Washington telegraph., 1850-09-25
For the TeLeUraDh.
EyITTfE Rock. Sept. l6, 1850.

FLTrLE Rock, Sept. l6, 1850.
Dear Sir: 1t appears that the rnnior oil Senator
Borland being the ad interim editorof the Gazete
and Democrat is denied by that paper 1 ddn
say that he was editing the paper X did NOT
know that Fact certainly But did know that
he was u. S. Senator-that Congress was in ses-
ion, and important business before it, and every
Senator present, the newsr apers say, but "Mr
Borlahd of Arkansas" These things every body
knew, and being occasionally in town, saw the
Senator patronizin,g the Democrat office daily,
and heard that he was editing the paper, and It
was also notorious that the former edtor hao re-
tired. l believed the report, did most persp ns
However, if not editing the paper, what in the
name of propriety is he doing9 Congress has not
adjourned, and accounts pretty well agree that III
W i'll not adjourn. Business of great Importance
REQUIRES the attention of our Senators and Repre-
sentatives Mr.. BorIand remains at his residence
in Arkansas. The tariff is about to be revised
and the intelligence Of the nation ought 10 oe !"
council. An effort is making to resume the sys-
fem of specific duties. and abandon that Internal
swnde called ad ualorem valuation. The west
and South are interested in destroying so mon
strous a fraud-the whole country is interested IN
emancipating itself from the ,thraldom OF Jew
brokers and foreign sharpers. The al cdtoTem
system operates as bonus upon perjury. 10
illustrates: An American merchant, other honest
man, orders a lot of broadcloth from the manu-
Gacturer in ENGLAND. 1t is sent to him, together
with bill of the articles and the prices annexed.
This BILL or invoice, he takes to the customhouse,
and. upop swearing to it, they charge hun thirty
dollars upon each hundred dollars of the cost of
the Goods as shown by his invoice This is all
plain enough for honest people. But some scoun
.,rel IN the same business orders similar goods at
the same time, bat directs the manufacturer to
make out an invoice, say thirty per cent below
his actual selling price, and forward with the
goods The manufacturer don't care, 1t don't
cost him ANYTHING, the buyer in one case pays
him as much as in the other, the cash is paid
down to him. bat for one he ooIites the bill thirty
per cent. under the other. The scoundrel that
has the false invoice presents his papers at the
custo,nhouse, and his goods are passed thirty per
cent lower than the other man, who honestly
invoiced his goods. And so it is from day to day
and wear to year under the ad UaIOrem system.
A remedy for the evil is only to be found by tax
ing all articles of certain character certain
sum Of money. All articles that valuable in
proportion to their weight should be taxed By
weight and so on to the end Of the chapter.
This is not a question of high tariff low tariff,
but il is simply whether the man who scruPles
not to swear to a lie, shall stand upon better
ground than the honest man of truth, who will
make fair statements though he do not make
quite SO much as the thief But say some, why
don't they eaten the rascals? Well. I'll tell you.
1t not unfrequentIy happens that it is done by
some clerk in the importing house, who, imme
dateIy after the thing is done, is sent over to
Europe on important business. This has been
done frequently, and, in fact, is happening daily.
There is difficulty in arranging specific duties
upon goods. 1t is equally easy with the dd Ud-
loren plan, and world of fraud and lying,
which the ad UatereRr sy stem invites But enough
fer the present.