The sun., 1909-11-07
PULL OF THE CUSTOMS CLERKS
SOMEBODY PIGEONHOLED COR
TELYOU COMMISSION REPORT.

Merchants VINO want Loeb Removed and
Honest OnnciAls VINO Are Not In on
the "MOiety'' Game Can for Open
Investigation OF intrigue and Graft.
The merchants who intend to ask
President Taft to gemove Collector Will
lam Loeb. Jr., and purify the customs
service have a good deal OF Information
for the Presidents ear concerning the
workings OF Mr.. Loeb's policy OF pro-
tecting thieves at the expense OF honest
officials. They are anxious to learn from
the President himself il he has been told
how far the policy OF collecting moieties
by the testimony OF confessed criminals
has gone.
1t is not at all unlikely, The SUN learned
yesterday, that United States District
Attorney Wise may be called to Washing
ton to illuminate the situation. Some
influences kept the prosecution OF import
ers out OF Mr.. Wise's hands. II Mr.. Wise
had been allowed to prosecute fraudulent
importers nobody would have benefited
save a few Government sleuths. who
collected evidence on the docks. Mr..
Wise gets a salary for working for the
Government. Others found themselves in
a position ito profit largely from moieties
received. in compelling importers to
restore money to the Government
II was learned yesterday that United
States District Attorney Wise is fully
informed concerning the case Of a weigher
who was asked II he could or would testify
in way that would be pleasing to persons
in position to guarantee immunity and
other comfortable things. The weigher
had been arrested charged with under
weighing. He was told. according to
report. that he would be kept out Of Jail
and that a post in the customs service
WORTH 81 500 a year would be guaranteed
to him IL he would turn informer. He re-
fused. Then he was indicted.
The Interested merchants are collecting
information concerning Collector Loeb's
difficulties in making places in the service
for confessed thieves who have made
themselves useful. There are so many
self confessed grafters that it has been
hard for Collector Loeb to make good with
his general promise of protection. He
has been scratching around pretty busily
with transfers and shifts. The big crooks
in the customs house have helped in the
official game OF checkers.
The clean handed customs men have
been shadowed and quizzed for weeks
by private sleuths who were willing to
buy them unlimited drinks on the chance
that they might know something which
would put an importer -in bad One
man who has been in the customs service
twenty years was approached the other
day by a spy from the custom house
headquarters. The spy insisted that he
must know things that would help In the
prosecution. The official told the spy that
ne was getting along in years. but that
he still had a good punch concealed in his
right fist. The spy took the hint and
skipped.
One or two officials under Mr.. Loeb.
x-gamblers and others, have shownthem
selves keen and resourcerul In getting
to make way for dishonest and tacile
officials. These matters. the straight
| forward customs officials say. cannot be
uncovered in cpurt trials The only
way in which the truth can be pried out
10 by the interposition of the President
of the United States or by the action Of a
Congressional commission which shall be
I on the level.
The scope OF the investi cation that
Congress will be required to make broad
ems every day. The commission will find
| il necessary, for instance, to look into the
workings OF a star chamber that has de-
/ veloped under Collector Loeb. The COM
mission will be asked to find just how far
the local civilservice board has nullified
civil service regulations. Men In the GUS
toms service have complained OF the
ects OF the local civil service board and
got no satisfaction.
An effort will be made to learn why
reports of corruption in the Gust oms
have been buried by officials In Wash
ington. A commission was sent here
, hxxG tar nf he 4 'fyrt talv
TO examine into and report on crooked
ness in the weighing ana gauging division,
the division where the sugar trust frauds
and the cheese and fig frauds a nd many
other frauds sprang up and .hourished.
The commission investigated and re-
ported After Mr.. Cortelyou retired
somebody pigeonholed the report. IL
might have lifted the lid and exposed
a lot Of people.
A solicitor attached to the Appraisers
departm ent. He round that certain
merchants had been allowed to steal so
cents n pound on Japanese silks from
the Government. The situation had
become intoersble to other merchants
who dealt in japanese silks. They
business il the fraud wasn't stopped
The solicitor discovered what had been
going on and he learned who The guilty
examiners were. He reported to Wash
ington. The report was pigeonholed.
No amount OF prosecution aimed at
collecting moieties is expected by tho
merchants to reveal what has been going
on in the New York Custom House before
and since William Loeb. Jr., took Office
as Collector. They do not think that
protecting their thieving accomplices
within the service will destroy the graft
system. The grafters kept in ofiice.
they reason, win begin to steal as soon