The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-17
IHIEVERY AND ABUSE OF PATRONAGE
How Murphy Offered a Man "Placs, with
Little Work. il lie Wonld Poliii.
only support him.
Glimpses Of the Process Of Har-
mOnizing the Party.
Very Little About the General
Order Business.

7he Custom Honse Committee met again yester.
Gay morning at the Astor House. the session was
long enc, ana resolution was passed, pro-
viamg that In future night sessions shah also Do
held at che Fifth Avenue Hotel.
The following letter ana anidavit were read
CUsrox HOUSE,, NEW YORK. I
ArPRAIsER's OTrIoK Jan 10, ls72j
DEAR sIR-i forward herewith affidavit the e1amn-
in this The ." goods referred TO 10
NE communication OF MesIs T. B. Claim Co 70 you on the
that the case wa. not robbed while
taken herefrom before twas received here Very Iepect
United States Appraiser, por. OF New York.
Cit aud Coutyaf Ner Yora, ".Clarcnce W. Mead, be-
,s and s, y
.nen Of the por, Of New York That on Friday January
= fushe stores a' @ ' IN No.
@ e @ in % BY the Collector as -; navs
opened called verder Of d'vson The
and carefully counted and checked on BY
duly reported the Collector Of the po aud 70 the repre-
por.s Of the .ad The was IN bad oraer and had
s.esp he department which '.,0'
Sworn to before me- 18th day Of January s75TnEo
D0RE p KELLY, Notary Public
This afiidavlt was corr0borated by anldavirs OF
Henry B. Pardee. clerk and veriher and George W.
Hall and Patrick Leyden, openers and packers.
Mr.. II. B. Claim then gave The following EVIL
aence:-Have done business In this city for twenty
ave years; my relations with the Custom House
have generally been satisfactory; think the charges
oi the general order stores rather LARGE have fire.
queny requested TO sign petitions against the
custom OF making seizures OF books, but have re-
fused on the ground that an honest man mas nothing
70 fear; think the seizures safeguard.
Witness was then questioned In regard to the loss
OF scarfs in one OF his packages, put said he knew
nothing about the NATTER as 1t in the hands Of
his custom House man. He would like to see the
general order business divided among all the steam
ship lines which have convenient means OF delivery
MI. BENJAMIN r. Mudgett stated he was appointed
Deputy Collector In 1852 and remained so until 1872;
while in ONCE ne heard daily OF officers receiving
gratuities for performance OF service; merchants
have told him. since this investigation began,
Of inspectors making them paw for not sending
their goods on Immediately general order; 1t was
the firm OF Bgel0w Johnson who so informed
him; the general order means unclaimed goods,
which, when merchants are not prepared TO make
their entrees taken to the general store; Leet
Stocking nave the whole general order business
Of the North River, which Is the chief
seat OF European importauons The witness
went on to state that In Mr.. Grim
ne's time he spoke to Mr.. Grinne, advising him to
pesist the dIsgraceiul system OF permitting adven-
surers to come on here from washington and SO get
I'll the ''plums, Mr.. Grinnel said he should resist
IL Mr. Rodney ]. Mason subsequently informed
him that Mr. Louis Dent was to come down on the
following Wednesday TO the Custom House and urge
Mr. Grnnell TO give the plum to the parties boxing
Tor IT. the demand on Mr. Grnnel was OF the general
order carriage and lignerage TO the party: Mr. Mason
told him he one OF the party and that the rest
consisted OF General Porter the Presidents private
secretary, Colonel Leet and Mr. Lindsay; Mr.. Dent,
VINO is the Presidents brother-n-law, came to the
fev.afa IInn Mr. ri hnf 4 nm
peared he did not succeed then; witness was told
Dy several In the custom House-Deputy Collector
Williams and others-that General Porter came
down from Washington ana visited Mr. Grinnell
On the subject; alter that the Collector gave an
Rxny having MADE his WIN Porter
Leet and John b. Lindsay; Mr.. Bixby told witness
that ne paid Colonel Leet $4,000 . year; Colonel
Leet was on General Grants stan at this time, and
renamed In Washington IN the War Department .
year alter this arrangement: at the end or year
Leet 4 Go. got the general order business.
The witness stated further that when he was In
washington about year subsequently, General
Porter would like 10 see him; they went together
and General Porter said lie heard witness had been
telling people that he General Porter was inter
ested in the New York customs. Witness related
all he knew just as he mas done to the committee;
wnereupon General Porser assured INN That neither
himself. Babcock nor Leet had anything 10 do with
anything IN tile New York Custom House. and ex-
blamed Leet's attempt TO get the business oy means
reply was that he could do nothing for Colonel
Leet as he mad already given the General order
Senator CAssERLY-And all this time how long
had Colonel Leet been receiving $4,000 q year from
BixDy 0ut 0l the general order buslnessY A. some
PROFITS THE PRESIDENTS FRIENDS ARE MAKING.
MT. Mudgett was next questioned as to the
amount Oh business done under the general order
system. He said he knew OF no more valuable
GIFT The amount of business Is enormous, and
Leet, Stocking Co. must be making $50, 600 to
32OO,000 year net pront-that Is and above
the witness, in reply to question from Mr. Bay
ard whether he thought the oriicers make compro-
misses IN the cases where merchants papers are
seIzed, answered, "0i course they do"
Mr. Mudgett declared he is aware tnat the officers
assessed political purposes and that the prac
ce s for ey es woa nsS
TO quit II they refused A Mr.. Forrest private Sec
rotary TO- Governor Fenton, was apponted Naval
Onicer lie removed ny General MERIT ana
subsequently appointed 10 the Post once by per-
emptory order OF Postmaster Jones from President
Grant.
Mr.. Henry O. Lake, having been sworn, was, after
afew preliminary questions, allowed W testify 70
the facts alluded to In General Palmer's evidence
He gave the following testimony:-I communicated
the Information that General Palmer gave me AZ tC
the character oil Mr.. Thompson, and the cOrrup
proposition made by the latter TO solicitor OF the
Treasurer, MI. Manshe.d; General Palmer's mes
sage Was t um we sae sae wa.
tive ONCE" ana went on ~ explain how IL might be
made so by an arrangement WITH the merchants
and Offered himself TO make these arrangement
n he were allowed 10 share the pronts
] was appointed welgher about the LIST OF May
1862 ana held the position until the LIST OF January
1871: I was removed under Mr.. Murphy; neve
knew any cause for removal, such as inattenton o
incorrectness In business: was removed 10 max
room Tor another man; four OF US were removed a
that time; was o republican, as explalned To Mi
Boutweil when was IN Washington; had at vari
Dls times more or less men unucr Dlc-soDetine
thirty; the men we're appointed AT the instance o
the Collector; assessments were made for polifica
purposes; ! suppose they were made by the stat
Central Committee; never know Of men benz
turned out Tor not paying. but ] have been told D
men that they would be removed n they did NJ
paw n; l never knew Of but one case wher
: man was directly threatened Tor such !
refusal: as a general thing men are removed with
out any cause being assigned, though sometimes
nave known man ~ 20 to The Custom House an
YET the reasons for his DISMISSAL; my judgment ma
aIWays been thas the force vi laborers with IN
WeiQbers Is loo large think the Custom li0us
business would be very much better done II IL wer
conducted on the same principles as those WHO
guide private 1rm; think there are more weigner