New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-06
OUSTOM-HOUSE ABUSES.
: \ That might have occurred and l not have

Gid take place in the room Wins his Sneson about tho
General Order business A. ne, 10 Won ON the same
Was hcrc anything therefore in the SGnye nSi
tSt MAS S Mr. Stewart made his complaint Of the ~
Mhen Of the General order business, what reasons
Sere a. zen 10y the President for retaining themi A.
heard n reasons given; none az all 4,
that do not recOlect anything at all; the President
bong for but short time at the Firth Avenue HoIe
been other present at tho tille
@ Were others present that time A. do not
know at that ume but that might account Tor my not
q Did Won state that YOU rcCollccred accompanying
MT stewart from the room ana o9n'hnns te GonSe t
ton with him on this subject hau COM ersalon
with him the subject but cannot recolect whether
before or immediately after tins conversation with inc
Q. Pardon me for one moment IL I go back You were
had with Mr. Grinnen prior to his RECEIVING ms conu
zion Is Collector OF The Tort OF ON ne S0S
he commissioned Collector Of the Port OF New nv
A Yes did dine here in Washington with him after nc
Collector Of the Port while he was Collector OF .e
Port at this dinner think II was that Senator "4i'o
O. Do you remember the General order business being
at that time a. Mo- 40 no! Nj, Leet or Mt
Catherwood on any those oocasOnsf A No. camno'
stoDpnS At WIZARDS Hotel met him, ard it may have
been at such a dinner; would not say IL was No''
sANro DOMINGO.
O Yon were speaking Of Mr. Lindsay; do you renem'
her having through Mr. Ieet and with Mr.. Lindsay, any
pronosed interest in specuatOns connected with the ac
ouiston of the Island OF santO Domingo A Never
never had any conversation with either OF theh' 'naV
reS'Tr T ." AM aware of the conversation between Leet
and Lindsay touching the Island OF nanto pomhSo' n
% Viii explanaton would you eivel Were you
aware Of these speculatlons going on al ta' 'lo' ~
O. You had no knowledge oft3 A had no knowledge
at any specuations in regard 10 eanto poinIso, tC
not rccOect the words Of che letter IN WHICH 3D." "a"
O. And asking attention to tho selling of the steamer
TVbceq 4. / remember that. - 49,.
o. had YOU any knowledge that Mr.. Leet was, cor
81, ind resi- a.
ncdnisitio1 OF sauto bomugoi A. Not the slightest
bTUtauiadre Of any such thing.
o. Bi Won Know 5lr HoTand Of New-Yorki A. In
~ A mercbant in New-Yorll he was referred TO by
1T ~ one o Ils letters as one Of the capitalists ia one
oi these operations had you any knowledge OF III a
% Hlwiaud 4 Lylei 4. There wasa Lyle, think, The
partner of Lindsay. IN New-Y9rki tlinE III ile dt,
q Yuu had no knowledge WhatCVcroi any cUrleSplhtt
ente between Lindsay and Lee the parties IN Nc"Aotk
sDecnlations upon hiatt A. None whatever; saw 1t
for the first time in the published toStmony ,
q You had No knowledge Of what he referred 10 ~
Nome whatever.
WHY MURPHY WAS WARNED.
@ understood you to that there had been an OK
preston Of objection BY the Pre- sdent OF the Chteu
States to Mr. Leet any who had been connected
personally with him having anything 70 do with the
house in NewYork, and for that reason when, in
IsO the labor contract discussed he objected TO Mr.
Ieets having iti A. Yes, or; objected TO appointing
@. 1t WIS not an appointment, Dnt question Of CON
Sn1 been around him to position IN the Cusomhouse,
no matter what his qualifications were. ,
O. That letter written in consequence OF Leet and
william Haw having put IN 9d Tor the labor foh'tSct
of the public stores ~ New A. 90 not {ahS 1nt
him
house in New-YOrk in 1904 a Yes, Sir.
O. When 1t discovered in 1870, two months after
that tme that Mr. Leet had obtained the General Order
business was any letter then requested by the President
70 he written 10y youf A. This letter l have read N
closing that newspaper article to Collector Murphy. IN
cluded Leet for As name was mentioned In the news
ain speaking Of the fact that March 1870. when
the labor contract being bid for by Leet the PIe
and the cause Of writing The letter was the Presiden
should have anything to do with the New-York Custom.
onse; now ask you when two months after that time
portion Of the General Order business In the follow
Ing Fall from Mr. Murphy Mr.. Leet had obtained tho
described a. the most valuable perqniste OF tho Port
Of NewYOrR by ,. one ss Of the Deputy SgSGF
A. The words that were used in this letter snow the
under Tie idea that this was an appointment {rom tn,
was given to the lowest bidder and removed his objection
IN that case, and he did make an objection after COL
this letter Collector Murphy in October OF that Fan
and this newspaper article with Let's name having
Of the President and he was named III thar letter.
How long were you @an r WIN me- 4I
erwood; never had any intimacy whatever Win him
met him as have met thousands OF other people IN
9. How many years acquaintance have yOn had with
him A. do not recOllecj had heard Of him within
The last two years he several times in Washing
and called at the Executive Mansions think first
BY Mr. Pratt q At the time that Col. Leet showed you
the letter Of the President coming right from the Pcs
dents room, dd you know what was The meaning Of TINS
General Order businessi a have stated the impress
zion that II warehouse business; did not know
the details of it.
O. was it your idea that he going 70 New York to
engage the business, Of opening and keeping ware
house general private warehouse aud that his desire
10 Obain SO far as he could Government favors
A CusOm-hOuse patronage
q Doyou know what the Presidents knowledge upon
that subject at that tme refer now TO the Gene
Order Dusnessl a. do not; had very few con
yeIhatOns with the President the subject / had
conversation with him at that time the subject
u Did you TO be understood in your answer that
yoi gave TO Mr. Bay8rd, that Gen Grants purpose in
writing letter was Customhouse favors
Lett A. regarded II as general letterO Introduction
q was that letter before Mr. GrinneDs appointment
A. That was before.
A DEFECTIVE MEMORY.
q You have spoken OF Oh interview between Mr.. A I.
Stewart the President at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
during the Summer of do you remember whether
Ar Stewart bis conversation with you, complained
that tho General Order charges too high that
business ought to distributed that il ought
returned TO the steamship companies on the west side Of
the river, the Cunard, the Bremen and the Hamburg
lines that The nature OF his complaint A. can
recoect exactly what he specified it was general
complaint regard 10 the system il regard to the man
Ier which the business was conducted; did not un-
dersand the manner IN which the individuals in charge
were conducting II.
against Leet aud Stocking that they did not perform
their business properly ~ did not have sufficient
rOnmodatiOnsf A. do not recOllect any complaint
against them except that the charges were too high
O Did you hear what he said 10 the President
unOu the President the same complaints that he did
upOD yOui A. / cannot recOllect, stated, whether
oyorheard the conversation with the President, or
whether my impressions OF IL were derived from the
yersations Mr.. stewart had with me about the same
time.
u.rilculary strong phrase To the business
outrage words to that effecti A. cannot think of
O Can You recollect any words equivalent to that A.