Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-03
CUSTOMHOUSE CORRUPTION.
$4,000 Political SlnecurlstS.
Whom Does Leet Pay for His Mon
OpOIy?

OpOly?
NEW YORK, Feb. AT the Custom
house investigation to-day Edward c. John
son who was formerly in the general order
business, testified that the other day he
offered Leet sixty thousand dollars a year
for the business. Formerly the price OF
storage was regulated by the Chamber OF
Commerce. Witness thought the recipients
of the general order monopoly were obliged
to make up by charges on merchants for
what the privilege of having the business
costs. Leet and Stocking can make money
by charging five dollars per load of twenty
five packages and they are charging mer-
chants twenty-five dollars.
There is an immense profit on storage,
because a months storage is paid upon
goods which remain only few days. Their
places are then taken up by others on which
another months storage is paid, and so on
until a loft in the General Order store
makes for the owner five and six months
storage in one.
1 Never Heard of so Much PiIfering
in the Genrrl Order departments and cart
age, etc, as there has been since Leet and
Stocking have had the monopoly of this
business. al control of the charges is
vested in the Collector of the Port. He
has power to shut up every Customhouse
and General Order Store if he feels so dis
posed. l suggested to Murphy that he
should correct the
Terrible Abuses
growing out Of the present general order
system, representing TO him the damage
they were doing to the Republican party.
J told him that The merchants were COM
planning on every hand and that he must do
something to alleviate their burdens. Muir
ply replied, notwithstanding his well
known control over the stores in general,
that he had not the power and could not in
terfere with this part of the general order
business. l know that there are
$4,000 Men
in Federal offices now whose only recon-
mendation TO their posts is their ability to
manipulate the rascals who control the pri-
mary elections. The greater the scOundrel
in my opinion, the better his chance Of a
good appointment. I have heard men say
they have been discharged because they re-
fused to pay the political assessment de-
manded Of them.
James A. Young, Inspector of Customs
since 1869, was examined. Said there are
sixteen European steamers a week on
Cunard dock. There are rations of six or
eight bottles of English ale and porter, with
a decanter Of liquor sent to the Inspectors
office al IL O'Clock every day. This brings
a crowd Of good for nothing fellows to the
docks, which is very hurtful. There is a
very easy way Of doing the business of
smuggling: a gentleman going to Europe
takes the
Measures Of Several Lady Friends
fog wardrobes; on his return with item, the
ladies for whom he has made the purchas-
es, come down TO the pier when the steamer
arrives. The gentleman then declares that
the ten or twelve trunks which he is landing,
contain wearing apparel Of these ladies
whom he represents as passengers.
Another trouble is that on the arrival of a
steamer, persons having tickets are permit
ted to 60 down on the pier. This may bring
a number Of improper persons nea- the
steamer and facilitate smuggling. Mr..
Terwilliger when he took upon himself the
right to come down to the decks and grant
permits to individuals to come to the pier
when a vessel arrived. He ruled then that
the tickets of admission to the pier gave
persons the privilege of going on board the
steamer when her gang plank was put out,
thereby afording smugglers a splendid op-
pOrtunity to operate. l have observed
abuses and
Frands of the Most fragrant Character
among customhouse officers, which 1 re-
ported to my superiorS with very poor re-
suits. 1 remember an instance when a
number of ladies came ashore at quarantine
in the doctors boat, aud they afterwards
exhibited a large quantity of diamonds and
iewelry which they said had been passed by
the custOmhOuse officer on board the
steamer at quarantine. Witness told of an
incident which occurred on a Cunard
steamer:
A Corpse
was brought over in case, and the hearse
was on dock to receive it, but in placing it
in the vehicle the bearers shook it, and a
ringing noise was heard. The case was
opened and found to be full of French
clocks.
Senator Bayard RENAL ed "That was a
corpse for time and not for eternity"