New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-07-26
"RULNOUS INVESTIGATIONS

"RUINOUS INVESTIGATIONS"
Mr.. Roscoe Conkling, in his recent defense
of President Grant, tossed off the airy cOnjec-
ture that the "humbug of investigation"
under the recent Administration must have
cost the people in time, money, and neglect of
legislation millions of dollars while it has
neither disclosed any fault nor done any
good We are not prepared to dispute Mr..
Conklings financial estimate; he has wasted
more time in staving off investigation than
probably any other member of the Senate, and
if we were to say what we believe Mr.. COnk-
ling's time to be worth in dollars, and how
much the country would have saved if he had
given his great mind to practical legislation,
we probably should not agree with his own
figures by several millions. But though he
has done all in his power to make inyestiga-
ton humbug, and prevent either the Gov
eminent or the people from getting any profit
from it, some wholesome truths have come to
light in spite of him. Let us see whether it
is true that these inquiries have proved ruin
"Ous to the refomers who set them on foot,
and that from them "the President and those
"fOr whom he is responsible have come out,
"lke pure gold tried by the fire, brighter than
before"
The President is responsible for that ingen-
uous young man, Mr.. George X. Leet. Mr..
Leet was one of the Presidents military fam
lily. He came to New-YOrk with a warm let
ter of commentator from the President to
Collector Grinnell, and on the strength of
that letter obtained share in the profits of
the General Order business,-a gratuity OF
$1,000 year paid him in consideration of his
controlling interest" he meanwhile retaining
his rank in the army and his employment at
Washington, and never going near the Gen
eral Order stores. In the course of time he
applied to Mr.. Grinnel for larger share of
the same spoils. 1t was refused, and he
threatened to have Mr.. Grinne1 removed. Mr..
Grinnell was removed, and the new Collector,
Mr.. Tom Murphy, gave Mr.. Leet all he
wanted. Mr.. Leet, having virtual monopoly
of the North River business, now began to
levy on commerce. According to the testi
mony of Mr.. A. II. Stewart and other leading
importers, he increased the charges about 100
per cent. He vexed the merchants with need
less costly delays lie made the port of
New-York "the most expensive port for the
transaction of business in the wOrld.n (Testi-
mOny of Mr.. William L. Dodge He cate up
&c the profits on certain classes of merchan-
"dise." Testimony of William E. Dodge, jr.)
Some of his bills were presented before the
Investigating Committee here is one, small
in amount, but so characteristic of the system
that we copy it. Importers, it seems, are al
lowed forty-eight hours to remove their goods
from the vessels before packages are sent I'M
der General Order; but as time is of great
10 c4o i'm 10
for the companies to discharge cargo at once,
and deduct from their bills of freight what
ever General Order charges the importer may
be obliged to payswithin the forty eight hours.
In the following instance it will be seen that
Mr.. Leets charges were more than the whole
freight:
NETWORK, Jan. 1G, 1872.
Messrs Clarke & Schultz
To steamship Atlantic "a voyage Dr.
For freight and prmage from Liverpool, as per
Exchange at 1875 per
c. & 5. 20 barrels mineral water
Deduct
General rs
Mr.. William Buchanan imported in June,
1871, certain cases of machinery, paid the
duty, and on the arrival of the vessel was
prepared to take them away. Nevertheless,
without touching the dock at all, thirty of
the cases were instantly lowered from the
ship to the Custom-house carts and taken to
Mr.. Leets store, where they remained on the
sidewalk in rain-storm for day or two,
the machinery being injured in consequence.
For this privilege Mr.. Buchanan had to pay
1888 %. Mr.. l.. G.. TillotsOn, an importing
merchant, exhibited bill in which Leet g.
Co. had charged him for storage six times and
for labor four times the customary rates at
bonded warehouses.
We must admit that in one particular the
investigation into Mr.. Leet's affairs was an
entire failure. All the ingenuity and persist
ence of the Committee-nay, of two Commit
tees-could not get from that person state
ment of the profits of his business. He did
not know how much it was worth; his accounts
had never been balanced; he would not pro-
duce his books or articles of partnership; and
the testimony as to the number of packages
received at his store was totally at variance
with the evidence of the Custom house records
Competent judges, however, steamship agents
and others, estimated the profits at 100000 or
100000 year.
Now the same abuses were exposed by
q committee of investigation in 1871: the
Collector and tho President have remarkably
been advised of them; the merchants have
twice petitiOned for their removal; the