.. Schurz offered the following as an
addition to the pending resolution:
"And also to inquire whether any charges
for storage or carting have been made by.
officers of the the custom, or persons acting
under the regulations of the customhouse,
which charges are not authorized by law !;
and also whether presents have been ac
cepted by officers of the cnstomhouse from
other officers subordinate to them, or act
ing under their control, and whether of
ficers making such presents have been Sc
lected by preference to attend to the dis
charge of steamships; and also whether of
ficers of the customhouse connive at frauds
in passing the baggage of passengers arriv-
ing in the port Of New York; and also
whether articles of merchandise while I'M
der the control of officers Of the custom
house have been distracted, and whether
any such articles have been returned on
application, and whether any officers Of the
customhouse have been punished for alb
stracting articles under their CONTROL; and
also to what extent the practice of compro-
missing with merchants defrauding or at
tempting to defraud the revenue, has pre-
vailed, and whether any and what pecunia-
~ benefit has been derived therefrom by
by officers making such compromise"