The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1846-08-20

amen1meni. AEea6nRni impliss die En-
sleiss u iaagIn~nl. onasideEaiios aaa -
hhsral.oa and he line and eirusmsiae-
ees DO na sdmii q lhese EeSsisiiss 70 e
gislaiioa. hope aers will D. no mass
moheas % smend iaL this naGaon be.
ing made. | an fnHced 10 vote np0a il.
apo must give ~ Feasons Cor The soGs.
The mOiioa Is 70 ssriks Oul lie sscti0as
which authorize he GoFemmsnl 70 con-
siiinle itself The purchaser o. lhs imposta-
tlon- THIS % Eai neE question . ne :
u Y not the hnt lime ] haFe Ihougks a.
taiked sbosI u A. least EiI months 20.
IN conversation with lhe chairman Of lhe
Committee q Ways and Means &C lhs
House a. Representative. mr.. Mckay
I mentioned The British practice Of taking
she impOrstion - The invoice price a. IN
objection 70 The I'd Ealorem system. I
objected 10 the SYSTEM. and mentioned
this identcai pTssnee IL the British CO.
Fenment a. % inridenl 10 die system,
and one NOT suitable 10 ihe genius q our
Government. or perhaps consistent with
our constitution. In GEeai Britain il vas
found, upon experience. that al Ealorems.
even 90 the limited extent there used, were
80 sHbjecI 10 fraud. and 10 frauds whirlI
could moi be proved. that iI Was necessa-
~ 10 have recourse, in addition 10 other
penalties, 20 the extraordinary remedy Of
converting the Government into a mer.
chant. and taking The goods on lis own
account.
But IL was not in the case OF hagranl
fraud-of proyeable fraud-buI in an equi-
vocal case-a case where fraud rould moi
be established in 4 eourl Of Justice. In
that case, the Government. shutting its
eyes upon the fraud. but willing 10 do.
prive the fraudulent importer Of ms undue
gains, treats him As an honest nan--iakes
his goods al his own price--snd allows
HIM the usual mercantile profit of ten per
cent. This Is fair ami ineligible. and
our act was evidently intended 10 be co.
pied from it, II was evidently intended
to make the American act ronlormable TO
the British act, but with q Ialal miseon-
cepiion Of the British act. Our bill DIFF
lers from the British in being applicable
10 fraudulent, instead Of innocent imporla-
;ions; and il differs from il in not giving
the importer his fair mercantile profit. In
this our bill is contradictory and ineom-
prehensihle. I ne British take the goods
and pay the price. and add ten per cent.
profit, on the ground of an innocent nn-
dcrysluatiOn: in the case Of fraudulent
The importer is punished BY |
the loss Of his goods and other penalties; /
and this has been the case from the time
Of the patIiarchs to ihe present day.
Fraud was never hefore rewarded. except |
by this bill. | undertake to cay il is the |
first bill which rewards fraud which has
been seen in the annals of human legisla-
ion. Our lnll goes upon the. idea OF
fraud. II is for intention TO delraud that
The goods may be taken for Government
use. And now, upon what principle can
i've per cent, or any per cent, be given
IN fraud! By all our custom-house
aws--by the laws Of the world. from the
lime OF the patnarchs 10 the present day /
fraud is crime punishable by fines
and forfeiiures by 10 human legislation
was fraud ever before rewarded This
bill gives back the whole amount OF the |
fraud. and then gives five per cent. profit |
on that amount! This Is Incompetent
sihle inconsequeniial - preposteross. |
II can only result from copying the SUBJ |
stance of the British act without under /
standing it.; and then, thinking ten per !
cent. rather high prernium on fraud, our .
bill reduces il to five! Why sir. in the !
case Of fraud, the British system forfeiis !
the whole Importation and that is rea |
sonable. and so have our acts always done. |
Our laws always forfei, for fraud, but this |
act rewarls! ~ w.