New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-07
GIN PORTERS TES1INONT.


The full report given in our last of Gen.
Horace PoIter's testimony affecting Leet & Co.
before the Senate's Investigating Committee
| would seem to affirm these propositions:
| /. That neither the President nor Gen. Porter
| was aware, when Leet obtained from the for
mer lis letter of commentator to Mr.. Grinnell,
that Leet purposed to apply for and il posi-
! bic obtain from Mr. G.. what is known az the
| General Order business of the CustOm-hOuse,
well known to many as the most lucrative
"plum" in the gift of the Federal authorities
! II. That, though Leet did secure from Mr.
| Grinnell part of this lucrative job early in
| 1869, and tn Jugh he continued to spend most
of his time in Washington, m essing with Gen.
Porter and frequentng the White House,
| while il was notorious that he spent part of
| his time here and was intimate with the Col
| lector and his confidential friend, John T.
| Lindsay dining with the former in Washing
ton, and receiving from him a box of wine
for "Our mcss,n transmitted to Washington,
| still neither President, Porter, nor Babcock
was aware of Lcet's profitable interest III this
General Order business.
III. That in February or March, 1870 L"ct
first avOwed his purpose to resign his Army
commission and apply for the Labor contract
in the Custom-house here; whcreupon, the
President expressed dissatisfaction; and Porter,
at his dctatiOn, wrote (Alay 4, 1870 a letter to
Leet apprising him that the President chad
heard so much talk about corruption in
"custom- houses, jobs, influences brought to
"bcar in getting positions, &c, that be would
"never appoint any one who had been around
chin to a position in custOm-h house, no mat
~ I IL tl,ot !,
would consent to have You [Leet] 20 to
"custOm house. lie said the attacks would be
Constant, and would iniure both you and
"nimr
". That Leet thcreupOn represented that the
business he meditated was one which he could
only obtain in open competition with all
others-that is, by offering to do it on terms
more advantageous to the Government than
any one else would propose - whereupon,
Leet was no longer restrained, and put III
bid on the Labor contract failing to obtain it
because his bid was not the lowest.
V. That the President and Gen. Porter first
learned that Leet had any job in connection
with our Custom house from the Report of
Senator PattersOns Investigating Committee
hardly more than a year ago.
VI That Gen. Porter, by direction Of the
President wrote TO Collector Murphy oct. 81,
1870 instructing the Collector to grant no
favors to any one who represented himself a.
a favOrite or prOteg6 of the President.
Such is the case as Gen. Porter would have
it made up and closed. We submit that II Is
utterly cOnfuted and overthrow by Gen. P.'S
admissions afterward-wc may fairly say,
rOsS-eXaminatiOn-of facts which he cOIld
neither deny nor explain. They are as follows
VII. When Senator Patterson's Report and
testimony did at length appear, the exception
ally ganful connection of Leet with the New
York Custom-hOuse stood confessed. His was
no contract obtained by open competition and
lower bidding, but monopoly of the General
Order business on the North River side Of the
city Cat least fOur-ffths Of the whole
monopoly very gainful to Lcet & Co.,
but most oppressive to the commerce of
our City. Why did not Porter then
write to Leet, "by direction of the prcsi-
dent" Sir You have deceived me and done
that which told you (through my secretary
that You must not do-that / would ."neyer
" consent" TOT Why was not Leet then re-
CURED to fOregO further suction from the vtals
of our commerce? Half wink TO Murphy
would have made him LET 90 in no time. Why
not? How is IL that Porter tcoJitics hat the !