New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-12-18
TIE CUSTOM HOUSE REDUCTIONS.


COLLECTOR ARTHUR AND HE PREsIDENT-THE COT
IECTOR ACTS UNDER EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS
FROM THE TREASURY DEPARTNENT-liI5 COURSE
THOROUGHLY INDICATED oN THE ONLY POINT
Of WHICH IT HAS BEEN CRITICISED.
To the EdttOr Of The TrtbUne.
SIR: The history Of the Custom House case as
given in your Washington letter in last Saturdays
paper is so fair that IL ought To have been fdrcr
Obviously your correspondent states with entire
candor. aud with substantial accuracy, the Pres-
Dental view of the case from the beginning. And
this view is, in the main, so clever as to commend
itself to the intelligent judgment Of honest citizens
But your letter closes with the following paragraph
concerning General Arthur:
After the reorganization Of the Custom House had
been completed The friends q the President uumer-
ous complaints we're received at me Treasury Depart
men, that the reductions had not been male at 40
IN accordance with the spirit OF me RECOMMENDATIONS
o. the Jay Commission or the instructions Of See
| rotary Sherman. These complaints became so ne
| qucut that General Arthur sent for and the
whole matter was LAID before hn lie was told that the
reports were tat he was removing good men and re-
taiuiugthc political strikers" who were not efficient
oGiceIs Collector Arthur replied that personally No.
knew nothing Of the matter. that he lad turned it
10 q board. ana had followed ihelr recommendations;
] The members of the board sent for, and
| they in turn explained that they had not per
pjd moi Inc readily sent tor The iIscovcrv ~ The
way IN which the reductions made Convinced the
a h CARED INTO cecf ,,t IL Gc1er,i ANN yr ~
Collector. These the reasons the Presidents
friends now saw why General Arthur was not retained
Now, when this written, letter from General
Arthur 10 the Secretary of the Treasury IN type
had been widely published ana ought to have been
taken into account. Thus letter shows, with absolute
conclusveness, that the above statement is unwar-
! ranted. 1t does more. 1t shows that in the very
things for which General Arthur is here blamed. he
/ acted under the explicit instructions and repeated
advice of the Treasury Department itself. Witness
the following from page - Of the pamphlet con-
tanning the letter Of Collector Arthur to the Secre
| tarv Of the Treasury:
The reduction OF the force under me carried
! by Of commission composed OF Samuel &.
Or,pu the Auditor who had been thrtY-seven years IN
/ the Custom House. VIM. ii. Mcmahon. who had been
there thirteen years and Richard Grant White, while the
Surveyor appointed similar committee Of
perienced officers as to the force under INN.
examination in consultation with the heads OF bureaus.
and after minute personal examination adoped their
report without change whatever II mas been stated
To me that mode OF carrying ont your directions has in
some quarters been criticised As 10 this Lean only say
Il seemed u me the Wlsest course ana mat before
adopted you wrote me, on NAY 81, 1877, as follows:
have conyetsed with Mr. JAY in regard TO matters,
and he says you VIII probably make the reducOn DY le
AID OF commission Of trusted officers have found In
the department. here that that mode Is Tue very Dest ia
which TO make reductions the officers arc carefully
And in your instructions TO you wrote, 1t i'm
possible in force large yours, that you should
know the peculiar qualities and Of each empoy6.
important in making selections that you secure
ms In ormatiOn through committees OF Tusted ohccr
You added after ALL the success OF this movement for
reform old abuses which existed for many years be
fore You became Collector will depend mainly upon
good sense and discretion"
Having completed what you described as delicate
and OnerOus duty" the time fixed by yOu June 30,
forWa rded tile schedules TO YOU On July 20 yOu
me that persons affected had complained 10 You, but
that the matter had been fully inquired into by
mtee from department. 1t is deemed best after
this fu examination, 10 approve your recommendations
throughout il being apparent that your committee
exercised great care aud impauiaity."
Is it not far to conclude. after this, either that
your otherwise singulary careful and straight
Al.
represented the President and his friends or that
the President has in this particular been deceived
and mlsled into unjust expressions by people to
whom he has unwisely gwen his conhdencef
Yours, FABPLAY.
hew- York Dec II 1877