New-York tribune., 1879-01-28

promnent politicians requested e. The three We're We're
alike guilty alike innocent. but d" not seem 10 ph'e
had equal influence with the Department
TIE SYSTEM OF FREE PERMITS.
Mr. Sherman says % vicious practice has Tor long
time prevailed OF granting free permits ior nip"r'"
goods without authority OF law" He adds that tho
value OF the goods thus Illegally dclerved Tree OF oV
amounted 10 large sum. In single instance the value
$53,000."
The Secretary right in saying that the practce mas
existed for a long time" trace It back eighty
years As to its being without authority OF law
have tO say that 1t has always been wen
known 10 the Department; that the bIahk ioflS
necessary to carry IL out are FURNISHED 10 Tue
Collector by the Treasury Department that until the
present Secretary into office no one had pretendeu
to regard It as being without authority OF law" but
has been looked upon convenient mode OF facilitating
the passing OF small articles which were either free by
law of such iDsignhcant Vauo thaI he eAaclIu
of duty would, IN common phrase cost more 'hah
would come to-" , ,,
cry that tns practice of eighty years standing was
"whout authority of law, and having madc tins dis
covcry he calls for my removal because did NOT stop
and yet the practice continues N as lni orcc ~ ever
UNCHANGED uncontrolled, under the aclHg coltctuf'
aud Mr. sherman continues 10 furnish 10 inn me very
blanks used IN carrying out. since The acting col
cinr came INTO Office less than 800 free permits
have been issued.
Mr. shcrmau's reference TO the "single instance in
Which the value $4,000 shows the dioingrDuon>
ness which charactcrzcs bis communication. The
goods in question were diamonds taken from TINS
country to Europe by the mother Of Mr. JAIns GorG0n
III,
death they were brought back by her Being the
personal effects of an American oying abroad they were
under express provision OF law, not Iabc l." dhl
and were passed by of free permit.
one OF thc Sccrcarys ayOrte corps, who, Uuuer tie
wnen they cannot learned OF tnc transaction
ani by Mr.. shc!man's directions investigated nv
SI.cia Agent Curtis. tie Chici SPECIAL Agent az
Ncw-Yurh. lie reported about year ago, ana sidtrd
tlat The diamonds had been az once. on pas
ing Tie Custom Ii use, deposited III a SAFE; lhdi
they were sim there witn tbs seals unorokrn
ANA that the transaction was an entirely proper one"
was certainly proper under any administration Nirh
al Plies little common sense and or mary deccnc' 10
the enforcement of the customs laws am informed
Mr MAJ BnrIi has at least once offered the oycinrnt
facuy to tcst any claims II desired I" upon thtm
or hm. . -, . ,
grson of the Secretary that tnU Government had lost Il
very considerable amount Of duties bE this practicr
rbc incI believe 10 be thai IL has saved in expense
more than ost IN duties hougn II l. quite possible
that tie officers were, III exceptional loscd
upon and gave free permits when none should nave been
FEES IN CHARGES AND COMMIssIoNs CASES
Mr. shcrmau's reference the " charges aud COM
missions cases affords striking instance Of the man-
ner in which he makes nsinuations without ventnrng
upon assertions lie says that IT was disclosed that
the clerks engaged III making up the OF the
refunds 10 those received gratutles from attOr
news" couples this with the statement that IT was az
cerained upon CATION that IN majority Of cases
80 far as examined they (he cases) were perfected
IN fraudulent manner VIZ: by attaching protests Ia
tLc rnfrc. after entries had been made. Wine The
law required them to be attached a the time OF entrv
Tbcsc fU Aatr,uent, are nut together obviously with
ne intent that ihe senate should utrr thai the clerks
,vno received gratuiiies from attorneys" committed
the frauds the protests and did 1t during NY term OF
Bnt the Secretary knows that there no particle OF
evidence that clerks in question commit ted any
frauds i'm connection with the protests. ndctu slll
remains be proved t1at any fraudulent protests are
90 lie ia On tx patte evidence some OF
which at least clearly untrue. The secretary induced
Congress. at It's last session 10 order iht all pay
/ mcnts Judgments Obtained III these eases
| should be suspended. The attorney for some
| Of tho painlifis, among whom are some OF
| The largest aud most eminent NJ .rChants,
promptly offered writing TO have the Judgments set
ASIDE allow The Secretary to present ia court any
evidence o. fraud hut he declined The Ohcl and the
| result il tbat there are some thirty or more
| Judgments Of record which are IN effect judg-
uicnts against tne Government, but which Mr..
