New-York tribune., 1874-03-14
'JAYNE'S BLACKMA1L.
mR pODGE's STATEMENT BEFORE THE
HOUSE COMMITTEE.

A
TFRRoRs uEID OUT ny TIE SPECIAL A"'N'
THE FIRM DoGGED RY sPIEs AND INfokNh"'
ONLY A MATTER OF S1.GOo IN AL
The great interest attaching TO the s'atoin'"''
before the House Committee on ways ana a'''''
Respecting the means employed by opec,h At'"'
JAYNE 10 wiring from the fears OF fheipS po"so "
% S27l 900 induces us to find room ior 'hc 'u'i''
address of Mr. Dodge on the on INST .,...,
Mr. Chairman IN coming neiofe 'nls No'
win my associates of the Chamher oI 'o.''..''
Ihad expected simply 10 pr sent nv views F" IV''."O
a. ar ,,onue In " and tho, administration had ho'
thought Of entering upon any specific case as our o""
has had sufficient publicity; was not my lnle"''" ~
trouble the Committee with any particular '"'emc" ]"
roference 10 t. But The very extraordinary course
,ton h the Government ofcial the lrst meeting ot
ths Committee and more particularly the manner IN
which he addressed Of them at the close OF 'he
seson showing cope, of what Ne called raudneh' anu
dupcate invoices, thus cude,voring to make an lp'c'
sion adverse 10 myself and my hrn' mas Pl"'ou u'r
pnder the necessity Of speaking iu my behalf reel
under obligation to the Committee for the opportunity
10 mako such statement. u regard to this matter as
think will satisfy them that great wrong mas peen
done 10 Us aud cannot better give the COMMITTEE
clear Insight into the whole management oi.'he lo'cuuo
detective laws as they now administered than Oy
the recital ~ our own 0rms connection with thein
JAMES USWuLINGNEss TO CORRECT Ms'IAlLNLNi'
AFFECTING THE FIRM.
.t,r S,r case had been hefOre the public for some
time aud we had paid or monoy, the press not uhue'
standing the matter. We believe was consahy COZ"
fnsing the O. 10000 with the s4'lcO paid anu 'nS
creating the impressi1u al over the country th'' o
sri oDO was the ampunt Ot thc duties whch tue uo''"
nient was entitled Go. and "t which II hau oeon u'-
f,,ude1 by alleged undrryaluatOas. simply salu 10
our attorney, who pcrsOnal irlehd ol '"S" =
Great injustice - being done To Us NV
through the press aud think through Tue In"'-
,oce of the Government officials. We have pald
eone abroad and we have lad means OF contra
dieting IL Officially. ~ IA refOre appears to me
that jayne mi sht Wtc Letter N which he couId st'e
simply that the suit for sl,9ooooO was pro Iorm"i
that the sl7lOcO paid was in compromise OF
seftlement aud was up, the amount OF the
dutIes due 10 the Govtrument; hut that SbCoS -
was the total amount uudcrvaluston, and Sl66i 6S
the total amount which Government was entltled 10
as duty" NJ, attorney said; "Mr. Jayne VIII 90 'ha''
am sure" then drafted the letter when jay ne fea"
here NV attorney took II 10 him. ana attef o'y oI
twoI asked him II he mad had Jaynes reply He said
NO. that Jayne very ugly and that ne
could no, ger anything satisfactory, and therefore
did not take anything. We have never seen the
,stter which Jayne said he had written TO me-
snd which had Suppressed. II may have been handed
to Mr. Wakcinan Of publishing these proceed
iugs We could pablsh letter winch we never had
Az soon a. heard OF a. here, Immediately teegraphed
10 my partner II such letter was in our pos
session because have kept all the papers In TINS case
distinct He teeVraphed in reply that he can ind
No letter from Mr.. Jayue dated the 26ih OF March,
sud that the ouy letter be nds Is the letter under date
Of March 81, published ia statement
gURrHIR ATTEMPTS To TNJrRE a REPUTATION OF ToRTr
YEARS STANDING.
IL !. not n very agreeable duty. Mr. Chairman and
gentlemen although feel 10 important one. TO stand
before you TO-DAY 90 defend good name and the
name " my firm But that IL is privilege, be-
cause you are thc representatives of the Govern
nent before whom we have never had opportunity
20 make statement other than our printed one IN
the statement that now submit | will endeavoT 10
chow as far a. possible. the workings OF this law by
giving an outline OF the particulars IN our own case, but
without entering into all the minutie.
At The present time, and without any agency what
ever upon our part there is an attempt being made TO
parade our before The public again. with the assur-
which made originally, that 1t Is one OF the
terrible that has occurred In the history
the American service and that the evidence
o fraud premedtatcd and continued for q series
years f. beyond all question We trace these state
ments directly 90 persons who have shared IN the
money cStorted from 10 has been intimated that
our case was before Congress- and to be more
thoroughly exposed there; that We are to be shown up
ns men who have deliberately undertaken TO defraud
the Government. All ;h5 Is done to strengthen the
desire to continue the same system which has placed
10 the pockets Of these people these large sums
THE RIGHTS OF HONORABLE AND UPRIGHT MERCHANTS
II JAMES DEN.
There are questions which will naturally arise IN the
und Of every man who ha- his attention called 10 the
consideration Of our case. The first is, how could
firm which has been pursuing business for 40
or 50 years. and which has heretofore sustained
repGltou for honest dealings, not only with Govern
mcnt but with individuals, aud which, in the course OF
more than forty year, transactions with the Customs,
has never until now had difficulty OF any kind and
who might supposed ~ least TO be beyond the desire
Of accommodating a few hundred dollars, all at once
descend to the and contemplate business OF de-
fraudng the revenue out of a comparatively
Insignificant The next question that comes up is about
the alleged duplicate ond fraudulent invoices which
have been so extensively paraded before the pub
lie Next, how is It possible, unless members
of the firm felt that they were guilty ana
were afraid TO 20 before the court, that they
could he induced to pay S2OOO to compromise the de-
and made them rather than contest the matter
tlaw. In regard to the irst will say thaiwe have
tnnorted during the existence of our frm, between
so 600 900 and $500 100000 worth OF goods. We have
maid 10 the United States Government more than
100000 In duties And may say, with perfect conf
dance that our good name, our integrity has never
been sssaled these years until 1t was attacked
nv the Government. Aud in what way was it assaiedi
We're there rights which honorable and upright mer-
chants mi ght claim the hands Of the Government,
having conducted their business for series Of years
honestly ana faithfully II error fraud, had
beeB suspected, private individuals would certainly
have taken some other method than that adopted 10
ascertain and bring II the notice of the hrm that they
might have opportunity for explanation AS the
Custom house was managed quarter OF century ago
that would have been the pursued There never
vasa Collector IN the OF In those days Who
under such circumstances would have sent for the
head OF the hrm and said "Sir, there are such and
snch charges here before take any steps In re.
lAuon TO them % before the proper ON
GERS and make such explanations enable them to