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


born, OF Boston, in the examination of such
cases of alleged violations OF the internal
revenue laws as he may ask for your coop
Grafton.
Mr.. Sanborn is acting under an appoint
ment from the Treasury Department., and
may need some aid and information from
your district for the purpose OF fverifying:his
claims.
Please render him such assistance as he re-
Very respectfully ,,.ou
Nm. A, RICHARDSON,
Secretary Of The Tredslrg.
Supervisors Hawley and Simmons
both testified that they regarded these
orders as requiring them 10 assist San
born at all times and to the utmost OF
their ability. True, Supervisor HRw-
ley seemed to have some doubts as to
! tie meaning of these orders, but II at
any time his official conscience troub-
led him, it was quieted and the propri-
ety of this new order of collecting tax
es made plain to HIM by the version
of the matter given by Supervisor
Simmons. Supervisors Hawley and
Simmons placed at the disposal oi
SanbOrn the officers under theiI
coutrol in the pay of the Internal Re-
venue Bureau, VINO did collect while
in such employ and under such pay
q very large percentage Of the tOtal
amount credited as collected by San
born, and of which he received one
half the gross sum collected.
The fact is, the $500, 1000 or more
collected in New York and New Eng
land was mainly collected by the
agency of George Bliss, United States
district attorns y ia New York and
Supervisor Hawley and Simmons
and to my mind it is impossible that
any large expense could have been
incurred. Ifmoney was expended tC
any considerable extent, it must have
! been paid to secret partners or inter
nal revenue officers, or both, and in
my opinion money has been expend'
ed for both Of these purposes.
To further aid SanbOrn, his agents
who operated in the West were fnrn-
ished with special letters to the snp-
ervisors and collectors Of internal
revenue, directing them to aid thess
agents in any way they might re-
quire, and this too, as admitted by
| Assistant Secretary Sawyer, without
the least authority of law. And u
still further arm them with power
these agents OF Sanborn were furnish
ed with secretiservice detective com
missions by the Solicitor of the Treas
ury. These agents, represented them
selves to the internal-revenue officer
and the railroad companies from
whom they proposed to collect take
as special agents OF the Treasury
l Department, in some instances say
ing they were sent out by the Com
missioner Of Internal Revenue Il
make collections after he had ascer
tanned the delinquency. When inter
rogated as to their connection will
SsnbOrn, they denied all knowiedg
| of him or his contract, or any con
tract. These agents by the means o
the agencies furnished them by tn
Treasury Department, collected owe
one hundred and twenty thOusAnI
dollars, every dollar Of which shoulI
and would have been collected by tn
proper officers Of the Government.
Contracts were made for the cOllec
tion of legacy and succession taxes
, which under the law are not prope
subjects of contract. They are not G
the class Of taxes undiscovered, eve
} IL the internal-revenue officers di
not do their duty as required by LAY
| and as directed by the instructions G
that Department. These taxes weT
, matters Of record in ali the probat
, and surrogate offices of the country
: and thus could not be subject to dii
covery. Kelsey, who claims to hav
! secured the passage Of the law, sal
TO the committee that 1t was noe th