“I suggest that you eliminate from the first paragraph the following:
‘In making certifications to positions in the Customs Branch of the Treasury Department, consideration will be given to experience showing familiarity with Customs Law and practice in Customs Cases.’
There is not a lawyer in the United States who has had experience in Customs Cases whom I would appoint Special Agent, except those who are earning five times what the position will pay. There are some in the cities, and especially in New York, quite a number of disreputable fellows who have had some experience in practice in Customs Cases, but there is not a New York lawyer of experience in Customs Cases whom I would appoint Special Agent except as I say those who would not accept. I care nothing for familiarity or practice in Customs Cases. What I want is a man competent to practice in Customs Cases, and with integrity enough to justify his appointment.”
As already stated, without fault of the Commission no lawyer who had ever tried a case in any court was ever made eligible and the Secretary of the Treasury could secure one only from the eligible list. There was an eligible list of law clerks but no list of lawyers.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
This text has been preserved as in the original, including archaic and inconsistent spelling, punctuation and grammar, except as noted below.
Obvious printer’s errors have been silently corrected.
Footnotes have been renumbered and then moved to directly below the paragraphs to which they belong.
“Tallyrand” was changed to “Talleyrand”
“cocklebur” was changed to “cockleburr”