Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-09-12
the whole subject, addressed the following
letter to the Collector.


sn1ps, and their servants, to be treated by the
storehouse keepers precisely as all other persons
are treated
Should the managers of the steamships consent
TO this arrangement, see no good reason why the
business OF storage cannot be restored to the ware
Very respectfully,
GEORGE S. boutwell,, Secretary.
HON. MOSES ii. GRINNELL, Collector of Customs,
New York.
The Collector failed to carry out the sug-
gestions of the Secretary, claiming that, un-
der the law and his official bond, he him
self was responsible for the safe custody OF
the goods, and the letter being advisory and
not in the form of an order, he would con-
tlnue, as heretofore, unless the Secretary
should make an absolute command. The
Secretary, of course, properly declined to re-
lieve the Collector from any responsibility
belonging to his official bond.
About month after this, Mr.. Thomas
Murphy was appointed Collector of the Port,
but his views coincided with MIR. Grinnell as
to the storage business, which continued to
be conducted according to Mr.. GrinnelPs
plan. Some two months after Mr.. Murphy's
appointment lthe warehouses of Leet d
Stocking were designated to receive the gen
eral order goods of the Cunard and North
German Lloyd lines. This appears to have
been in consequence of two facts: First, the
defalcatioE of the firm which, to that time,
had the storing of all unclaimed goods i'm
ported by these lines. Secondly, Leet d
Stocking had obtained possession of the
largest and most convenient warehouses of
the city, thus enabling themselves to accom-
modate the mercantile community.
The policy of requiring the general order
goods to be stored on the New York side of
the river having been established, the desig-
nation of MesSrs. Leet Il Stocking, under the
circumstances, was plain business matter,
which would probably have been done by
almost every merchant in the city precisely
as it was done by the Collector of the Port.
This is shown hy fao hot ha
appointment of Mr.. Murphy's successor (Mr.
Arthur) in November, 1871, who adopted the
policy of the Secretary of the Treasury, as
set forth in his letter of June 1, 1870, above
quoted, and which permitted the steamship
and other importing lines to select
their General Order stores, the great
bulk of the business still continued with
Leet d Stocking. The Cunard and North
German Lloyds, of course, selected their
own warehouses, but the great bulk of the
General Order goods discharged in New
York is still stored with Leet d Stocking,
not because these gentlemen are the prOteges
of the President, as has been insinuated in
some quarters, but because their business
accommodations are the most satisfactory
and best adapted to the business public.
Thus, at once, was the wisdom of the Secre
tary's policy vindicated; and that which was
claimed as an abuse abolished.
Another among the many difficulties in the
General Order problem was the rate of
sence of any law fixing such rate the present
Collector called to his aid the Chamber of
Commerce of New York, and requested it to
submit schedule Of charges proper to be
collected for storage of the different kinds
of imported merchandise. The Chamber of
Commerce schedule agreed upon was adopt
ed by the Department, and appears to be
satisfactory to all parties concerned.
1t is being constantly asserted by certain
public speakers of the opposition that the
Il l,,os =, 81
the interest of the so-called ''Custom House
Ring" But nothing could be more un-
founded.
1t need only be added that the facts thus
shown were never attempted to be denied
even by the New York Tribune.
1t is not the purpose of this article to offer
any defense of Messrs. Leet q Stocking, but
| it is proper to say that they have not been
doing business for the Government of the
| United States, and are not now. They are,
in no proper sense of the phrase, public Off
GERS. They have never received from the
| Government one cent on account of the
| storage of goods. In every case they look
to the merchant for their storage. If their
| charges are eXorbitant, merchants with
! whom they have agreements have their
| remedy in court, and can store elsewhere.
1t seems, indeed, not sufficiently known TO
the general public, or even to have been
noticed by the committees of Congress who
investigated the subject, that the ware
housing business is a matter of private con-
cern, and not part of the patronage of the
Government; that the Government assumes
no responsibility and has no concern about
imported merchandise, except to secure the
| payment Of legal duties. In a word, the
cost Of warehousing, drayage, ETC., is a
charge upon the goods to be paid by the
importer, just as much as it is his private
affair to pay the freight on the voyage to the
country.
THE CHARGES OF POLITICAL, INFIUENCE
During the present Administration there
have been three Investigations into the af
fairs of the New York Custom House; the
first by order of the Secretary of the Treas
ury, the other two by authority of Congress
The conclusions reached in each case were
substantially the same. The last committed
took over 1900 pages of printed testimony
, they examined over $50 witnesses, including
steamship agents, merchants, cartmen
attorneys, editors, etc. Considering TIN
magnitude of the business of the port, tn
number of employees, 800, besides laboref
no abuses were found that were not eithe
, corrected or in the process of correction
through the reform policy of the Secretar
of the Treasury. The correctness of tn
, general statement of this paragraph will b
!, borne out by reference to almost any page Q
the printed reports of the several commit
tees. Even the minority report of tn
Senate Investigating Committee, desirous G
! finding every fault possible, is constrained t
, Collector Arthur, and the general vigilanc
: and watchful ability of Secretary Boutwell,
And, Notwithstanding all this, Senate
Schurz, in a speech delivered at St. Loui
, July %, charges that the old-time Custor
House abuses continue, and one would nc
suppose, from what he says, that any reform
had been instituted. If such things com
from the most honored of the opposition
d what unconscionable assertions must be e1
S pected from the miscellaneous whippers-i
i and the ward bummers? 1t is a fact that nc
9 a single statement made by this emineT
t public man touching the New York Custo1
: House, in this carefully prepared speech, br
y was more orless disfgured and discolored b
/ error.
AS to the charges of collusion between til
Q President and his Private Secretaries,
S connection with the New York Custol
T House, it is safe to say there never was an
q charge more triumphantly refuted than this
/ there was not particle of testimony
sustain it before any of the committees;
i i all the witnesses examined not one testife
o to any knowledge of the kind, and but tw
expressed any opinion upon the subjec
7 These men were B. F. Mudgett and Horat
# Greeley. These men express beliefs, RI
b knowledge, nor any reason for the belle
d The following is Mr.. Greeley's testimony G
G this point:
9e By Mr.. Casserly.
Question. Do you know, or not, whether Il
., subject of the general order business, as it
~ called, eXcites much complaint among busine
, !, men in this city?-Answer. know it excites col
;. plaint, but hear more of it on its political s
than its business side 1t is very rotten bushes
a in my Judgment, from all hear.
st @. You hear of complaints in both aspects?-.
in Yes sir but more in regard to the fact that int
4 4 viduals who have right to make money q
:. making large sums of money out of it, who 6
silent partners of those who control general ordt
W and carriage.
n @. Who are those individuals?-A. 1 would I
is like to testify. I think General Porter of t
of White House. is one, and also General Babcock
n but knoa0 no facts to pToUe it,
;s On being questioned later by Mr.. How
10 10 Mr. Greeley does not appear to have kno7
~ who gave him the impression that Gener
0o Porter and Babcock were interested in t
profits of the general order business, /
81 thinks it was a certain Charles A. Lamont
person not produced as witness.-Page
dy Minority Report.
ny Such testimony as this would not be
II: tened to by any respectable court of iusti