The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-11-21

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20.-The following is the
correspondence between President Grant and
Murphy OH the resignation of the latter as co..
leetor of the Port of New York.
Custom House, N Y, Collectors Office |
Nov. IS, 1871.
To TIE PREsIDENr:-I hereby tender my
resignation of the Office of Collector of the port
of New York, to take effect upon the appoint
nent of my successor. You are aware tnat
during the period have held this important
trust, and because l have held it L have been
subject to persecution which, for persistent mis-
representation and unrelentlnS vlndlctlvenesS,
has fortunately but few parallels in the history
of political strife.
Throughout this somewhat trying ordeal l
have been sustaining, however by the conscious
ness of my own rectitude and by the fact that
during my official term have enjoyed umn-
terruptedly and still claim your confidence, UNI
diminished by the vituperation OF my accusers
For the manner in which the duties OF the once
have been performed L take pleasure IN refer
ring to the Judgment of my official supervisor,
the Secretary of the Treasury and to the fig-
ures of the record in the Treasury Department,
which show how the revenue has been collect
ed and with what diminished percentage OF
cost Unless your attention has been called to
this record, l beg you win refer to it. Gtound-
less as the asper;ions cast upon me are and as
fully as they have been refuted before more
than one tribunal am conscience That my
continuance. in office will be made pretext
and occasion for assaults calculated to injure
You and the Republican party, and rather than
incur such hazard L relinquish my position
even had it been coveted, which you know 1t
was not, when was appointed. belleyed
could render service by accepting it, Now be-
lieye that can render service by resigning II
and gladly embrace the opportunity IN sever
ing my political relations with the government.
Under these circumstances / may also properly
refer to the gratifying result OF the recent eiec,
tons in this State, which leave the control of
its affairs substantially in the hands OF the
government party of progress and reform of
which you are the Acknowledged head, and for
the success of which it will ever be my pride
and duty to labor
L am, Dear Sir, with high respect,
Your obedient servant,
THOMAS MURPHY.
Executive Mansion, Washington, y. G., Nov..
10Th. 1871.
To the Hon Thomcs Mu'rhy Collector OF tlc
port # Nep York: '' -
DEAR SIR:-Your letter of the 1sthtendering
your resignation of the office of collector of the
port of New York with the reasons therefor, is
received. 1t gives ME great pleasure to bear
testimony to the efficiency honesty, and zeal
with which you have Administered the Office so
long as it has been entrusted to your keeping
Your own peace of mind, no doubt, will be
enhanced by leaving the office of Collector, but
L doubt whether such q course viii be in any
sense benefit to the public service. Under
your administration the revenues from the
New York Custom House have been largely in
creased and the cost of collection in proportion
to the amount collected has greatly diminished,
this is show by the records OF the department.
You have had my unqualified confidence ever
since you entered the Office as Collector. You
had that confidence before or the appointment
would have not be en- made. That confidence
is still mistaken, and in accepting your resig-
nation desire to give you the fullest assur-
ance of this fact, whether you remain in or ont
of office. Time will convince just public of
your entire innocence of the charges brought
against you.
With great respect your ob't servt,
u. S. GRANT,