New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-28
TIE NET- TORK CUSTOM HOUSE.
WILLIAM I. STONE DEFENDS THE INsPbTORs
AND EXPLAINS THEIR TRIALS.

In regard to the New-York Custom House, which by
some Is supposed to be either sink OF iniquity or
at bes; a drydock into which decayed POLITICIANS,
ward 'heeiers" gentlemen OF broken fortunes and
pcrsons stranded the voyage OF lie hau III ior
repars that brief description OF ks several func-
tons nay not-cspeciaIly at this time, when the
Dockery Commission b sitting-be OUT OF piice vi
destitute OF general interest
First let me define what the New-York Custom
House really is. II Is divided into three depart
ments viz the Collectors. Naval and surveyor
Offices The Collectors cflce-appropriaely named
IS TO collect the revenue levied dutiabe goods
The Surveyors Office is really the executive orancn
OF the service. and the Naval office tmisname') Is
simply the auditors Office OF the Collectors depart
mcnt OF course. while the Collectors department.,
so far as regards patronage IS much the greatest OF
the three embracing bonded warehouses. In wnch
merchants store their goods until II Is convenient
for them to pay the duties. ana the AppFahei
Stores. where goods are sent for the va1ue VI tle
goods on which the amount OF duties Is pascu Is
10 be determined by experts. yet. practically the
Surveyors department Is OF more importance IMAM
either those Of the Collector Naval officer. and Tor
this reason that Il f. to It's suboridnates, ycep In
specors that the chief responsibility rests 10 see
that no goods are delivered from vessels until the
inspectors have been assured by a paper from inc
Collector technically called "peTmit') that the
duties have been paid or bond gwen tor the same
| after due appraiscmcnt.
The Surveyors Office Is sublyide1 follows:
First. the regular day inspectors second the night
watchmen or. "a they have been within few years
styled night inspectors third. the examiners roorn
in which the returns OF the discharging inspectors
| are passcd upon fourth the "dcbenture-room. hav-
Ing charge OF all exports and goods in transl;u;
NTH the measurer's department. whose business 1t
Is 10 survey and measure the tonnage OF vessels
and. sixth. the wcighers and gausers departments
The day inspectors. again. are In their turn d.
vlded although all rank the same 50 far as re-
CARDS pay; VIZ: FIRST. those assigned to the survey
or's staff" the business OF which Is TO board Tor
clgn vessels on their first coming up the Bay and
take the declarations" OF the passengers as TO
whether they have any dutiable goods In their
possession this being done merely to facilitate the
work OF those inspectors who are assigned 10 the
examination Of their baggage upon the vessel com
ing up to the wharf. second the inspectors who
examine the baggage OF passengers; third, as
charging inspectors or thosc who are detailed to
each steamer 10 gee that all goods are properly
landed under permit" from the Collector fourth
district inspectors. These although generally looked
down upon by d'scharglng inspectors. have fully
as grca, responsibility a the others
The origin OF this distinction was as follows
In 100 by a law OF Congress IL was enacted That
one Inspector should be assigned TO each foreign
vessel arriving at the Port Of Ncw-York' now
at this time. as appears by the above quotation
from The New York Journal" as only one or
two ships arrived In the courvc OF week. this
~ na1s va IL was Found impossible 70
de,ali an Inspector 20 each vessel, there We're
not enough officers to 10 round Hence. the Port
of New-i orI was subsequently divided into nifty
nine districts some OF which embrace watef-fronts
districts IL Assigned a district Inspector. whose
duty II Is to patrol daily hs 'errltSry' vessel
foE's PORT = nj ha S ns e ssFO h rs n S
tn Collector Cechnically called return J. whsn. II
ey"ry'hirg i far ana square; NE T1g'o o,Nrs
also have charge Of al exports passing through
The United states from CaiAda ana MeNiso, as
Ia .soIT u
from the port where they are landei 70 interior
cities Of the United States. where the duties are
a. hsy1 before remarked. the responsibility Of
the collection OF duties actually deyolves upon me
inspectors 81 The surveyors Office since upon their
vigilance and discretion the collector must deprhd
those very men probably the, most abused
and mahgnel or any class Oh oIl'.'aalS ~ 1T IN
tom House Their hour. every Gay IN me Week; ino
Guiding Sundays. are from In the morning unui
and II oceek AZ n,kh,; 'h,y " io bo pSld
by Themselves. they not In tho line OF clvl ser
grcss curta!led. and their lives often rendered
miserable by the complaints or those VINO atsSIP'
continually 10 dcfraud the revenue by smuggling.
Hence, - II strange that an lnspector WIN -
family 70 support. occasionally Yields to tewpta-
In mind. to defraud the Government or It's Just
due-. bat for kindly and cors.derateiy omit ~
trunk. the soilcd linen and underclothes OF lazy
Another way in which srea; injustice Is. IN,
doubtedy done TO the inspectors and know OF
ny own ns IN er b FOR their SER
vices rendered to tho merchant put down az an Item
wsen. az a matter OF fact. not cent has been
received by the latter. The broker nevertheless.
bca-s the onus OF having received the amount!
made am ihN WI nee oicers lend themselves to cheat
The by eouiSH WIN 9 mere TnG say
cxaggeration In such allegations. As an inkspot
will show moro on a clean garment than on soled
rpeck Is seen more distinctly, by the public eye
that 1t otherwise would. SUI. as say these
either in the temptitlon held out By the passfsn-
ger h!mseIf. or ~ suspicious which are susceptible
Take. for example. al instance occurring in my
own experience. l was once detailed to examine
baggage. The passenger whose effects was eN-
aiming. having one OF his boxes bound WIN n
cord requested the loan Of my knife to sever IL
Afier cutting the cord he came up 70 re and
slipped the knife into my vest rocket Now. had
look out for crooked workO seen this action OF
TIE pasnser he would at once n%Es aG se
examined my poke: ana found money there-which
In his mind dor all custoni-h house officers are re
versing the rule confidercd gully ~ proved IN
brib. Now. in such case what should have
done? Had I allowed the special" to examine my
Wonid ny eAPai',pf hrTe Had on the con-
nan WIZ S I'M u, ow hin, 70 learc6 nv pocket
either have been dismissed for characterization. or
have hal suspicion or p stigma attached to me
all my nfc-and yet was as innocent as an UNI
CURING to ny own experience can give IT, as IL
were cx cathedra-but ALSO because this s only
character in which an Officer Of well-known pro-
bV has without his knowledge at the time,
found n sovereign In his pocket week afterwnrd.
The fact is. the late Abram Wakeman Gen
eral Charles X. Graham. the Hon. James l.. Bene-
dict Surveyors OF the Port. and the Hon. Samuel
NJ Blatchford. the present Acting Surveyor have
often In private conversations said to me- "a bet
ter body OF men than the United States inspectors
OF the Port OF NeuYork are rarely to be found"
And that all OF these gentlemen were and are
shrcwd observers OF human nature admits OF no
doubt.
That there are dshonorabe men in every walk
OF life there a. no question: and while II Is more
than likely that there inspectors on the force
who are thoroughly corrupt yet there Is no doubt
that. taken 5 a whole more honorable faithful.
reputable and intelligent body of men than the
inspectors OF the New-York Custom House does
not exist. "Haud inexpertaG loGuor"
WILLIAM l.. STONE
Mount Vernon. n. Y. June 8. 1891.