Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1831-11-17
NEW YORK CONVENTION.
EvAsIONs OF TIE REVENUE LAWS

EVASlONS OF TIE REVENUE LAWS.
Mr.. ScHENCK, from the Committee on
Violations Of the Revenue, nude Re
port in part, i'll which the Committee ask
for lurthertime, and tia; they may be
allowed to make the residue Of their Re-
port to the central committee.
MIR. COKE, in reference to some claims
ofthe Report, which speak Of certain i'll
terpretations Of the revenue laws by the
Secretary ofthe Treasury, observed that
he had lately received letter from Mr..
lngham, in which it was stated that the
estimation Of pound sterling at S4 Al,
operated to deprive the Treasury of u
large amount of money which it would
receive weIe the same quantity of goods
imported from France or other countries,
in consequence of the rule OF Exchange.
The letter also suggested that the min
imum rule of duties, might in Il great
measure be prevented by valuing the
goods at the place Of important, at home
instead of their manufacture or eyporta-
ton in the fore on country.
Mr. ELLSWORTH, of Newly ork, NOV
cd to recommit the Report which had Just
been read, as the committee who made
it were promised communication very
important results from the Custom i ouse
The manufacturers, he observed, ought
to know that they were suffering under
the efleC.s of a great evil of which they
were little aware. He had retained his
seat until now, hoping that some other
member of the convention would intro
duce the subject, but as no one had done
so, he felt it his duty to speak. lie had
been merchant in this city for these last
sixteen years, and chiefly engaged in
the sale of cloths, and his experience
had taught him, that the manufacturers
Of cloths here actually enjoyed protcc-
ton Of no more than from forty TO forty
fire per cent*-a fact which arose from
the constant and fragrant violation of the
revenue laws. A foreigner arriving on
our shores needed no other introduction
than an invoice of goods to the amount Of
two or three thousand pounds sterling, to
obtain for him at once the aid of Il pow
crful combination existing here, all OF
whom would give him every possible ia
cility to get his money and 20 off with it,
after having grossly dcfrauded the gov
ernment Of the country. This difficulty
arose from the immense quantities OF
cloths invoiced, as having cost from six
shilings to six and eight pence or six &
nine pence sterling yard, when in fact
they had cost from nine to ten shilings.
All the merchants were perfectly aware
of this. Mr.. f. said, he had latcly been
called upon by the collector to examine
an invoice of twenty bales of goods, all
entered at the rate of six shllmgs and 8
pence, or six and ten pence, and before
he had examined ten pieces, he came to
cloths worth eight and nine and ten shil-
lings. What was the effect of such false
entries? The Tariff Law declared that
goods costing six and eight pence abroad,
should pay duty of GA cents a yard
while those costing nine shilings, must
pay 81 10 cents. This difference
caused the government to lose no less
than S4OO on every one ofthose bales
1t was thus that our manufacturers were
deceived and betrayed They would
have a sample of English cloth put into
their hands, and be told the price which
it cost. He would say, can make this
article at a profit, and he would thcreup-
on 90 and invest capital in producing the
goods. He would then bring them into
market, and what did he meet? A mar
ket Overlooking with goods worth 9s ster-
ling, selling at the price at which such
goods can be afforded when paying duty
ont s. 8 pence land the reason was that not
one piece in one hundred had paid the
duty charged upon it by law.
If gentlemen ask how could such a
state of things exist and no remedy be
applied? the answer was that the state oi
public feeling was so highly wrought ur
against the American Manufacturer, *
in favor of the foreign agents, and their
importations that the Collector though nc
wise wanting in honesty, diligence, o'
zeal, was defeated in every attempt tc
stray the evil He had been so goaded
and harrassed by public and private at
tacks that he had been actually disabled
from putting the laws of the country ir
force. This surely was wrong and the
state of public feeling was an erroneous
one. The laws were suffered to be dai
ly disobeyed--and the foreign agent
whose interests were at home, and wh'
regarded neither God nor man, provi
dcd he could only get his goods through
the Custom-Housc, laughed at the ide'
of any moral obligation to restrain him.
He did not speak Of respectable and up
right English or French merchants; ial
from it; they groaned with our own clti
zens under the oppression of this system
II SIN explanation he said he had not reference e