New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-27
WASHINGTON.
THE sANRORN JOBBERY.


,sPEAcuING RICHARDSON, SAWYER AND BAN
p,vrn-.pprTIoNaL DOCUMENTS FURNISHED BY
THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT.
lRY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
1u,surxcToN. March @-The Ways and Means
Committee were in session nearly six hours to-day,
having still under investigation the subject OF the
;nta,nons Sanborn contracts The whole eXamina-
ton to-day was but an aggregation oil previous
testimony, and went TO show, what is already SO
well known, the following facts:
Hsf That Secretary Richardson, notwithstanding
swver and Solicitor Banheld have aided IN an unlawful
and disgraoeful manner the notorious sanborn IN the
lscton OF taxes at n cost OF 80 per cent which might
hve been collected by the Internal Revenue Bureau,
without cost
S,oond . That pei sons having connection with the
coVernmept hut employed by sanborn, have been fur
nsbed with commissions to enable them TO deceive the
prvate citizen and entrap him into the disclosure OF
vote books in order 10 enable SanbOrn TO make his
percentage.
Tzfr3: That officers OF the Government, regularly
,pooed and confirmed by the Senate under bouds Tor
me faithful performance OF their duties, have been
made by orders three officers named subordinate
not only 10 sanborn but 20 his clerks and employees
Fourth That sanborn has collected taxes that hau
been regularly assessed and that were matters Of record
In the internal revenue offices, and received his percent
are on them and further that he has been PAID per
eenage on taxes which he did not collect, and when
neither he his employees had any part IN coecuug'
F.dh. That the three officers named have either VIII
hIy or with inexcusabe negligence and incompetehcy
withheld from Congress papers which had caeu lor
four distinct times; that they have, in aiding Sanoorn
disrecarlel the counsel advice and protest of officers
of The Departments; that they have broken ruies'
avoided established customs, and committed Unlawful
nets in order to furnish facilities to san0orn TO make
money.
The record in this affair is so startling that there
IS asonrNn opll inn
Richardson Sawyer, and Banfed, and half the facts
have not yet been made public. Such disgaceful
proceedings were never disclosed, and the feeling of
the Committee, without exception, is one of shame
and Indignation. Not a member pretends to see any
excuse or palatOn in the matter and every day adds
10 the establishment and disgust with which the
proceedings of high officers are viewed. What may
vet be LETT to disclose can scarcely be imagined, but
the Committee are by no means through with the
examination. Secretary Richardson will be called
and permitted to explain his acts, and Assistant
Secretary Sawyer will be gwen an opportunity to
maintain his fair fame
Three witnesses were examined to-day-CollectOr
Simmons Of Boston, and two of SanboTns assistants
named presbrey and Green. SanbOrn was not pres
ent Simmons, who was formerly Supervisor OF
Internal Revenue for the District of New-England,
was very sepOssessed and told lis story with great
fraakncss The purport of it was that when he was,
as Supervisor, first informed of the sanbom
contracts by Sanborn himself, who presented letter
from the Secretary of the Treasury asking Simmonss
assistance the latter was greatly astonshed, as he
had never heard Of such a claim, and its charac-
ter was surprising. He was Informed that
Special Detective tHOTton, who had been
ordered to report to him. was required to
assist Sanborn in working up undor his
contracts. Simmons did not read the law in that
wav and doubted the correctness of Sanborn's
statement but SanbOrn told Simmons that Assistant
Secretary Richardson was in town Bostonl and he
mi yht 20 and ask him. So Simmons sought an in
teryiew with Richardson, and Sanborn's state
meut was confirmed, the Secretary giving
verbal instructions. These did not sat
isfy Simmons who seems never to have
had a very good feeling toward Sanborn for inter
ferng in internal revenue affairs, and he subse-
quently obtained written instructions of similar i'm
port to the verbal ones, and Horizons services were
turned over TO Sanbom, Notwithstanding
the law saws that the contractor shall
assist the proper officers Of the Government to col
lect the tax Simmons thought that it was regarded
that the Secretary was the proper officer referred
to. and that Sanborn and the Others including the
officers, were assisting the Secretary in assisting
SanbOrn.
Simmons did not know what to say about Sanborn
be was such strange man. He was the sharpest
railroad operator in New-England. He was a
very singular fellow. He was known as
"the mysterious man of ew-England."
Before he became contractor he sort
Of managed things" was largely interested In
railroads and knew how to do things. He knew
every legislator in NewEngland, and was " sort of
member of the third House." When asked what he
meant by that expression Mr.. Simmons said, twist
ing his hands significantly, lie sort Of manages,
you know"
Simmons said, in answer to Mr. Beck, that he now
sees that he did not do all lie might have done
toward collecting taxes, but he did not see it then
The effect Of some portion of his testimony
was to confirm the impression that the Treas
ury Department and Sanborn worked with
some method to keep information as to their
transactions from the Internal Revenue Bureau.
He said that in the Sanborn contracts. and matters
connected with them, he always went to Richard
Son, and not to the Commissioner of Internal Rev
epue and he said that once when he referred to the
matter in conversation with Richardson the latter
was very petulaDt, and gave him TO under
stand that he had better mind his own
business and obey his superior officers. This SEN
tepce. however Mr.. Simmons subsequently, with
drew, and asked the reporter TO omit it. % was "
said he, ordered to help Sanborn, and obeyed"
The cases had reference 10 railroads, and the
amount collected through Simmons was about
$4,000.
Frank NJ. Green, one Of Sanborn's employees. was
next examined. He admitted that while he was
with Sanborn he was not in any manner connected
with the Government was not responsible 10 any
officer of the Government did not have to report to
any officer: and had, in fact, no sort Of
connection with and drew no pay from the Govern
ment. Yet be showed a large parchment paper
commission. handsomely engraved from steel plate,