Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-06-19
The Military Ring and the
Ny. Custom House.


The views Of Senator BAyArd aud Casser.
~ constituting a minority Of the committee
appointed TO investigate abuses in the New
York Custom House, are set forth at length
in q paper submitted by them to the Senate,
which comprises about 80 pages Of manu-
script, besides large amount Of printed
testimony incorporated Herewith. They
state thai any incomploteuess which may be
found n their review Of the extended inVes'
tigAtiou and Of the 1900 printed pages oil
testimony relating to varied and important
Obj sc,s, may be accounted for By the cir
eumstsuees attending the submission OF the
report 10 the majority, which they allege
was, to their surprise, prepared and pre-
sented without consultation with the minori-
~, who therefore, bad no reasonable oppor-
tunity 70 examine and silt the report, but
only 70 obtain a summary view OF its con
illusions, from which they arc, 10 the main.
compelled entirely to dissent The minority
Sdduce the testimony Of great numbers Of
she leading merchants Of New York, the
de2OsitiouS Of various importers, the state
msuts OF Lsel h Stocking themselves, and
find that the statements Of All these parties
prove that the excessive extortions under
the generaLorder business after il had be
come q monopoly in she hands Of LssI 4
Stocking, we're intensified so that there
could be no doubt whAtever from the proof
submitted that the system a. conducted by
by Leet & Stocking, under the privilege OF
Collector Murphy, wRs . monsrous abuse
and a scAndSlous system Of robbery. They
then examine into what mysterious infu-
encss enabled these two unknown adventur-
ers, totally unacquAiuted with New Y ork or
iss citizens, TO come forward aud obtain the
most valuable perquisi.e in the gift Of the
government aud against the protest of the
merohAutlls community, the suggestions and
advice Of the Secretary of the Treasury,
could YET maintain il during the whole Of
Mr.. Murphys administration. They cite
LeetS own deposition TO show that he had
talked with General Grant in regard to this
gsnerAl-ordsr business two months before
TIE Inauguration he (4eet) being then al
officer in the army, detailed for duty a. the
" ~ DuRAAhAtuLt AuN NAkhEtA III uhhluA
up the military record Of General Grant.
Leet Porter, and Babcock we're mess mates
living in the same house .. government sT
pepse. His affairs, OF course, were well
known 10 them. They kney that be con.
tsmpGled going into the warehouse business
10 New York after the inauguration Of Gen
erAl GRAM. He gave 80 LeeI letter in the
strongest terms addressed 10 Mr.. Grinuell.
e. al 81
Grants secrets that be knew Mr.. Grinnell
was 10 be Collector, and FIRST informed him
of il 10 New York. After Mr. Grinuel' s
instAlment in Office, Leet again presented
himself and demanded the business for
which bo said the letter should be consid.
cred an order Mr.. Griuuell offered him
$4,000 per Anuum if BIO would 20 back to
his place in the army and not interfere with
New York politics, Lsei declined He
then made bis arrangements with BiXby, oh.
tAiEing $4,000 year IN exchange for the
influence contained in General Grants let
ter to Mr.. Grinneil, bat he soon implanted
10 his friend Lindsay and others that this
sum, together with bis pay as an officer in
the army, was insufficient for his share 10
the meas, and consequently he Sc, TO work
TO obtain tho whole OF the gsneralorder
AAaAAHah lNbu MF bEluutlls A MS MI NFlu
nell, II seems, was unwilling to accord to
him, and only gave him part He threat
eued Mr. Griunell with removal if his
wishes were not complied with, and Mr.
Grinnell not complying, in the month Of
July, 1870, was removed and Mr.. Murphy
appointed 10 his place. During ell this
period say the minority, Mr.. Lee, AYERS
that neither Generals Grant, Porter,
n.L L.
his connection with the Generator
der business, which is the more
remarkable from the fact that he had dis
oussed he matter with General Grant before
he obtained il, and then only obtained il
through General Grants personal influence
Within few weeks after Mr.. Murphy re-
osived his commission, Leet, together with
Stocking, with whom in some unacountsble
way be became associated, had the whole
generAl.ordsr business on the North River
side Of New York given to them. II was
the first time 10 the history Of the business
that 1t bad been made . monopoly Of, bot
had always Heretofore been divided among
many parties. From this time forward the
charges for gsneFAl-order goods rested solely
10 their discretion. No one else could com
pete with them. All the goods that we're
discharged under general order had to come
20 their two stores no matter at what dis
tanoe was the steamer from which they we're
discharged la vain the merchants protest.
cd to Collector Murphy. 10 vain the Sec
rotary Of the Treasury backed their april.
cation. Mr. Murphy turned q deaf ear and
sustained Lset a Stocking in their syste-
matte sEtort!ons, which continued vishou.
intsrmHsion or diminution until the commit.
tee sat In New York. The minority cont inue:
Supposing Lssl's story to be correct, and
that he kept secret from General Grant and
his messmAtea in Washington his oonnsc.
tion with the gensral-order business, which
was In the meantime well known 10 many
persons who were comparative strangers,
and Of which no secret was sought TO be
made Whatever in New York, yet the de.
yelopmsnts made by the Patterson commit
tee In 1871, by the testimony then published,
aud which led to considerable discussion in
Congress, fully informed the President OF
Lset's relation TO the general ord or business
aud no ono knew better than he how Leet
obtained IL, for he had given him the only
letter which had produced the result. Il Is
proved that Mr.. A. I. Stewart on more than
one occasion informed General Grant of the
abuses prAotised by Lset and Stocking, and
begged him to reform il, but no attention
was paid whatever. Therefore, il is proven
oonolusively that at least for more than a
year prior to tbs late investigation the Pres
idsnt and his secretaries were fully aware Of
Leets connection with the business. No
one can deny that one word from the PreSi-
dent would have caused the withdrawal of
lhe geusral-order privileges from the stores
o. Lee' q Stocking. One intimation from
nun 70 the Secretary of the Treasury or to
the Collector would have baan on;,s Sufi-
o,en, 70 accomplish this, but he did not
ohsok the abuses and therefore be .n,,.;nsa
aas@, and the mystery being solved, the fact
the President Is responsible for tho abT.H.a g
the general order system in New YorE
The minority hold that the ,estimonv =,
inspectors, vsighsrs, laborsrI &C., full
tablishes the fact that grAtuites and Ia. q.
extra services are regularly paid In tha.a
departments. The steamship oomDSD;s.
aud their agents are compelled to paw a TsT'