New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-07-21
;. Free Trade in measuring.,'

Free Trade In Measuring"
T. ny Especial FB,Eyo Horace Greeisy:
DEAR SIR-In your paper of Tuesday last,
under the above caption, you have done me an
act of injustice which your reputation for candor
and fair-dealing induces nc to believe you Will
correct, by giving this communication pFom-
nent an insertion, as the article to which ii IS an
antidote. and which indirectly accuses me ofnon-
adherence to principle, and of not being able to
withstand the seducGons of place and pocket,
because your "e&peeiai TREND as you are
pleased to term me- whom you esteemed one
Of the sternest Free Trade men in the land, IS
sung persons for damages by him received and
suffered, in that they have measured gram, as
they were hired and paid to DO, to the prejudice
Of his Office Of Measurer General Of Grain.
And Won conclude your article in this wise !:
Well; there are .EuEiEs LETT yet--that & com
fo-t -
Now. vou certainly do not mean 10 make so
ilacitious an ntiuation to our juries as that they
may violate their oaths with IMMUNITY, and tram
ole the law under foot, because you go for the
Constitution and the laws And the defend
ants In these suits, who now bid defiance to the
law, have had the full benefit OF 1t for several
years. and until their full term Of Office has cx
pred and they viii not pretend that the law. the
eInounents of which they cling TO 50 tenacious
", is bad one. But, lest you should very SIN
cercr 80 imagine, and also imagine that 1t would
be better to have Corporation Measures appoint
ed without stint. will refer YOU to the Report OF
the Select Committee Of the Senate OF le52
Doc. 3d. which Committee consisted OF 'hessrS
Stephen Alien David II. Westcot and Herman
]. tluackenhoss, and was appointed even before
the Standing Committees OF the Senate, on the
third day OF the session, 50 glarlng was ITS ne
ccssitv: and winch Report was made on the APP
plic.tion OF Merchants Aliers, Towboat ana
Sluop Owners. and others, dealers IN Gram, IN
various towns along the Hudson a far up as
Saratoga County. BY this Report II appears that
the most cross abuses and frauds were practiscd
under the Corporation Measures al that tune !;
that there were then about forty Measures OF
Gram appointed by the city authority ana lndc-
pendent icach other, producing great competi'
ton in the business; that from the great number
thus concerned, the aggregate OF business was
entirely inadequate to full support or constant
employment: that from these circumstances 1t
frequently happened that the Measures were EN-
pIoved In and about the stores of dealers III gram,
and generally acted as agents or brokers IN their
purchases that they, therefore, did not possess
that independence and impartiality necessary IN
the performance of their official duties that
large parcels of gram were frequently sold by
sample, to be delivered at future day, and that
IN eases There prices had declined before delivery,
and the purchaser found AN advantage in evading
the contract, he had but to alledge that the gram
produced was inferior to the sample, ana MS
AIeasurer who was the arbitCy in these disputes,
uniformly decided in favor OF the party to whom
he was most indebted for employment and sup
port that appeals rom such decisions were dla-
tory and expensive, of course seldom rcsorlcd 10,
and that the party aggrcved was, IN effect, with
cut available redress that errors in measurement
often occurred almost uniformly to the advantage
Of the purchaser: and that In some instances,
where such parcels had been shipped and sold at
other ports, the quantity had exceeded largely the
New y ork measurement. Such were the abuses
set forth by this Senate Committee and surely
my especial friend Greeley would not know
ngly advocate return TO such abuses and such
a system Of Corporation appointments, especially
il he was aware of the fac; that the present sys
TEN is entirely free from those abuses. As to the
charge of my being stern Free Trade man. |
must plead guilty but not TO an extent that
would rob the people of any portion OF their pro-
perty or their hard earnings. Why, sir, fraud
OF five pounds weight on a barrel, on the two nlI-
lions barrels of -four manufactured III this State,
Ito say nothing Of frauds in the quahty,) would
amount. al the rate of So the barrel, to two hun
bred and tiity-iour thousand dollars per annunl-
considerably more than enough to pay Tor all the
inspections on al kinds OF produce throughout
the state And vet this is probably not llthc
OF the amount OF fraud that would DC committed
on the quality and quantity OF the single article
OF flour. but for the inspection law, winch costs
the people one cent on the barrel, or rather saves
to them one, two and three ShlilIngs Tor every
penny it costs.
Now, sir, lei me ask YOU in all candor is it not
necessary that the property and industry OF the
people should be protected, that their lire& and
liberty should be 1t appears TO me to be equal
" Indispensable; and that my opinions and prm-
ciplcs are not changed through tie scducuons
oi place and pocket" is matter of record. See
Assembly Journal of 1872, page 203. as follows:
The petition OF the citizens OF the city OF Utica
pravlag for the passage of d law compelling the
inspection OF -four sold in sad city, was read and
referred To the Committee on Trade and Manu-
ilcturcrs." Accompanying this very large pet!-
ton, were numerous certificates from their most
respectable dealers IN flour, grocers and others,
certifying 10 frauds OF five, ten, fifteen and TWEEN.
ty pounds on the barrel, as well as frauds in the
quality. These statements were confirmed by
the Members from that place; and, as the CHAIR
man o: the above named Committee | reported
and sustained compulsory bill, in accordance
with the wishes of the petitioners and my own
convictions of the necessity Of the case.
Very respectfully yours, sc. PAUL CIRCUIT
STRANGE PaocEEpNG.-Eleyen years ago the
Medical Society of this City, at one Of It's regular
meetings, elected the celebrated German physi-
can, H,HN&M,yN, an honorary member. When
his nane was presented. objection was made. and