New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-22
WHAT rs THE CUSTOM HOUSE'

| WHAT rs THE CUSTOM HOUSE'
| Mr. Thomas Murphy has been examined at
great length about the affairs of the New-York
Custom house while that establishment had
the benefit of his personal supervision. 1t
was fair to presume that he could tell all that
reasonable committee might want to know
on such a subject, for the President HIM
self had pronounced him a most competent
and faithful Collector. Mr. Murphy was ac-
cordingly questioned about some OF the
ordinary details of CustOm-hOuse business,
and strange to say he was entirely ignorant
upon almost every point. He could not de-
"scribe in language" the process of liquidat-
| ing duties. He did not know what course IA
merchant would have to take to obtain re-
bate; if such case came before him he would
"send for Mr.. Clnch." He did not know the
duties of the Auditor; if he were asked he
would "send for Mr.. Clinch." He did not
know how the proceeds of seizures were dl-
vided; for all such information he would
have to "send for Mr. Clinch." He
did not know whether the Government
was entitled to collect the deficiency of
duties on goods condemned for uDdervalu-
alton he must "send for Mr.. Clinch." He
did not know what the law was respecting the
discharge and warchousing of cargoes; he did
not know whether the General Order system
was conducted legally; he did not know
whether importers were entitled to as hours
in which to get their permits and withdraw
goods from the Ship he did not know the
history of the warehousing law, and had only
a vague idea of what it provides, never having
read it for all these points, if they
had ever come before him, he would
have sent for Mr.. Clinch. And strange
| to say, we cannot discover from the
evidence that such matters ever did come
before him till they were brought up by this
committee. lie took bonds from the ware
house keepers, but does not know that he
| ever saw them. does not know the names OF
| the sureties does not know the amounts, does
| not know where the bonds were kept, does
not know who had charge of them, does not
| know whether the bOndsmen were ever prose-
cuted on account of the Miller defalcation
| which occurred during his term of office. lie
does not know, even approximately, what his
own share of mOieties was. He had only one
answer to all questions affecting his particular
official business" send for Mr.. Clinch." And
|
President wrote: ct gives me great pleasure
"to bear testimony to the efficiency, honesty,
and zeal with which you have administered
the Office so long as it has been intrusted to
"your keeping"
The Office of Collector of the Port must
then, according to the Presidents theory, have
had nothing to do with the collection of the
duties. What were the functions which Mr..
Murphy discharged with so much efficiency,
honesty. and zeal We must do him the JUS
tice to say that there were some things to
which he did give great deal of his atten-
ton. He knew all about the schism in the
Republican party in this city understood how
TO pack conventions and ward meetings, and
used the patronage of the CustOm-hOuse with
great holiness to secure the success OF the
local Murphy faction. When quarrel broke
ont in the New York Republican Committee
over the proper manner of authenticating re-
tnrns. he turned ont the Office-hOlders who
sided against him and put in men of
| his own way of thinking When Mr. Greeley
was nominated delegate to the last State
Convention he spent $500 in attempting TO
bride Mr. Greeley's own supporters to over
throw him, Boosting that he did this out OF
pure spite Asked, however whether it was
not true that this was to be effected by print
ing 1000 counterfeit tickets, he was troubled
with sudden lapse of memory: 81 have no
recollection of the details, left all those
60 with Mr. Bliss; my time was too important
and occupied too much to be given to such
"little detailed matters as that" What else Mr.
Murphy did, beside organizing, the Custom
house party as disciplined brigade certain
TO vote in committee and convention exactly
according to orders, we cannot say, unless VI
are TO consider his real estate speculatlOns
with Tweed, Sweeny, Connolly and Henry
Smith, the purpose of which, as he says, was
TO convince those gentlemen that he had III
personal objection to any of them. 1t is a Gu
rious fact that after they had been convinced
of Mr.. Murphy's friendly feelings the Tam
many Tax Commission was created with Mr.
Murphy's double, Gen. Arthur, as counsel, a
n salary of $4,000 u year. 1t Is still more
curious fact that Mr.. Murphy was membe
of the Tammany Commission for widening
Broadway, and of the Tammany Board OF Ed
ucation. Having saved the country, however
by voting right in the General Committee Oh
the great question whether the secretaries o
local committees should sign the returns. l
docs not seem to have occurred to him TIA