New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-06

,rv business experience /: he seems indeed 70
have Ind no title TO the place he asked Tor,
cxccpt The possession of that letter from tho
Prcsident Mr.. Grinnel hesitatcd. There was
n great deal OF running back and forth be-
tween Washington and New-York. Leet be-
Cnn 10 threaten b" He told me repeatedly"
says Mr.. Lindsay. " Chat if he could not get
" what he wanted from Mr. Grinnell we should
"haye another Collector here. and he could get
all no wanted"
Mr. Grinncll at last gave Lect part of tho
General Order businessmen the whole OF 1t,
but a large share. The Colonel knew nothing
about the mana cement of his prize, so he took
an experienced partner. Mr.. Bixby. The writ
ten agreement, which was produced yesterday
stimulated that Bixby should furnish ware
house-room as an equivalent" for Lcets " in
!" huence," pay Leet S5,625 per annum, and d.
vide equally all receipts in excess of SlOOOO.
This settled Col Lcet went back to the War
Department, his name being carefully con-
cealed in all public mention of the General
Order business, because he was an officer OF
the army and friend of the Presidents, and
it did not look well for him to draw pay from
the War Department and from New-forh
warehouse at the same time. The plumber was
sent TO him by mail. We don't know how much
it came TO- but the law was Systematically
violated in respect to charges; the rates were
Just what tho propretors Of the store chose to
make chem and Col. Leet had $5,O2j certain,
payable in advance, by monthly installments.
In addition to this he had $4,000 a year from
his position in the War Department; and i'll
attempting to find out how he secured his in
fuence, the Committee discovered that ut this
timo he was sharing bachelors quarters
with Cons Dabcocll and Porter and that,
strange to say, his income was not enough to
Day his share of the mess" Col Leet seems
now to have rcsOrted to threats again. lie
must have the whole of the General Order
business, worth about 100000 year, and the
labor contract with it, and if he did not get
what he wanted The Collector should be re-
moved
Well. we know the result. Mr.. Grinnell
was removed. Lect and his friend Stocking
got The whole North River business Chat on
the east side of the city being insiSnliicanD;
and the Government revenues suffered, while
the merchants were taxed and oppressed. So
much the Committee has brought to light,
though Senator Howe, who takes the lead Ill
the investigation. acts like counsel for the
Custom house Ring rather than an unbiased
searcher after truth and Dir. Leet sits at his
ear in the examination room and suggests the
line of questions TO be followed. SO much
has been disclosed that the people Will be dis
satisfied unless they are told more. We have
not got to The bottom of this business yet,
and we respectfully urge the Committee, for
the sake of the unjustly suspected as we'll as
l1,.,r
find out the truth.
Tho other testimony yesterday will be
found full of interest. Mr.. Charlton L. Lewis,
Managing Editor OF The EpcaiHg Post, was
able to make some suggestive statements of his
own knowledge. and to indicate to the Committee
witnesses who could probably furnish very
many more From the nature of things this
last il the only sort Of evidence that could be
expected from a responsible Editor: and
An earnest Committee may be able
TO mako it Of the utmost value
Mr.. Eastman Of Poughkeepsie undertook to
lmpugn Mr. Grcelcy's testimony as to the cur
rent reports that he (Eastman) had been con-
tro!ied. IN voting for Smith for Speaker at
Albany, by his COngTessman'5 desire to re-
tain Custom house influence but he made
sorry mess of it, and evidently would have
been very glad to be well out of the case be-
fore he had fairly got into it. No man could
watch his painful efforts to wre5tle with the
facts and keep the remOrseless minor
ity Committeeman from dragging them
out, without the conviction that the
averment he wanted to contradict was sub
stantaIly correct. Anybody who now doubts
that Mr.. Eastman went over to the Conkling
side under Custom-hOuse pressure must be as
verdant as Eastman himself was when he
aaknd for the chance 10 testify.