Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-07-27
COLLECTOR roWNsENp,s ooUP.
Drawing the Net Around Collector Cooper
OF the District of Philadelphia, Who Is
Now "CominS Down the Tree"

Drawing the Net Around Collector Cooper
OF the District of Philadelphia, Who Is
Now Coming Down the Tree"
Collector George l.. Townsend has
managed the Linwood wharf matter with
such llnesse that the position leaves moth
ing for Collector Cooper of the "City of
Brotherly Love- to do but to discover the
way he can most gracefully crawl down
the tree.
The following communication was re-
ceiyed late yesterday week from Philadel-
phia:
OFFICE OF COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS. PoRT OF
PHILADELPHIA. July 10, ls93.-Georgs Il. 7opn-
send, Esq Collector Of Cust0nts Wilmington, Dsi.-
DEAR Sils-lteferring TO your letter OF 18th in
slant n regard TO the correct location OF oil
form you that the question Will be fully inyes-
tigated and that you will be appraised Of the re-
suit a. the earliest possible date. Yours re-
speetfully, II. j. GRIZZLY,
Special Deputy Collector.
ALI this correspondence is of course the
mere polite formalities of bureau courtesy.
As far as the public will judge, and in re-
gard to the authority in the matter, it is
all clearly defined in the revised statutes.
The collector of Philadelphia has been all
along in the wrong. In addition, although
Collector Townsend is too courteous to e1-
press himself so, clearance papers given
out by Collector Cooper Of Philadelphia or
by any of his deputies, 20 vessels leaving
the wharf under discussion, are legally
worthless to the master of the vessel, and
for such violation of law Collector Cooper
of Philadelphia, is open to reprimand.
He has as little right to give clearance
papers dated Galveston or Santa Barbara
as from Delaware ports. The latter are
equally beyond his jurisdiction. That he
has been exceeding his rights for many
years is no extenuation in his continuing
to do wrong, now that the facts have been
brought to his notice. No one in the
United States can give legal clearance
papers to the large oil ships and banks
leaving for foreign ports from the Della
ware wharf but Collector Townsend.
United States law makes that clear enough.
The revised statutes, Chapter l., Section
2,543 fix the district of Philadelphia by
the State line of Pennsylvania. Chapter
l., Section 2,456 defines the district of
Delaware to be fixed at the State line of
Delaware.
The State line between Pennsylvania and
Delaware is not now matter of dispute.
Collector Townsend is promised by Com
missioner Hoffecker, ex-Speaker of the
House, who is q member of the Joint COM
mission appointed by the Legislatures of
the two states to make the State boundary,
a certificate showing that the wharf in
question is at least 500 feet within the
boundary line of Delaware, as shown by
the granite pillar placed at that point on
the orders OF the joint commission. This
will settle matters.
All the correspondence in regard to the
matter will be placed before the Secretary
| of the Treasury. There is no doubt as to
the ultimate settlement of the question,
| for, to make any ruling other than one
favorable to Delaware would require
| nothing less than an act of Congress,
| the law in the case being so clear.