New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-26
THE MERCHANTS NOT GUILTY.

Mr.. CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW MEMBERS OF
HE CHAMBER COMMERCE: The revenue officials OF
this district have charged you with crime They have
charged you with petty and grand larceny this that
you detained from the public treasury both Urge
and small amounts of money; they charge
you with perjury in this, that you
have sworn falsely 10 some OF your
invoice they charge you with bribery in this that you
have Influenced improperly public officers, and they
charge with conspiracy in this that you have I'M
duly and improperly connived with public officers.
with correspondents abroad. for the purpose Of
deprivlng the public Treasury of its due. That
is the indictments What say you. guilty
not guilty When l in Washington 1
put Ill the plea for you that you were innocent
lcheersl not guilty. Loud cheersJ am here TO
night In the short hour allotted 10 me to establish the
fact that you innocent. Applause.l And now be
fore TO the consideration of that subject let us
get clearly in mind what mean by innocence and
guilt. We have heard about 80 many guilty persons
that have heretofore stood honoraDy III the community
that these public officials have lost all know
uedl. While in Washington had the honor of
eIns with very high CGG snd he was q bs an6
cent and the guilty. He had for many years known the
merchants Of Sew-YOEa, and had had supposed @s%
and and he was very much disappointed TO lind
they all brought down under these general charges
there VIII from ,b nS sTseaGs % S s
Committee OF the House which VIII lay before you not
less that $500 deinqueDts. beg you. Sir. when tha
report Is laid upon our table 10 examine u careluy'
And note this, because at this hour we had
right to suppose that TINS tins, report 61d w .tata
distinctly what the delinquency of each merchant
how much he had defrauded the Government out OF.
The treasury how much were the penalties, and you
will in mind that these officials are always hodlng
sS retained aG from the Phelps Dodge
4 Co.'s for illustration Cheers The penalnes IN
ernment 81 500 Applause.l In Downings case sioin
q I've years importing trade and yet they pald 5000
alfiac \ MI
Gentleman are very careful keep before the public the
penalties of the law but they never publish TO what
anount the guilty parties have been benefited by the
wrong doing If 1t is wrong dong; Cheers THIS hlgh
official concurred with me that that would be excel
lent fest by which guide his mind 10 the truthfu
mess OF these parties. He said that viii satisfy me az
once lind mercantile irn WIN WON nave hae
by public repute-if find that they have only de.
tsw Thousand dollars in five years transactions
amounting millions OF dollars sna concuue nero Is
some misapprehension about it'-he did not ike 10
state IL too strongly" misaprehenson about H.
and shall take good care to look into the question
mort was laid before the committee they were greatly
disappointed TO ind that important information was
left ont and have reason TO believe 1t was left out
for purpose cbeers for from tho time TINS committee
took tins matter up for D, p e T
WashingOn-from his office down to the Dstrct-Attof
news Office this cityany information on that point
from the parties themselves Appaqse Never yer
Applasel Is that fart Is IL honestf submit that
that fact alone should condemn tnese mep'
THE AGENTS DISHONEST.
They do not be honest and true either to the
merchant or the Legislature. tCheersl Ifto-morrow
morning you should find in one OF the NeW-fork news
papers that very large and respectable house had been
charged with defrauding the Government to the
amount Of $780, you would scarcely give the subject
thought; you would say II was Joke. II was
impossible but ySq large l5s hou psrn IA
Pearl st. or some other street. naming the DumDer Is
CHARGED With IHe pop 40
tention, and you would speak OF II to all your
Ieighbors and friends and II You belonged TO bank
sav wonder whether that is one OF our Customers"
and should II was one OF ySsr Gus
day and perhaps the next. and the next. Ii Is your
duty to make inquiry at once and see
, TssnG hOu SSs Of the suGh
feeling. GAppause The very object OF lnset ~ co 10
the papers that little item was Tor the purpose Vi COIN
mencing the squeeze. Applause In Boston ne , o0in
mee have been rather more fortunate , .naa
They traced those little items IN the @
and they find them them TO be IN the HANDWRITING 9 tne
who corresponds to Jayne there INV IN ng onnS
notice in Handwriting Nobody else Knew any thns
about it, ITS publication was the mrs, n1 Within few
itself got OF their delinquency nave w,'Iin now now
days got or two OF these notices ana am nD pt
irving 10 md out although they are several months od
the Handwriting Of the man who inserted certain
notice which did great damage l.. .,,. .,,,.,, :,
Now II have drawn your attention to TINS SUBJECT ~
is this purpose want to show you tnas 'ao WcS'
method we have OF ascertainnR whether naa Is nno
cent or guilty is TO ind out how he has been oehenou
What is the motiye9 Ash SAID to this high ofhcIs in
wsshin g0n, If man makes twenty or tnlIy OF iOi
thouss I'D dollars no 10 probably gully insn Assume
tbat-ho may not be, but i am Wiling 10 Assume
tbat-a man who makes twenty, thirty. or icrV
thousand ought TO know something ABOUT IL.
and will assume that he is guilty. But H. on the
other hand by iDadverency, an ifreguiafiy ~
80 600 dollars should IN the course Oh
Ave years, creep into mans business, IL might get
there without his know ledge, and that man II noI guilty
fAppsuse II you will draw that line and keep that
clearly In mind We Will 30 on.
CASE " II. CLAgIIN.
when got TO Washington we were confronted by
two officials OF the Government the first of whom
shall speak OF hereafter the latter shall speak OF now
Col Bliss told US distinctly that there one man IN
NewYork, at least, who did not disapprove Of what
they were doing IN the Custom house ana
that might be safely appealed t0 tusufylng
them for what had been done, who made no COM
plant Of them, aud lac bold 10 nane has nalno
We therefore surprised on our return 10 new
York 10 find that that gentleman had been niIVlcNeh
INV ullrI.l INC !. LIememL