The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-02-03
Fair Play For General i;ranf

Fair Play For General Grant.
The Democrat papers are busying them
selves, in a very characteristic manner, in
msrepresenting the position of this jour-
nal on the Custom House investigation.
Cur own readers need not be informed
that we have never opposed any fair and
I reasonable investigation into any branch
Of the Governments operations. In COM
mon with all friends of the Presidnt, we
reloioea that any abuses which have crept
! into the civil service during TIE past fifty
years should be raked over and brought to
light. And if there were any more recent
abuses--due to fresh causes, or even charg-
/ cable to the present administration-we
were glad to aaYe them exposed and cor
rected. General Grants position in the
country, his fame with posterity, and his
future success or failure, do not depend on
whether 4 New York luggage inspector
took gratuities or not, or whether Mr..
Stewart o: the European steamer lines
were right in their opposing views of the
- General Order - system, but on his past
unegualled services to the nation, and on
tbs general integrity and wisdom of his
administration. We have never opposed
investigation: we only opposed investiga-
ton led by men who manifestly wanted to
make political capital in favor OF an oppos-
ing candidate.
Whatever abuses this examination has
r@yeaied; whatever unjust weighing of
goods, III black mailings, or bribing, or
compromising, have occurred, no more
touch General Grant than thsy do tie
memory of Mr.. Lincoln or Mr.. Buchanan.
They have existed in the Custom House OF
, this port since the time whereof the
memory of man extendeth not to the con-
trary.'' They are abominable and dis
graceful. But General Grant is no more
responsible for them ,i.aE he is for the
Revenue laws of the First Congress
One would think, from the cutlery in the
! Dem press. that no Collector before
5Ir. Grinreii u Mr.. Murphy and no officer
Of tile CUSTOM iIuuse had ever received
anything beyond their salaries. These
gentlemen simply followed old laws OF Con
gress, and collected their legal fees beyond
( their salaries or We're paid by their fees.
We don't like the system; we think the
/ Collector Of this port should get hand
some salary and nothing more. We be-
iicve that business like the storage of
unclaimed g0ods-worth, it is vaguely said
although this is disputed, from sixty
thousand to one hundred thousand dollars
q year-should 90 into the Treasury OF
, the Government. General Grant no doubt
! thinks the same thing, but the laws of
/. Congress and custom of this port have de-
cided otherwise, and thus far every Presi-
dent. Democratic OF Republican, has ac-
copied tie custom and the Law.
One would think, ALSO from the edifying
/ and virtuous homi!le,i Of the Tribune and
the World, that no administration before
General Grants had ever employed tie
OH Of the Custom House in politics.
Yet ohe of the Fenton witnesses, on
| Thursday, testified somewhat unwillingly
that the whole body CT employees went
! to The Republican Convention of 1870
and labored hard for Mr.. Greeley. frab-
ably that virtuoils politician has employed
the whole Custom House force, DIRECTLY or
indirectly, not less than fifty times in his
chcquered career And the Wortd
knows well that Mr.. Schell, and all pre-
pious Democratic collectors, never hest
tated to nse every revenue agent they
could find 20 carry elections. both in this
State and all neigAboring States. We de-
. test this system. We think it vitiates our
WHOLE body polite. We hope fer the day
when civil service reform shall upIoct it:
but General Grant is 10 more responsible
for it than was General Taylor.
Then as TO the general order SYSTEM
General Grant had Nothing to do with the
origin Of this. 1t began 1854. 1t had it's
commencement ~ the necessities of COM
merce. Mir. Stewart, 4 y trIe. does not
like it; and many other plercLar,s thi;t4 it
oppressive and inconvenieut. But, CT: :hs
other hand. all the great steamship compa-
MES who have their piers on the New YorI,
side, and who import the immense major
ity OF the goods brought into this port,
testified on Friday that they consider it
by far the most convanie:.s an; econom-
cal system, and that the former system.
Was oppressive to them. To our minds,
rs outside observers, the system does not
seem either convenient or economical. and
it would appear that Government ought to
have its own warehouses for unclaimed
goods, But i'll the mercantile community,
there il evi4iAEtly Il difference of opinion
on the subject. cir. Stewart. it is true
twice complained to the pt,s,;ian. CT tie
system. Bat Mr.. Stewart Is only private
individual, and may have his own lake to
grind, thought it be !; large one, not I'M
like any other merchants. Moreover the
President may have had equally strong
representations on the other side from the
Liverpoo. steamship companies. We can
well suppose x &@- act question he could
at once ueCittS
The letter to Mr.. Gyinneit Introducing
Mr.. Leet, about which 50 much noise is
made, does not seem to have been different
from what any President might have piycn
to ii trusted man. General Porter also tes
titles that the President suppose Leet was
going to settle in business in New York,
but that f,e objected to his taking any of
flee, because he EaG been Ola las tlI.e Eres-
ident's staff. Leet nay have given arin-
nell an impression of his influence with the
President which was exaggerated. There
was no special improperly, however, in
the Collectors giving the general order
business to Il respected army officer who
Ind served his country. There is 10 evil
deEce tn&t +ir. l.eet has been corrupt, or
has cheated the Government. TIE only
improper thing was that he should for !,
time reside IN Washington and MANAGE /
tins e~s;;2csG in New York; but this has
been not uncuhhinr,i prac:icc, This is
not the slightest evidence that Mr.. t,r,p-
nells dismissal had anything to do with
Mi. Ieet. On the contrary, it probably
arose from the cutlery of the carmen against
tlriri because ofhis "Cartmens Bureau"
ana from o1iei Eity.tc causes. In fine.
We may say that ihefe Is nat lie t,int.Sl
Testimony tiint General Grant derived aux
advantage from the General Order system.
or, indeed. that lie knew much about IT,
The faults thus far revealed are inherent
TO the custom House system, and are NOT
,.a.L.t-, t. arv Administration or CoIIec-
tor.-h /. Ims,.