Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-01-17
Washington Letter

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their seats, and, it being general bill day
offered such a cloud of bills that every
thing else was quite hidden. There wer
bills offered on all imaginable subjects
from the I-nteroceanic Ship Canal to tn
tax on luciier matches. In the Senate
Nh. Schurz rose to a personal explana
ton in regard 10 an attack on him by
the New York Times, which he called
the especial organ of the administration
in reference to his e~xtravagant campaign
charges, to his disorgsnizing course il
Missouri, to his being the creates. o
bores for offices for his friends, and tc
many other shortcomings, all of which
he prcnounced to be falsehoods. The no.
ticeable point in his speech was his
charge that these Systematic attacks were
made upon himself and Senator Trum-
bull because they had slandered Presi-
dent Grant in asserting that a power
greater than the collector or the Secretary
OF the Treasury was responsible for the
abuses in the New York custom house,
which are now before the Retrenchment
Committee. Mr.. Fenton followed in a
speech upon his bill to regulate the
salaries Of customs officers. He asserted
that the perquisites ofthe three principal
officers, viz. the collector, surveyor and
naval officer of New York, were $50, 900
year each, independent o ftheir salaries.
The general ORDER business he claimed
was an Ubiquitous tax upon the business
of New York, that it was monopolized
by Deet and Stocking, and was worth
$780, 900 a year. This is but a mild yer
sion of the Democratic charges. The
New York World asserts, that Leet was
a former member of the military family
OF the President, that he holds this
business independent of collectors and
secretaries, even against the advice of
the Secretary of the Treasury. &c. Per-
haps your readers are not posted as to
the recently famous "General Order"
business. The law, which was made
when imports were mostly made in
sailing vessels, and some fourteen DAYS
were allowed for discharge of cargoes,
provides that at the end of that time all
unclaimed goods should be sent to
general order storehOuses from whence
they could afterward be obtained upon
the payment of duties and charges for
carriage. storage, etc. These warehouses
were then government stores. But as
Steamers absorbed the trade, the time
for transferring imports TO general order
stores has been shortened, till it is now
asserted that unclaimed goods are at
once upon the arrival ola steamer, trans
ferred TO the general order stores, and
that these are to all intents and pur-
poses private establishments of Leet and
Stocking. 1t will thus be seen that a
monopoly of this kind is a plum of no
size and sweetness, and that there
is hardly any limit here to the exactions
Of unprincipled men. The point I wish
TO make is, that the Democrats as a
Of course charge these abuses to
the President, and that certain Repub-
licsn Senators are their willing aiders
and abettors. The record of this ad-
is before the people. Its
efforts for the reduction of the public
debt, for the lessening of taxation, for
the faithful collection of the revenue,
and for the detection of dishonest off,
Gals, are matters Of general knowledge,
and the people viii MOI readily take the
assertion of interested or disappointed
politicians as proof of venal conduct Oh
the part Of the President The Senate
Investigating Committee are IN New
York examining the matter, and if dis
honest or corrupt officials are found, the
past action ofthc President is a guarantee
that he will promptly bring them to the
block, whether friends or not.
Now a word appropos to this Senate
investigating Committee. A few nights
before the holiday adjournment I at
a night session of the Senate, and
found them in a p~rotracted and excited
debate upon the bill creating a new
standing committee of Investigation and
Retrenehment. The special contest was
upon Trumbull's amendment, giving
the power to send for persons and
ITS opponents claimed that this was an
1nheard of power for a standing COM
and should only be granted in
particular cases on special application.
The other side claimed that this was a
peculiar committeeman its sole work
was to be investigation, and it would be
/ practical nullity without this necessary
power to make thorough scrutiny of
,ases brought to their notice. To a casual
observer, not in any political secrets, the
-nch by inch fight over this amendment
would be a matter Of surprise; he would
nistrust there was a concealed point
somewhere. But when it was observed
hat Trumbul was the mover, and that
Sumner, Schurz, Fenton, Thurman and
generally went for it, while
Morton, COnkling, Chandler, Howe, &c,
as especial champions of the
administration, opposed the measure, it
was evident there was a mice" some
and an Obtuse mar would gradu-
ally discover in what direction the whole
thing was aimed.
The root OF a civil war in the Repub-
lican party exists in the Senate, and its
branches extend into many dissatisfied
outside. Mr.. Greeley is cultivat-
ing them in addition to his other farming
operations, and there is more danger OF
disaster to the party next year from
than from the demoralized
Democratic party. But it is to be hoped
that wiser counsels wiz prevail, and
hat the New York Fenton and Conkling
quarrel at the expense OF the party, will
not be initiated on a national scale. Let
US have peace. EZRA.
1t seems that a GOODNESS is springing
up between the Russian government
and the Grant administration at Wash
growing out of the everlasting
Catacazy affair, the late Russian Minister
TO this country, who offended the pow
~ UaehipoTor So pauob that HE