The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-26

The Revenue Office ssAssist' Him-Dis-
triet Attorney Bliss Admits Receiving
Perquisites Under the Contract-The
Great sanborn ON the Stand-The Conn
mittee OF Ways and Means Refuse to
Listen to = Restricted Statement from
Him. trt
WASHINGTON March %, 1874.
The Committee on Ways and Means gave another
nearing to-day In the matter Of the Sanborn con-
tracts Mr.. Bliss, United States District Attorney
for the Southern district of New York, made de-
tailed statement to the connection OF his ONCE
with the collection OF the claims under Sanborn,
ana paired with great deal or dc Xterlty the at
tempts mace by various members OF the committee
TO OBTAIN an ADMISSION from him that the contract
was made In bad policy ana was unnecessary. He
said THAT with the lights now before him he would
not now make contract; but that at the time 1T
was made 1t was apparent that whatever should
reach the Treasury under 1t was SO much clear
gain. He admitted virtually, however that the
great discovery made by sanborn, the key OF the
whole position, was the obtaining from The Surro-
gate's office OF the list OF estates which were sub
ject to the legacy and succession tax. He charac
terized that list as scoop net from the contents
OF which the big fish, the estates. which had
actually paid the tax. wee afterwards siitej out
by comparison with the records OF the Internal
Revenue Collectors office. There was no reason
why the regular officers OF the government could
not have obtained the same information but 1T
was Ike the egg OF Columbus, which anybody
might make stand on end after he saw how 1t was
done. He expressed his belief that the $4,000 col
lecred in New York under the Sanborn contract
would never have been collected through the rcgu.
lar Observation-Disclosures Of the government. II could
nave been, perhaps, but 1t would not have beeD
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS PERQUrslrEs.
On being questioned by Mr. Niblack in reference
to his own five per cent on the amount collected,
consent of his superior, he could at any time get
money Tor rendering services not forbidden by
law ne was very glad TO get IL, and he thought
that everybody else would be, except, perhaps,
members OF Congress.
before US That he declined the same oher.n
Mr. Bllss-i do not know whether ne testified IL
or not. rA li.t|Il
Mr.. Niblack-He stated 1t before the committee.
tba ~ adce AN Ho eTnn 70 nave my POSITION ana
fore the country relatively judged.
solicitor Bandeld followed Mr.. Bliss. He APP
peared, he said, not IN the interest OF SanbOrn,
any other contractor, but at the request OF the
secretary OF the Treasury to explain the relation
OF the department 10 thus contract question. APP
plication Tor contracts to collect debts due the
government had been made as early as 1869, and,
although the Secretary and the Solicitor were not
lav0raoly disposed TO the system, contracts were
given to several parties at rates OF commission
varying IRON twenty TO fifty per cent on the
amounts TO be collected the contractors to pay all
the eXpenses but the invariabl result had been
that nothing was collected; at all events, that the
government got nothing. The system was abro.
gated ana was not resumed until the passage OF
the law under which the sauborn contract was
mission under that contract than there would
have been II 1T had been supposed that any thing
would be collected. The solicitor was ,1 -,
SHARPLY CE0ss-QuESTIoNED la,.s
by Mr.. Beck as to why Internal Revenue Commits
soner Douglass was not called into consultation
dertoOk to carry the law into eject, and also as
to what authority he had to write letters 10 Inter-
born when the law required that he should aid
them. 10 the arst qnes uon his reIiy was thar
particularly to internal revenue matters and 10
the second that the idea OF assistance was that IL
well assist the regular oficers unless they were
willing to assist him. In reply to question by
Mr. sheldon, the Solicitor SAID he had no knowi-
edge, balief or suspicion that any Offcer OF the
government mad received or expected to receive
anything in any way rom the sanborn contract.
THE GREAT SANBORN IN THE LIFE.
After the examination or Mr. Bandeld was con.
Guided Mr.. John d. Sanborn himself came before
the committee, but, instead OF proceeding with his
statement, he said that he had within the last
twcnty-iour hours been advised by his counsel
that. in view Of the indictment pending against
him in Brooklyn charging him with collision with
revenue officers to delrard the government, II
statement which he mad been ready and willing to
make. he was ready, however, to give 10 the
committee such general information on the sub.
re was informed by the Chairman and other
members or the Committee that the Committee
that he was present not by order of the committed
but OF his own, volition, and in accordance
Will us own request III oruer tnat ne might make
lull and far statement OF all the circumstances
connected with his contract. II he was not pre-
pared to do that aud TO answer such questions as
the Committee might desire to put to him the Com.
mittee would decline to listen to any partial
stricted statement.
MT. Sanborn's counsel (Mr. Woodbridge, OF Yer.
mont, justified the position taken by his client,
although he expressed his belief that nothing
which SanbOrn could say could prejudice his case;
but still, out OF caution he thought 1t better
him not to submit himself to the examination OF
the committee. lie alluded to the fact that there
was gentleman present understood to be As
sistant Dlstrict Attorney from BroOkynl watching
to take advantage OF anything that Sanborn might
say.
The upshot of all this parley was that the COM
mitteo adjourned without any decision whether
Sanborn should or should not be made Witness.