Litchfield enquirer., 1872-06-13
TIE NEW YORK CUSTOM .ouer.


 The majority of the Senate Committee on the New York Custom House have re- ported. Their statements of fact seem to us unduly favorable to the Custom House officials, and their conclusions from facts admitted also seem to us plainly un- tenable. When they say that 'sCol. Leet and Mr. Stocking must stand acquitted of all blame for seeking that trust [the gen eral order business] as well as for accept ing it when assigned to them" They overlook the fact that Leete forced. his appointment from Collector Grinnell by means of letter from President Grant. When they undertake to sustain the con- duct of the general order business by Leete and Stocking, they ignore the tes- timony of all the merchants dealing with them as to their heavy exactions. When the committee admit that Custom House officers are in the habit of taking stgifts' from merchants s'for services rendered in addition to the services required by law, 1" and then observe that th1s sspractiee would not be condemned by good morals if it were not condemned by law," we must say that we cannot conceive of any plainer violation of good. morals than such practice. When, too, the commit tee iken the custom of laying assessments on government officials to the custom of asking contributions of the members of 8 church, they seem blind to the vast differ ence between voluntary gift and and a compulsory exaction. But the most re- markable statement we notice in this re- markable document is that MT Murphy, In 1871, endeayored to discourage the at tendance of custom house officers at the State convention! e
 We cannot in candor characterize this as anything short of whitewashing re- port, and we especially regret to see the name of Gov. Buckingham subscribed to it.
 The platform of the Republican party, to be found on our first page, consists rather in simple statement of the old party principles than in the enunciation of anything new The statement of what the Republican party has accomplished embodies the most glorious record any party in American politics since the Revo- lution can fairly lay claim to. The Civil Service Reform resolution is outspoken, and more acceptable, we fear, to the Pres ident than to Congress. The tariff reso- lution is considered favorable to Protec- tion, although susceptible of almost any construction. The enlargement of wo- mans sphere is looked upon with favor, and her demand for the ballot is ''treated with respectful consideration. This is all woman suffragists can reasonably ex- pect, just now, of the Republican party. It is evidently looking in the right direc- tion, although not yet in motion for uni- Uersat suffrage. The resolutions against further railroad land grants, against Ku Klux violence, in favor of amnesty, and the other details of Republican policy are carefully drawn, but, as we before re- marked, contain no new principle. We regret that the Carpet Bagger did not come in for unfavorable notice with the Ku Klux. His thieving has done more Co overthrow Southern Repubicanism than Ku Klux terrorism.
 The persistent member from East Hart ford continues his fight against the rail- road corporations without being in the least disheartened by defeat. The refusal of the legislative caucus to renominate MT. Gallup as railroad commissioner, and the passage by the Senate of a resolution call ing for some explanation of the conduct of the commissioners in not compelling railroads to report according to law, indi- cate the feeling of the Legislature very plainly. With a little more tact Mir. Goodwin would make it very hot for rail monopolies in New Haven this year.
 The Winsted Herald and other papers have been, naturally enough, deceived by the Decoration Day address attributed to the Hon. C.. B. Andrews by the Sentinel. The whole thing is Sentinel joke. MT. Andrews was not even present on the oc- casion in question, and the address (not the one reported was in fact delivered by the Rev. Mr. Elliott. The profuse poet ical quotations in the Sentinel address are accounted for by the fact that the Vol colt Library in the Brick Building con- tains full set of the British Poets.
 The LONDON QUARTERLY REVIEW, for April, contains: The State of English Architecture; Thomas Carlyle; Trade with China; Masson's Life of Milton; Modern Scepticism-The Duke of Som- erset; The British Parliament, its History and Eloquence; Diaries of Diplomatist; Education, Secularism, and Nonconform- ity; Concession to the United States.
 Leonard Scott Pub. Co.,, 14O Fulton SC., New 4Ofk.
 The propriety of the Senate action in tacking the Enforcement bill to an appro- priatlon bill in the face of the rule of the Senate which is given in full in another column seems to as more than doubtful. If an amendment adding the Enforcement bill was in order why was not the Civil Rights amendment in order also?
 On our fourth page will be found iu- dicious article from the Danbury News, advising Danbury merchants to make an effort to procure the Shepaug Valley trade upon the opening of the Bethel branch. If the merchants of Danbury are half as enterprising as it's newspaper, they will not let such chance slip. | Tho imnortanf statement was made h1