Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-06-12

exhibiting the real value of the goods, the latter about
two-thirds of that value. The duty was thus reduced
in 1892 sixteen or seventeen per cent. the reduction
ut present averages from thirteen to fourteen per cent,
the duty having been lowered by the compromise act.
t IS obvious that an ESCAPE from onc-ihird of the
duty enables them successfully to compete with our
own manufacturers, and drive them out of tho market.
Another mode was direct corruption and bribery.
This is proved to have been rractiscd dlrlnga portion
of o period when Mr.. Swartwout was collector.
Now it appears that all these modes of cvadlnG the
revenue had gone on for years undctccted, until a
case happened which I shall now produce to the
Conn itcc. One of those lirg ish manufacturers.
commonly known as Yorkshire clcthiers sent out his
son to this country as his agent end consInnec, VINO
entered his goods for a series of years at our custom
house on the exhibition of invoices talsificd to the
amount of onc-third Of the valuc. 1t happened, how
ever, that, in spite of all this successful lo.1lcry, The
father m England bacurlc . bankrupt, III cflerqlcncc a.,
Of which bis account books and correspondence We're
put into the hands of his n]ssignecs 10 be Examined
when all his frauds came to light. Those %nsSigEocs
sent their books over to this country, and they came
into the hands of the collector ut Ncw-l ork. Then
the genuine invoices were compared with those which
for a series of years back had been exhibited by his
son and sworn to. The son, however, does not ap-
pear to have been publicly prosecuted for perjury, but
to have been sued for that balance Of duty winch he
ought to have paid and did not. On the 18th of June,
in 1889, the cause went to q jury, who brought IN n
scaled verdict finding a balance of twelve thousand
two hundred and se>entv-cight dollars and seventy
sz cents for the United states. The District .Attor-
nCv has given a printed account of the trial; II Is one
of the most curious cases which has occurred OF late
years, and goes forcibly to Illustrate the position |
have taken in relation to the English law, as fixing IN
the minds of British subjects a false code of morality
as respects defrauding foreign nations of their revenue.
"Thc defendant had imported a large amount of
f ' woolens between the llth February, 1884, and the
" 18th September, 1897, on which he had paid duties to
" the amount of So $50 Is, being 20 per cent. I'D ratio
" rem with the reduction required by the compromise
" act) on the amount of tho invoices by which he had
/" entered POS packages of cloths and cassimers.
I Sd. +. Butler, Esq. district attorney, opened the
" case on the part of the United States. He called
g " the attention of the jury TO the fact that the revenue
V " laws imposing duties on WOODEN goods had attracted
II ' the special attention of Congress: that II higher
r " duty had been imposed on woolcns than on most
: " other goods imported; and that this presented great
t ser temptation 10 enter them below their rcnl V ahuc,
I" than the duties levied on other merchandise. He
" said it would appear in proof that Mr.. Samuel r,
" Wood, the %deicndant IN the cause, a British subject,
t :" resident i'll New York, had been engaged in the i'm
II "portation of woollcn goods for number of years ;
If " that he was the son of John Wood, Of Saddleworth,
n " England who was in the habit of purchasing cloths
" and cassimcres in the SaddIcworth market, and
V " shipping them 10 his sonin Newly ork, who entered
u g them as owner, taking the oaths prescribed by your
/" laws, and producing invoices and bills of ladIng, and
Is i" making entries accordingly. He also received con-
in u slgnmCnts of similar goods from other persons,
IS which he entered in like manner. On the face OF
al I" the papers, presented by the defendant at the custom
le I" house at the time Of entry, nothing occurred, except
to s. in a very few instances, to excite suspicion in the
" g minds of the officers of the revenue ; but 1t would
st g come out in the proof for the most part, of letters
II " from defendant to his father, and ofother document
cs " which had come to the hands OF the collector, tina
to " the defendant had entered his goods much below
IN " their real cost. His custom 1rdS TO prOducc an m
H. " roice Storing tie cost 10 be Oniy hr0-hirdS ofhered
es " cost in England; thus, by rdy efWnStrotion, an
ad " article, he real cost Qf lrhici iraS .ffttcn shilling
adj % per yrrd, rms entercd al tc, ShiViqgs, md III, di
p = ties rere Of course caIcVLated on a false inroice anc
%. " entrM, and not on the acfual cost Qfhe goodS. TIL,
ct I" district attorney stated the law to be, that though
It's g the United States may have allowed entrio, by falls
lie " invoices, and taken duties accordingly, yet the,
N. "may aGtcrward charge the duty on the real cost. ]
90 the goods Were now in defendants possession, o
ed g could be traced and identified, the United State
to s. might have Il forfeiture of them. In this case, how
or ever, the goods having been sold and delivered, 81
as to be beyond the reached Of the United States
ts " there could be no attempt 10 forfeit them"
/, In consequence of the possession Of the papers o
NC this bankrupt, a very curious and edliyirg corrcspon
he dcnco betwcon the father and the son also came t
~. ight, Mr.. Adams then read 10 the committee Il lette
Z from Bordeaux, as follows -
Ct ST seems to me that the time is now arrived whe1
III q some measures are loudly called for 10 protect on
'' 90 revenue from fraud, and ] firmly believe that tn
IN sc consular certificate 10 ell invoices would, IN man
~ ceases, lead to It's detection.
