New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-27
MR.. HENDRICKS PROTESTS.
THE COLLECTOR OBJECTS TO THE CURiAiA
MENT OF HIS POWERS.
J. THOMAS sCHARF CAUGHT IN AN ATTEMPT ~
DECEIvE-IoHN H. GUNNER SURPRISED

Whom Jobn r. Carlisle the Secretary Of the i1cas
ury opens his mail at Washington today ne VIII ~
a dgniHed yet firm protest from Francis hehu'i1 %.
the Collector Of the Port OF New-fork, aeh'"'' ~
order issued by Charles ). liamin, the Assis'an' o
rotary of the Treasury. Withdrawing from him 'ne
right 10 pass upon the certificates of the Chinese nie
chants and students who leave enter this port
Under the statute this duty dcvoves upon tne wi
hector, and II Is unusual thing Tor the irea''
Depanment TO Hy I'm the face OF the STATUES MI"
custom simply to create a cheap sort OF ponuc S!"
sotion and give notorety 10 man. Accompanying
The letter Is the report which Deputy Collector D.
Couch has made TO the Collector In regard to tnc au
mission OF Lee Yih the Chnaman, ON account oil
whose admission J. Thomas SchIrf, recent appoIhpT
I'm the Special Agents Department. has seen Ill l"
make baseIess and cOwardly charges. MI Couch
rcnort shows nclnsvely that SclIaf either does not
know what he doing and Is utterly rrespons''' VI
that he had motive in which right and justice played
no part when he sent his report to the treasury ~.
pariment criticslng Mr. Couch for admitting t'''
man Mr. Couch's report shows that Lee Yin was
prop,ry Identified TO physical pecuaritics' ana
that scharf finally admitted that he was all rgh'' a'
said that he might 80. Mr.. Couch mas pee" !" '','
customs service for years. ana MS woru aioh' 20
better than the afidavits OF some men. MI '""e"
also shows that the attack upon Thomas J. Dunn, the
chief clerk OF the Marine Department, WHO was ac
crsed by scharf as acting attorney Tor the CEiha
mar Is the result solely OF Schars wild imagination
Mr. Couch names eight reputable witnesses each one
OF whom declares that Mr.. Dunn acted as any 'us'o
t1ouse official should net under the circumstances
lust before Collector Hendricks sent of his letter.
Chaou Chang Tscng. the Chinese Consul mt this port
accompanied by his private secretary. called upon him.
Tho Chinese Consul was considerably agltated over
fine report that the Collector had been deprived oil the
right TO pass upon the certificates OF Cinnamon.
Il cannot speak for my predecessor" he said,
{" but since have been here have taken the utmost
pains to Inform myself regarding every man VINO mas
applied TO me for passport and have taken great
care TO learn that every thing all right concerning
him. This order comes aS great hardship a, 'h'S
lime Just now a considerable number OF chinese
merchants wish start for China to buy goods ana
this order will interfere with them greatly
The Chinese Consul's complaint will be forwarded
TO Washington.
After sending his letter, Collector llendI1cks turhei
10 the report from Washington, which was published
yesterday giving in full official communication sent
hy scharf to the Treasury Department. In this com
munication Scharf declared that deputy collector re-
ccived $50 for each Chlnaman that he allowed 10 ahu
and he supplemented this by telling that an unnamed
Chinaman had verified this statement collector
Hendricks sent for Scharf, and asked him II he maze
that charge against deputy collector. scnari ".s
eager TO deny that he had done so, and he laid IL
upon the department. Some time after this
number OF newspaper men called upon Collector Hen
dricks and asked him to send for ocharf ana ASK mn
aguln II he had made that charge The Coiec'or uiu
SO and scharf appeared before him. Mr.. nehdricNS
said to him.
Now. Mr.. scharf did you not in that report charge
that Mr.. Gunner received $50 Tor each Cini'ai"'"
whom he allowed TO landl'
scharf hcsltated a moment and finally said, in the
tone Of a bully: That Is my report and l VIII
stand by it,
That Is not the question: said the Collector "a
short time ago you told me that you had maze no
such report, and now / want TO know II 1t Is rue
Scharf was greatly agitatcd. well, DIDN'T say
., explicitly. / said that my report he replied
hedatingy.
Now. be- frank and square about It; didn't you
make this chargel' asked Collector Hendricks.
Yes, did," finally admitted scharf.
Now. Mr. Scharf. why did you tell me awhile ago
that you had not any such charge - asked the
Collector.
charf had no answer for this. lie had been caught
I'm one attempt TO deceive and he did not intend to be
caught in another. Then Collector Hendricks asked
him TO turn over to him such Information as he hai
secured 10 show that the officials I'm the Custom House
were doing wrong. You know that the secretary has
ordered me to make investigation Of this ease,' he
said land l want all tie Information that can get
upon it,
well you cannot get any Information that
have got unless the department orders it, snapped
scharf. saucily.
isn't 1t the custom for the special agents TO
turn owe" any Information which they may have
upon a cnse to the Collector when he has been or
dercd to make Investigation asked The Tribune
reporter OF the Collector ut this point.
>" Why, certainly IL is. kvcr since have been
Collector that always has been DONE
DO YOU want anything more OF me!' Schar asked
I'm whining tones OF the Collector $500
No, sir nothing MORE" WIS the reply. and scilarf
backed out of the room. Just outside Of II he met
Deputy Collector John II. Gunner, the man whom he
had charged with receiving $50 for each Chinaman
who was admitted at this port.
{" What do you mean By your accusations against
me - asked Mr.. Gunner. ~
Why my dear fellow said Scharf. It's a tempest
In a teapot. didn't make any charges against you
Sir. Gunner yearly tainted when lie stepped into
the Collector private room moment later Ia learn
from the Collector and the reporters that Scharf had
lust admitted that he had made the charges Which
one OF his stories i one to believe
Washington. July cj-'fhe report OF Chinese In
spector SCharf his investigation OF the fraudulent
entry OF Chinese ut the Port Of Ne~-Iork has been
received the Treasury Department. No report from
Collector Hendricks rs 10 Inspector scnarrs alega
ton OF collision by New York officials has yet been
received II Is alleged here that the Customs officials
nj New York have been extremely lax In issulfl
Chinese certificates. and that whenever Treasury
agents or Inspectors have undertaken 10 invcSga t.
matters they have been coolly received. To some "x
tent the same condition OF affairs. 1t Is said exists
I'm other cities where the customs officials seem IA
think that Treasury agents lave no right 10 investigate