The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-21


Slanderous Attack on Federal Ohcials
Removed for Psrtisan Reasons.
Yesterday the Associated Press sent out
the following dispatch from Warrington
City:
The omcIal heads Of Patrick H. Winston,
United States attorney: Thomas r Brown,
United States marshal; Andrew WATSON. United
States collector at Port Townsend; C. J. Nh key.
United States special agent and six special in
spectofs OF customs In the Puget sound district,
ali in the state Of Washington. have fallen into
the onicial hopper - the result Of reports made
to Secretary Carlisle By Special Treasury Agents
Wood and Lewis These reports are numerous
and circumstantiai q to details and tell the
story Of one Of the most extensive and success
full conspisacies ever formed to smuggle
Chinese and opium into the ritsd States across
the far Northwestern boundary. There has
been hardly day Tor the past two mon tbs that
reports or kilograms have not been received at
the treasury department from Agents Wood aud
Lewis, and on these reports the oficials Of the
treasury department. have been summaIily dis
missed. The last batch Of d;smissals Of Gus
toms inspectors was made Saturday, put secrs-
tary Carlisle thinks the ends OF justice may be
defeated BY making public their names. These
officials. 1t is charged by the reports received.
have been doing Wholesale busisess for
several years. in connection with private
parties In Victoria, In smuggling in Chinese
by means Of fraudulent certificates and
permitting opium spausgliug either By conniv.
ance or otherwise. Scandal for the past twelve
or fifteen years has attached moro or less to
those Oficials In the Puget sound district
whose duty Il was to guard against violation of
the law - to the Illicit bringing Of Chinese and
opium into the United Stateo Politics never
entered into II, but the immense profit IN the
business seems to have corrupted many officials.
More than two months ago Agents Wood
and Lewis, new men from the East,
were detailed tosecretiy Investigate these
alleged frauds, with tho result a. stated.
Uninfluenced by local surroundings or
affiliations. they went to work and unearthed
what 10 regarded here as one of the greatest con-
sp,racies in which government officials have
ever been implicated. Not to defeat the con-
tinuance OF the investigation, all the prominent
government officials named were removed by
the president and their successors appointed
without the usual announcements being made.
Tbs purpose was to keep the public in ignor-
ance that other implicated persons might be
caught. The new men appointed in the place
of those removed were James c. Saunders. col.
lector at Port Townsend: James c. Drake,
United statea marshal, and W. II. Brinker,
United States attorney. Other removals are yet
to come. and the matter In due course Of time
will end its way into the courts.
This dispatch looks very familiar to
Puget sound newspaper men, the same
matter having appeared frequently in
Tacoma paper whose proprietor has per-
! sonal grudge against Collector WATSON.
and summary Of the same matter having
appeared in the New York Sun last week
under Washington City date. The story
that the special agents have unearthed
great smuggling conspiracy IS false, and
there will be no Developments in the
courts If the words Washington Demo
cratic state central committed" were sub
stituted for Secretary Carlisle" in the
dispatch above, it would be moro in
te!ligible. Every one on Puget sound un-
derstands the situation pretty we'll. The
following statement is given to the press
by ex-Distrct Attorney Patrick Henry
Winston, who is now in Seattle:
An Associated Press dispatch sent from Wash
ington City and purporting to emanate from the
Office OF the secretary Of the treasury ana TO
have been inspired by that Official. appears in
this evenings papers, charging in substance
tina, the recent removals OF Federal officials in
the district OF Washington. including my own
from the Office OF United States attorney. were
occasioned by the discovery that these officials
had formed the most extensive and successful
conspiracy ever formed TO smuggie Chinese end
opium In the United States SO far as this div
patch concerns me. 1t may oe necessary in this
era o! partisan politics to say to those who do
not know me that whoever wrote or inspired is
Is common liar have already stated In an
official communication TO the president under
date of May 50 the cause OF my removal | tn
v.,e him OF any ons authorized by him to give
q different reason
Patrick HENRY WINSTON.
WAsHIxsToy CITY, June 2O-fSpecial. i
L. A. Burke, of Aberdeen, S. D., who has
been appointed special agent OF the
treasury. with headquarters At Tacoma.
Wash, leaves for his post tomorrow.
Legore Phoenix. an old Washington City
newspaper correspondent who has been
appointed special agent. leaves for Port
land, Or. tomorrow. The hrst duty OF
these two agents will be TO investigate the
alleged smuggling ring about which 30
much has been said BY Democratic poll
| clans.
Edwin Booths Will.