Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-08-12

L /. y 1910 iUilt. uaQ DIR Ia.
lot Congress, and our laws Of the % T sss'
Isury, and POW we have the laws n tr "a
iComptroller. The following cas !. NE
curred in this city: ' &C.
A rumour being aaoat that a nev :,
alarming constructors Of the tariff a 10
had been adopted at the Custom Ho law
in consequence of letter of instrnosase
lately received from Mr.. Andersen I''o u
cemptrolIer Of the treasury, me a; he
made application to Mr.. GelSto'
know whethera debenture wonld a 10
Issued for goods about to be expor,as Is
which (being imported before the new !. IN
rllf went into operatiqn,) double d"ss ID
had been paid and was answered i; n2.ts
affirmative, but was informed At the az g., ne
time that the debenture would be ;s aa'as
on the amount of the single duties o u,ssG
Such is the construction now for /.
words of the law itself. ~ VIC
In the 18th section of the act est.h,;,
ling the tariff it is provided hat s4'
Merchandise imported into tho rrna
ed States if exported within one va..
from the paying Or securing the dnt;a
thereon from the ports ferris inal imno ss
tation, are entitled to drawback g
such duties.'' NA Vi
"sec. so. 1fgoods a"q exported r,or
the district into which fey we're or;s WV
Tally imported, the expor rr shall rece e;u,
Iron the collector OF such district d.
jbenture or debentures for the anon, e
such drawback, payable at the exact tins
Or times on which the duties on sprb
goods shall become due.'
These are the exact words Of the ),u
Applicable to the subject; and so pIa;n
and explicit are they, tina! am wbrIv
lat loss how to put two different con.
Isructions upon them. But very diff.
ferent and forced construction, and ono
which they will not bear, has, as we see,
ibeen put upon them, in favour of the tre,.
Isury, and Injurious to the merchant
The words are merchandise imported
Iif exported within one year from the pay.
Ing or securing the duties thereon. are
entitled to drawback of sack duties
precisely such as had been paid or secur.
ed; and the exporter shall receive from
the collector debeniure for the amount
of such drawback, payable at the exact
time on which the duties shall become
due. Words more precise cannot be
yet they are tortured by the
comptroller into meaning wholly dit-
terent. Take coffee for example. This
explanation, is, | am aware, wholly un.
necessary for the merchant but write
for every body.) The duty on coffee,
previous to the new tariff, was 10 centsa
pound, and the importer was compelled
TO pay. or secure to be paid, this sum to
tie collector, if he imported it before the
50th of June last but if he exports it
any time before the 30th of June 1917,
he becomes, under this law entitled toa
discharge of his bond, or return of his
money, if paid, and he shall receive from
the collector debenture, certifying that
a drawback or discharge of such duty,
1.-THE whole of it, is due to him; which
Gebenture is made payable by the coIec-
tor at the exact time that the duties fall
due from the importer, so that The de-
benture shall operates to all iatents and
purposes to discharge the bond, and thus
the United States derive no beDeht from
the duties, as was intended. But under
the new tariff, the duty upon coffee is re-
duced to 5 cents pound and now the
collector refuses the merchant lis deben-
ture emitting him to a drawback OF 10
cents pound, although he holds bis bnnd
for the double duties; by which con-
of the law, a violation OF both
its letter and spirit, the United States
exact duty of S cents pound more
than they are entitled to.
What renders the case still harder &
more oppressive and injurious is, that this
construction of the law has been Just re-
sorted to: Till yesterday the tue and
obvious meaning of the words had been
adopted, and the merchants have unver-
sally conducted their business a,cn ding
ly. In purchases, allowances have neen
made for the title to debenture to the full
amount of the duties, and contracts toan
immense value have been made on tliat
footing. II this new and unsusrfGleo
construction is now to prevail. il will III
yolve nearly the ruin of some individuals
and atleast, the extreme embarrassment
of almost every importer in the country
Such construction of the law by the comp
troIler, renders it defective in every es'
sential requisite menl oned in the INTRO
ductioD to this article Instead OF being
: rule prescribed by The Supreme P0'e'
In the state'' it is an arbitrary, huc'ua,'
I,o or,n;on ofa unauthnri7p ed i,,(liyiGua!,