New-York tribune., 1872-02-12
THE GENERAL ORDER oUTRAGEs.

lctly 10 pau an eau 10 these abuses.
TIE GENERAL ORDER OUTRAGES.
HOW NEW-YORK MERCHANTS ARE PLUNDERED
BY ADMINISTRATIONS FAvoRITES.
Many witnesses have given conclusive evi-
dence regard to the extortions perpetrated mer
chants by Leet Co. A I. Stewart testified that the
present prices storage carriage, and labor were
" double what they had been heretofore" Henry G.
Meyer. formerly had the General order business
time Bei1ann II Hutton considered the present sys
TEN the worst possible" Francis NJ. Bixby testified .
There IL good why the General Order
houses should charge more Aan the bonded warehouses;
the latter are subject 10 ell tho nconvenences of the
former and they have less labor than the bonded
houses 10 does not cost penny more to receive or de-
ver iE General Orler store than IN anv store
the business was considered a valuable prize when
Let got It; io worth both sides of
Idward g. johnson testified: ION several occasions
rented parts Of The General Order business under Mr.
Smythe administrator N s6t5 offered to subscribe
so 200 year % tho Republican party they would give
the entire pitrOnage 0t the business. which since
then has, should say doubled offered Mr Leet 10000
the business probably worth $4,000 to-day; tho
cost OF cIrtage handling and storage IS no more IN the
months storage of the General order store year,
the that ne General order charges are 80 great
Is simply that 10 ha5 aiwdga, since Mr SulYhe came ln
been plum for which iarSe bonus has had TO be
ptd; every blt Of this mdtc- Of charge under the
direction Ot the Collector or The Port
THE PROFITS OF LEET & co.'s MONOPOLY.
Mr. Lindsay made a calculation showing
which wOu.I net the enormous OF S2jOO0O profile"
Special A-en- jayne ied that he thought the Gen
era Order business worth sl0)OOO per annum"
Deputy Collector Clark acAnOw yed that the General
order business was the most valuable perqUse in the
gIit o.. the Government COL Lec testcs that their
expenses from June ,5, 1870 % Dec 1874 were s93l .,
and their receipts 25 o6 81 the cc, ~ carriage being
s5i.39j I'D adttionl slowing psoht OF @i.V)O.' lie
that b. and Col stocking put together capital
$500" These h7ises s-o" an annual pront OF over
1900 per cent Oa tlc amJcnt OF Cap-al invested.
rtr- f-
LEFT CO.'S OPERATIONS.
3. T. Mudgett testified concerning the I'M
portunties made by Aannisra agents to the
General order plum for Leet stocking. Gen. Por
admitted tL,s witness that the President gayea
letter % NJ Let requesting Mr Grnne to give him
the General business" The witness. being
order business. boasted have man at Washing
] 20 Comfy s & 20 1 Is & a. roes % sai eans gr rnns mmt
GEN Porter came here and compelled hun 10. - Mr..
Icct armed with document from the President.
it from the President t0 man holding about
~ hold Office equal command. believe that this
Who npose j.por the President Col Leet admitted IN
hs testimony having received letter from Gen. Grant
% MIR Grnlru. ~ winch tue following sentence occurs
cLeeIiuly commend Aiin a. possessing ali tho quail
L. ; Grant"
TuEFT5 OF GENERAL ORDER GOODS-IMPOssI-
BILLTTY OF Obtaining REDRESS.
Pncus Pohalsliy, q cigar importer, testified
that le hal suffered many losses while hs goods have
been in the General Order store" and had failed to
obtain any redress a. The Sl'om-house because the
Collector Was never wiling 20 accord interview;
could get no satisfaction from any OF his deputies
M Hutton, importer, testified that many
losses had occurred" ana hat his irm lld been
unable 10 obtain any redress" and ne thought the
Government should have "i - own General Order
warehouse under Government mana cement entirely
Charles Belows, an importer of liquors. testified
"TWelty-ve casks OF very expensive brandles. imported
Ly Us, were hIcgod from the steamer Lafayette,
ABOUT wear and a half aIo they bad been ordered 10
the bonded warehouse bur lay on the wharf;
assured by the Cuslom-hOu5e officials that they would
watch c1Od., but Ae following morning five gallons
OF the brandy had been stolen, from experience.
know i Is customary 70 allow persons 70 steal goods
presence of the Olcels there Is doubt that the theft
Of goods while the wharf - effected by collision with
the Custom-IOuse authorities"
THE CARRIAGE 5wINDLE.
3. T. Midget swOre that Stocking sold
the cartage business = bureau gotten Up Tor that
purpose, and he was put at the head OF Il the
chants had pay 20 loan for carting their
goods" Edmund H. ssel testified % paying gratui-
tes to Inspectors to goods from beng away
General Order and said that hr found" this plan
more economical JEan sending goods % the General
order stores. and submitting the outrageous cartage
and other charges" Wm. Buchanan showed that goods
prec ptatey rushed INTO the General Order store
by the carmen thereby -uh citing merchants unncce5-
sary 70 General Order cXtOrtons which we are power
less 10 avert"