Polynesian., 1844-08-03

" 'he very laclnty with winch they acquire
1t, and their dependence upon the inexhaust-
able resources of their appointments, makes
them to be careless of its preservation, and
leads them to squander it, by means as lille
gal as those by which they acquired it, and
all this without encouragement in any sense
or way to those branches of industry which
constitute public wealth." "The Govern
ment believes, in good faith, '-speaking of
a remedy" that it would be fully obtained,
by only diminishing the rates of the duties;
regulating the laws which apply to the con-
fiscation of Struggled goods, so as to leave
no lOophole for their evasion, and to appro-
pirate the whole value of the goods coniisca-
ted to those who seize or denounce them, as
the most effectual stimulus to the faithful dis
charge of their duties, and by e%nacting clear,
positive, and even very severe laws, against
all the Employees" be they of what class
they may, who directly, or indirectly, pro-
tect, tOment or conceal Contraband, clearly
designating every class of crimes and faults,
and appointing Employees of probity and in
telligence, with good salaries, punctually
paid; because it is abundantly evident, that
in this way all the great merchants belong
ing to the nations which trade with Mexico,
whenever they observe a diminution Of du-
ties, leaving on their speculations a sure,
though small profit, will make their remittan-
ces ofgoods, in good faith, and will not expose
them to the risk of being confiscated for a
trifling saving of duty; that they will enlarge
the scale of their operations, that the public
will buy the goods they want at a price lower
in proportion to the amount ofduty taken off,
and that the ' employees" secure in a decent
subsistence, seeing that the bride for their
seduction cannot be so large as at present,
and fearing the weight of a law condemning
them to the contempt and execration of their
fellow-citizens, would not so easily sell them
selves, but would fulfil their duties with fdel-
ity; and finally that public morality, in this
respect, would improve, in place of being as
at present, in a state of total Decline"
Nobody could have more clearly exposed
the monster evil Of this Republic, in all its
hideous deformity, than Senior Garay, nor
could any one have recommended means
more e%ffectual for its destruction. But,
alas ! the only efficient one of those means,
al adequate reduction of the Import, and
other duties, was neglected, and without it
all the others were of no use. Thus we
find Don Joaquin Lebrija, the able minister
of Finance, in 1897, in his "memoria" of
that year, speaking of the financial system
which still prevailed, as one that only tend
ed to the absorption of the fortunes of indi-
viduals as, 'the only problem solred by .Meri-
can sequestration;''a and as one practically lea
wing the road of fraud open to all who tried
to commit it. We find Don Francisco Lom-
bardo, the enlightened minister of Finance,
in 1899, in his "memoria,' of that year,
saying:-"Even without taking into consid-
Grafton the species of necessity which often
leads to contraband, arising from the very
impossibility Of avoiding it, in every case,
from the great inequality in the value OF
goods which regularly pay the duties, and
those which escape the vigilance of the Gus
tom houses, there will always exist an incen-
tive to it, more powerful than all laws, which
is personal interest, encouraged by ~avarice,
which resorts almost uniformly to the cor
rupt means of bribery to nullify the opposi-
ton of the Custom house officers, and often
even the zeal Of pure employees, who under
other circumstances would remain faithful
to the nation, and to their own conscienccs
The simple necessity of committing fraud, is
an inexhaustible source of immortality, which
ramifying itself in every direction, vitiates
all classes, and throws insuperable obstacles
in the way of all branches of the public adj
ministration." We find Don Jarier Eche-
~verria, minister of Finance. in 1910, in his
Z" memorial" of that year, estimating the
yearly product of the Custom houses at 6,
600 900 of dollars, supposing the ~exertion Of
>. Z" the greatest vigilance upon the public
employees and further remarking sc unless
the laws be properly applied the excess OF
the passions cannot be restrained, nor can
the abuses and Irregularities which are com.
mitted, to the defraudment of the sacred in
f terests of the public Treasury be corrected,
The means Of the government are not sufi.