Customs

Customs — marelibri

[New York City – Politics – Customs] Riddle, CABAA

1854 Letter Warning of “Humbug” and Advising a Strategy for Fixing a Political Appointment for Collector of the Port of New York

1854ref. List2974New York City 1854. Single one-page letter measuring 8 x 12 ½ inches. Folded with one small tear; near fine. A letter from “C. Riddle” with the New York City Inspector’s Department to “Sant. Mairs Esq” concerning the best way to push through their choice of appointee for the Collector of the Port of New York. Riddle writes: “I write this to inform you that there has been six or seven appointments made in the Custom House within the last few days. You know what the old man told us the other day when you were here. This looks to me as if there was some humbug going on. Now my dear sir in my opinion the certain way to secure Mr. Van Derlip’s appointment is for you to write to Washington and secure the influence of Dayton or Miller or someone of your Congressmen to see the Secretary of the Treasury and let them use their influence with him. It is said here by the knowing ones that all the appointments are made at Washington now if this be so this is the only way to fix the Collector. . A little effort on your part in this way will I think fix the matter.” Given that Riddle mentions the Custom House the “Collector” position the two are trying to fix is likely Collector of the Port of New York. This position which oversaw the collection of import duties and fines was extremely lucrative: it paid a percentage of money collected at what was then the busiest port in the US and the Collector’s office was also able to hand out federal jobs. The Collector was appointed by the President who at the time was Franklin Pierce; the Secretary of the Treasury whom Riddle is suggesting Mairs influence was James Guthrie. Guthrie pushed reforms on customs collectors including requiring much more frequent reports from them. If Collector of the Port was the position in question the pair were unsuccessful; State Senator Heman J. Redfield was the Pierce-appointed Collector from 1853 to 1857 and no one named Van Derlip ever held the position. An intriguing example of an attempt at political maneuvering. Of interest to scholars of New York City politics. unknown books