1879_.

_To the Senate of the United States_:

I transmit herewith a letter of the Secretary of the Treasury, in
relation to the suspension of the late collector and naval officer of
the port of New York, with accompanying documents.

In addition thereto I respectfully submit the following observations:

The custom-house in New York collects more than two-thirds of all the
customs revenues of the Government. Its administration is a matter not
of local interest merely, but is of great importance to the people
of the whole country. For a long period of time it has been used to
manage and control political affairs.

The officers suspended by me are and for several years have been
engaged in the active personal management of the party politics of
the city and State of New York. The duties of the offices held by
them have been regarded as of subordinate importance to their partisan
work. Their offices have been conducted as part of the political
machinery under their control. They have made the custom-house a
center of partisan political management. The custom-house should be
a business office. It should be conducted on business principles.
General James, the postmaster of New York City, writing on this
subject, says:

The post-office is a business institution, and should be run as such.
It is my deliberate judgment that I and my subordinates can do more
for the party of our choice by giving the people of this city a
good and efficient postal service than by controlling primaries or
dictating nominations.

The New York custom-house should be placed on the same footing
with the New York post-office. But under the suspended officers the
custom-house would be one of the principal political agencies in the
State of New York. To change this, they profess to believe, would be,
in the language of Mr. Cornell in his response, "to surrender their
personal and political rights."

Convinced that the people of New York and of the country generally
wish the New York custom-house to be administered solely with a view
to the public interest, it is my purpose to do all in my power
to introduce into this great office the reforms which the country
desires.

With my information of the facts in the case, and with a deep sense
of the responsible obligation imposed upon me by the Constitution "to
take care that the laws be faithfully executed," I regard it as
my plain duty to suspend the officers in question and to make the
nominatio