New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-23
COLLECTOR ARTHUR's COURSE.

| NO CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT AGAINST THE PRESENT
CUSTOM HOUSE ADMINIsTRATION--GENER
| ARTHUR NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENTS TO
THE CLERKS FOR EXTRA woRK-nfPOssGBnITY
| OF HIS INVESTIGATING THE CAsES-INTERNIEWs
| WITH THE COLLECTOR AND GEORGE BLISS
4 TRIBUNE reporter had a conversation
with Collector Arthur yesterday, about the revelations
| and charges made by General Curtis at Washington
| The Collector said:
81 see nothing requiring notice from me except the
statement alleged to have been made that General Cur
lis called my attention to the fact that Custom House
clerks ga received money from attorneys engaged In
working mp these cases OF refund and drawback, aud
! that took no notice Of it, 1 can hardly believe
! that the special agent made this statement without
adding all the real facts Of the The only thing
that was done by clerks employed at the present time
was make copies Of papers rs they found thcm ana
10 comparc the amounts due on the same entries. 1t
was long aud tedious operation and the wor, was all
done outside regular hours OF public service. In all
these cases the sent to 'hc Ninth u Law
Division land thence to tine D.strct-Auurncy's
OGce for examination II Is not alleged that any
Of these clerks did or could do anything with
these papcr5 except ~ make Official copies.
Some time after the commencement OF this case by
Curtis it appeared that two or three Custom House
clerks had received compensation from the attorney for
claimants and had admitted It Thsinformaton MI Cur
It's conveyed TO me. II not officially communicated
but thought Of sufficient importance 10 require my
"a i
showed that in 1871 Solicitor Of the Treasury Barhcid
suggested that Government clerks be employed
by plaintiffs attorneys for the very work
that these clerks have done Tho reason ASST ned was
that as they had 10 the Government books their
copies and reports would be correct and assume sort OF
Official character. Upon applying % Mr. Bliss, then the
United states Dstnct-AttoEney, lie informed me that
TIN, cement entered into, and II was agreed
that the payments O. be made to the clerks by plaintiff
attorney should be taxed the bills for costs proper
disbursements when Judgment was entered up He
also told me that he had called the attention Of
the Solicitor Of the Treasury the Secretary Of the
Treasury 10 H. and they agreed that there other
way have the clerks pad for their work Ar Bliss
saw no Improperly in 1t. aud it was done with iul
understanding by all Government officials Interested Ina
the cases. 1t also appeared IN investigation Of the
natter that this payment OF the clerks was done with
the approval Of Samuel D. Ogden auditor, in whose de-
parmcn the clerks were, and II had his sanction. be-
cause their employment for such purposes was a. tie
suggestion OF Treasury Department. never heard
before that compensation to the clerks took the form OF
p,fc ntagc, as now alleged.
AL these facts communicated to Mr. Curtis al the
time and IL was understood thai il any further refer
cnco wcro made the matter 10 should be submitted to
the Secretary OF the Treasury, who would inform this
department When Secretary sherman made his visit
OF inspection, yn January, referred 10 this matter In
the presence Of Colonel Tngle supervisor OF Special
Agents, D,puty-C Collector Pnep. aud others. stated
q
matter was OF such character thst further ucon
wa, required or would be taken.
As to the ntmaton that the Collector could send for
the papers IN these Of refund aud drawback and
personally examine them, can scarcely believe that
Nh Curtis j. correctly reported this point The Col
lector accepts the certificates OF the auditor OF the
department through which special papers pass, who IT,
for these papers, virtually Collector. II j. necessary
tua some such fulc should prevail IN the hundred OF
cases OF refunds and drawbacks that passed upon
daily and personal examination OF the sdlccucy ~
all the facts upon which these many claims aro based
woud force upon the Collector all the work OF
all the divisions IN the Custom House, and
In fact. would be moral and physical imp,ssbiliiy
Take today's work for example. have signed
800 checks, ADD were 10 examine INTO The minute
details ~ each would require az least 600 days {"
do II iuy. Mr.. Curtis with stan OF clerks. ha, been
eight months preparing his evidence In these cases. and
he Il correctly reported he expects the Collector To do
fully much work daily"
GEORGE BLISS VIEW or THE MATTER.
EyUnited States District Attorney Bliss who had
charge many Of the referred to In General Cur
tiss statements, sad yesterday:
"Thc whole thing is, in the end to which /; has been
finally directed part Of scheme TO find something for
which the Collector and Naval officer can removed
This Government, under Secretary Sherman, IL "A Gov
crumcnt OF special agents, with whom suspicious
are proofs, anG charges are convictions. II The
Treasury Department were subjected to scrutiny As
severe and pnc.sided as that the New-YOrk Custom
House II subjected 20. In my OPINION the Secretary
would be worricd-i will not say to keep his office, Duto
As for the charges now made It has twenty years
been a tradition that protests had been surrcp0usy
placed file in the Custom House. on suspicion Of con
ncction with such practices, Collector Barney IN 1861
issued order excluding lawyer from the custom
Unusc MANY wears ago the Government commenced
twenty or thirty suits 10 recover refunds alleged To
been procured by such fraudulent protests They
were what's known "a the Machachno cuTrtncy cases
While was Dlstrct-AtOrney tried to bring them to
trial. but found that tho Government had no evidence
which 1t could succeed have since heard, though
IN 10 authoritative way, that the Government has re-
Gently discontinued the suits.
IT must be remembered that in all these cases the
Government has admittedly taken from the merchants
money which II had no right 10, and 1t has retained
from twelve to fifteen years ii now objects 10 pay II
back the technical ground that AT the time of pay mont
the merchant did not make "a written protest. Ine
equities are all with the merchants and this fact VIII
have necessarily great effect upon any proceedings
brought tO get back from tine merchants money winch
In justice admittedly belongs to them.
General Curtis places great reliance apparently upon
a record OF protests Kept In the Custom Housei
That record has far 1t relates TO the period covered
have not seen It for long time' but as remember H.
bears ITS face evidence Of s utruswoTthiness As
recollect IT, there are considerable periods periods
admittedly during mat period many protests were Med
Those that entered are entered very rreguary Ia
fact, the record s untrustwOrthy that the Govern
long refused 20 be bound by IT, and tho soc
tor Of the Treasury gave directions TO disregard IT,
cOunvance with merchants. He gives no evidence OF
WORK Ihave sent to THE TRIBUNE letter showing that
this was done by authority OF the Solicitor
OF the Treasury. General Curtis says, further,
that when there were file at the Custom
House Two protests one of which he calls
fraudulent and the other genuine the clerks FURNISHED
coprs of the socaled fraudulent one and said nothing
as 10 The others Now as far as this furnishes any
ground for any charge against the clerks the statement
Is utterly disingenuous The matter must be settled IA
the and there should be left As 10 the present
Collector there is not any evidence or pretenee oil eV
denoe that there has been any wrongdoing during ms
IL was long before lie came into oihce. Inc
clerks received their pay Ior enrS "or ,sc py