:, Many persons ask what is the use Of the consu!a
" certificate when the goods are free Of duty, or pa
ch g specific duty. =.
:, 1.-THE following circumstance which has occurred i
=" thi5 port will prove the use Of such certificate
le " There is al prcschr ht1s" al .iiNnense quantity
as s. shipping for Ncw-0rleanS. was %recGfuy T~-Afiit7
- that Il great many boxes had been made, purportn.
IA to contain wine in bottles, but so fitted mp, Wit
II " false lids, as evidently to be designed 10 be f!lr'
" with dry goods. | have, of course communicate
:" this information TO the collector of NCw-Orlcans, II
c. " case these boxes are to be sent there. But If ever,
" invoice was submitted To the consul's inspection,
Of ." am certain that, from the data | have, | could pu
/" nv finger on this particular shipment, and secur
u 90 lhc detection of the fraud. Indeed. hclate seizure
Isl - in the United States and various circumstance
he /" must convinced every one that some additional mean
I'D " are required TO protect the revenue and the grea
nd s. reluctance of many shippers to have their invoice
of . verified by the consul is Of Itself Il proof that 1t Is
" precaulion which ~inlerfsres with the practice nov
be " much used, of making ont the invoice Gter NJ goQd
it :" drrtrs, 50 that the ORIGINAL iYrQicC from abroad
mt Z" often Withheld. In this county, particularly, sue
cir " "A regulation is loudly called for in the interest OF on
he NAVIGATION. THE want Of it enables French vessel
,c- " t. carry all kinds of foreign goods 10 the Unite
" States without their beng subjected to addition
" duties, in consequence of no regulation requiring tht
"inyoiccs and maniiosts to be certified by our c"asul
d ! A" whereas, all American vessels arriving IN Franc
" are bound To produce thCsc certificates ON Their nf
a " niicsts from the French consuls on the other sid,
"Our sllipmasters, as You had an opportunity {
esi g judging, complain that French vessels enjoy IN
no " immunity, and with good reason. lhccNll VIII W
Il - cOmeof still greater magnitude when lines o! FrcnC
DO " steamers ure established between France ind New
ue, d" York, This will take place ere long inevitably,
be " the French Government will furnish the funds
/" necessary. And, unless the regulation su4gc
the :" l. adopted, oil the Swiss AMI German goods that III
les " now shipped i'll our packets will be sent III Il
= i'rcnch.
! Il "Thc present regulations of our custom houses y
" quire that all INVOICES of goods shipped for the a
I" count of persons residing ont of the United Stat
N " should be certified by the conSuiS. rms, 81 cOurS
I'VE " eXemptS all others from that Formally. Now, it
hs- perfectly well known that the great and impJrial
ely shipments are made by the European Manufacture
m - for their own account. They ALL however, have .
pie - agent or confidential clerk III the United States,
oes whom the goods are oslenslbly shipped for his n
wn I" count and others. The consular vcIliicatlon is evar
de- A" ed. Let every invoice be certified, and we >hou
the a." know who the proprietor is, and whether he is Il
'rd, " manufacturer or not, rs there would then be no IN
ted I" tive in concealing that fact. On the other han
ry I" surprising the goods are realty shipped for accoul
is a I" of persons in the United States, the shipper has
cen /" motive for makinga false declaration before the col
6 sui. In every point of view, therefore, such q r
ent Z" gulation would be attended with useful results.
be You see (said Mr.. Adams the advantages wink
the are taken IN consequence of having but one or ~
n of packages examined. Here boxes were made WI
I OF double covers, purpurnng 10 contain wine, but ben
you actually flied with dry goods. These were shpll
nc ir'm Irarcc to New-Lrlcans, aud thence 10. Cnci
) al matt, where the fraud was discovered. The g.
signce was prosecuted, but II happened unfortunate
= of thnt l,r evidence in possession of the collie tor Prov
the IN some respect, defective and not only did the ca
Iple siAneo escape, but he turned round ana sued the 81
nue. ycyor of the port for damages ON II false seizure, I,
per marty here concerned was oneof those same \ orksll
~clothiCrs.
trust | have now presented TO the committee SUI
c is cicnt reasons To show that the motion 10 strike q