SHERMAN says obtained ON fraudulent
protests though for nearly he has refused take
step to prove this assertion IL should he added
that the Coy ornmrG admittedly has iu ats possession a
large SUN, illegally taken from merchants FOR dulles
and that IL IL seeking IN these cases TO AVOID returning H.
the ground that protest against lis Illegal action was
Ii there are any fraudulent protests on it i. ndIs-
dIsputable that they placed there lOn- before
took Office The allegation that there are such has been
revived Uhutl every ADMINISTRATION "T Heth Years
past II should be borne ia mind that these
'iIo 1t - IN hs acton as 10 Etse cltHs that
the insipcorIty OF the Secretary IN making
thcIr conduct Of the charges against me s striking
shown. What the clerks do IN tnr charges and
mission eases IL 10 take tne entries aud drawing of
from them the items heid by the cOuits 10 Lave Dcen
! Illegally included maxim; up dutiabie value, To
reckon and tatuate the duties paid on such excess,
!
| 10 go before referee, appointed by the cOur,.
! bat selected 10y the Government, and swear 10
! crosse ELIMINATION by the United Safes Attorney.
| TINS work they performed on, Of oiice Auy
one else could do II as well IN they, who had access
and understood Custom House papers Access could b
oblanel by having the referee ny suhi Gna compel the
production OF tho papers, and while III his hands the
! calculations could lie made by any person employed
! by hlm This course was pnisued for a long
OF the Treasury suggested That IL would he better
pOy clerks N the Custom House, then The original
| mfr tup Cav
crument custody and tn: attorneys for the
asseted 10 gesOE wGrb tary would hardy have
done ii they xpccIed thereafter to Introduce among the
papers rauuuleui protests. - Their oppo ttcs
obviously mucn greater the papers out If the
possession Of the Government than If they retained
! ia its possession.
I'm accordance with this suggestion the clerks re-
! ferred to by Dir. Sherman were employed and. Of
course they paid hy the importers their attor-
ncys the work Deing outside Of Government hours and
not done tue Government. There has never
| been any allegation much less any evidence.
| that those clerks have made any Of tho
calculations wrongluliy. except that the im,
por,cIs have. .o on several q, occasions claimed
aud the Circuit Court has decided 1t therefore
nent worked by these clerks, and that tho objection
able feature OF their receiving from importer
as he thought IN tDe interest "t the Government All
Secretary In April, 1873 and his directions awaited as
| to the propricty OF tue acton.
rhe correspondence upon tins subject il herewith in
| clOsed.l
The secretary retained clerks in office and they
are sill there Ny failure to remove them when that
rested only Win the SGCretarys
ing nv SUSPENSION while infer thar the acting olpr.
tors failure to remove them regarded by the Secre-
| tary az u good ground for his Confirmation.
Mr.. sherman repeats In detail some or The s;atenen
Of Jay COmmissl0n though he IS careful
10 the fact which called In my letter OF
November %. 1871 thar Of the nitccn recommend la
tons made by Commission TWO for mtroduc-
tioD what already existed. eight rcprtlons OF nv
own yiOus IONS, only differs from ms
| recommendation III carving reductions whai | be
| heye unwise extent, ana one other is both
| unwIse and Illegal. There remain the extension of
hours the classification Of officers and The conn ANTS
as wcIghcrs and gdugets As 10 the two frat they
relate matters the control which vested IN the
Department. and not myself A. To tne weIghrr- re-
ductlOn OF this force would have been made before th
| time il 10 Commission had existed. The mode of ar-
poIntment removal, the tenure OF office amt the gen
cral civil service policy OF my administration winch
constituted the chief burden o ~ least the ay
repOTts seems to been successfully defended ~
i 80. - .-l-. 49, A....- .-..... =. Z -