The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-06-04

The system of spies and informers
has been distasteful to the people ol
all countries and In all ages. They
have always been especially distaste-
full to the people of this country, and
at the present time they are so OBJ
noxious as to arouse the just
Indignation of the mercantile
Interests of the country tosuch q
extent as to cause them TO
send here Representatives from their
various organizations demanding the
unconditional repeal of all laws au-
thoriZing the appointment Of such Of
fieials. The record OF the outrages
that have been committed by these
creatures of the law are perfectly as
founding, the revelation of which has
been 80 startling as to convince the
Ways and Means Committee, before
whom they were made, that all this
class Of laws should be promptly
modified or repealed.
The Forty-second Congress, re-
spending to the wishes Of the people,
did, as they supposed, repeal this sys-
tenn so far as the Internal Revenue
Department was concerned, and the
House did by an overwhelming
vote, on the motion OF
the gentleman from Pennsylya-
mia, Judge Mercur, now the hon.
ored Judge of that State, pass
a resolution sweeping the whole sys-
tenn of spies and informers from
the statute books. Such laws, In
my opinion, cannot be justified;
but the attempt has been made on
this floor to justify them, on the
ground that spies and informers make
merchandise OF their information, and
that public morals are so low as to
justify the purchase.
The Forty-second Congress sup
posed they had repealed the laws au-
thoriZing the purchase Of the mer-
chandise Of spies and informers; but,
through the practice Of permitting
legislation of general nature to be
included in appropriation bills, the
law which we nov propose to repeal
was inserted by the Senate as an
amendment to the legislative, execu-
tive and judicial appropriation bill of
1872, and it was the subject Of two
conferences. So obnoxious to the
House was this Senate amendment
that it came within ten votes on the
yeas and nays of defeating the whole
bill. The chairman of the Commit
tee on Appropriations, as well as the
gentleman from Indiana, now q
member Of the Committee on Ways
and Means, both members of the Con-
ference Com mittee on the part of the
House, yielded to the demands of the
Senate conferees solely for the pur-
pose of saving the bill, but not until
they had 80 amended the proposition
as to relieve it, as they thought, of its
Objectionable features.
The net result, then, of the legisla-
tion of the Forty-second Congress on
this subject was the repeal of the law
making merchandise OF the informa-
tion of spies and informers substitu-
ting in lieu thereof monopoly Of the
business in three persons, of whom
John ID. Sanborn has become the
chief, and so valuable have these
wares been to him, that for them
have been paid over $4,000.
The following is the provision of
law passed by the Forty-second Con-
gress; placing the monopoly of the in
formers business in the hands of
three persons:
And from and after the passage of this act
the Secretary Of the Treasury shall have
power to employ not more than three per-
eminent in discovering and collecting any
money belonging to the United states,
whenever the same shall be withheld by
and Conditions as he shall deem best for the
interests of the United States; but no COM
pensation shall be paid 70 such persons ex-
cept out Of the money and property 50 Sc
der the provisions OF this clause who shall
not have fully set forth in written state
ment, under oath, addressed TO the Secreta-
ry Of the Treasury, the character OF the
claim out of which he proposes to recover
or assist in recovering moneys for the Uni
ted States, the laws by the violation OF
which the same have been withheld, and
the name Of the person, firm or corporation
having thus withheld such moneys; and If
any person SO employed shall receive, or at
sideration from any person, firm or corpo-
ration alleged thus 70 have withheld mon
ey nom the United States, exceptin pursu-
ton thereto with the Secretary of the Treas
ury, such person shall be deemed guilty of q
misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof,
discretion OF any court of the United States
ployed shall be required to make report of
his proceedings under such contract at any
time when required to do so by the Secreta-
~ of the Treasury.
Under this provision of law, con.
tracts were made, the first of which
bears date the 8th of June, 1872, and
was made with William H. Kelsey,
late member of Congress from New
York, who appears to have been ac-
lively engaged in securing the pas
sage Of this law.
Kelsey's contract embraced a num-
Der of passenger railways In the city
of Philadelphia. He made but little
progress, and on the Sd of August,
1872, requested that his contract be
revoked, and that Malcolm Camp
bell should succeed him. Accordingly
or the 9th of August, 1872, said
Campbell obtained q contract, which
was Virtually transfer from Kelsey;
and Campbell, making but little pro-
gress, surrendered his contract on the
23d of November following, when ].
Nicholson Elbert succeeded him, OBJ
taining contract on the 25th Of the
same month; Kelsey retaining an in
terest through the several SUGGESTIONS.
Under date of July %, 1872, John
Clark, of Philadelphia, made spplica-
ton for, and on the 1st OF September
obtained, a contract out of which
some 5000 have been collected.
1t appears by the correspondence
submitted by the Secretary of the
Treasury that grave charges were
made by gentlemen in Philadelphia
against Clark. Soimpressed was So
licItor Banfield with the gravity and
trdthfulness of these charges, that he
suggested to his superiors that Clark's
contract ought to be annulled, but it
was never done.
It also appears that the collections
made under the foregoing contracts
amount in the aggregate to about
five thousand dollars, and the two
lsst-nsmed contracts are yet In force.
The foregoing covers all the contracts
made under the law of May Sth, 1872,
except that of John d. Sanborn.
John ID. Sanborn, resident of Mas
sachusetts, who is represented as hav-
ing been personally we'll acquainted
with Secretaries Boutwell, and Rich
ardson, who is also represented in the
testimony of Collector Simmons, of
Boston, as being q general lobbyist"
in the Legislatures of Northern New
England; and that he ''fixes thingsn
in these legislatures for the railroads
and great corporations OF Maine, New
Hamshire and Massachusetts,; and
who is further represented by the
same authority as the "mysterious
man of Massachusetts,, on the 18th
of July, 1872, applied for, and ON the
18th of August following obtained, q
contract which is signed by w. A.
Richardson, Acting Secretary of the
Treasury, for collection of taxes lille
ally withheld by thirty.nine dlstill-
ers, rectifiers and purchasers Of whiss
ky in the City of New York.
At this time Sanborn was in the
employment of the Government as q
special agent Of the Treasury Depart
ment, his service as such agent COM
mencing in the year 1869 and ending
May 81, 1873. EGH
The very cases put into this first
contract were worked up by one War
wick Martin, who was employed by
SanbOrn in his capacity of special
agent of the Treasury Department,
Martin being paid for his services by
Sanborn, who took for such payments
vouchers which were allowed to San
horn GO q mart Of hfo axDanoa aoaauuf