St. Mary's beacon., 1858-07-22
rFSon he Pgansevs' Adcoease.,i 1
Oaeial CorTupsion and Tuefaessney.

OAcial Corruptfsn and Tnsfasisnsy+
There has been some talk, we learn, ams,ng
many Of the TJbacco growers In tins courfy,
Of converting public mecting Of citizens lDr
thn purpos6 a. exposing che gross neglect Of
tbcr rial.tg and interests now exhibited Il scsae
Of the Tobacco warehouses u Baisimosv, and Of
calling the attention Of the proper authorizes
20 theloO way In which tie inspections are
ruhducfsi, and unjust, tyifaing and corrupt con-
aact Of tlsass having them in charge. This
being, by fssf, the largest Tobacco-growing
county in the State, II Il natural that any
abuses affecting that interest should attract
more attention here than elsewhere; and II the
evils complained Of bear any proportion 10 thu
magnitude of the dissatisfaction expressed,
thev must be OF seriOus character calling for
speedy and thorough relief We do not tecol-
iect ever having heard such general aud dcci-
del complaints IN lire part Of the growers, es
has been steadily increasing since the advent
VI the new Inspectors.
Il would appear that some Of the warehouses
are in o state Of unprecedented ineaaciency,
arising from neglect Of work or an incOmpe-
tency TO perform il, To the extent that it seems
almost impossible for the farmer to secure an
inspection Of his Tobacco within anything
like . reasonable period. Hogsheads upon
hogsheads have been allowad to accumulate
] the inspections bearing no adequate prOpor-
ton 90 the receipts-until to clear OF afTear-
'ages would appear 10 he like one Of Hercules's
labors. The growers are thus compelled To
rszi- Txxr vftuEggg'uT any favorable symptoms
in the market, and are placed at the mercy of
/ the tri1ing, inefficient and corrupt hands
charged with the labor of inspecting. It is
further represented that the laborers emrIoved
in some Of the warehouses, although greater in
number than heretofore, are unused TO work.
unable and unwilling to do it. utterly and
hopeIessly Inefficient and occupying their
places solely for the sake Of the wages that
they consist principally, Of gangs Of ruffians,
many OF them quite youthful in years, such as
are generally attached to the lower ur,ler of
political clubs, who never did an honest DAYS
work in their lives, and have uniformly sub
sisted upon the usual revenue derived from
idleneSs and Tascality. They have neither the
willingness nor the ability to perform the hard
labor which their position requires; vet they
have forced themselves into the employment.
as our readers will recollcct, driving away the
labOrers who were originally EMPLOYED from
the country, and exercising a terrorism over
some of the Inspectors al disgfuceful to them
as it is hurtful tn these whose interests are lii
their keeping. They Inay do ever 80 little
work in the coure Of day, yet the Inspector
is afraid to find FAULT they may create ever so
so much confusion and disturbance and tiisor-
der by their neglect, trtling, or drunkenness.
yet must the inspector refrain from iismissing
them as he values his lfel Indeed, in some
instances, to judge from circumstances that
has been related to us by eyewitness. that
officer now appears to have became a mere
subordinate in the warehouses; sort of DOW
1Eav
call AMI sport Of his own employees.
A still worse feature Of the businessman
one which calls for the severest reprobation and
diScipline-s the fact, said to l.. notorious
that favOritism in the inspections will he shown
for money consideration; that the rcatliest
indeed the only, plan Of securing a speedy at
tentIOn at some Of the warehouses, is to grease
the palms ofthose who handle the hogsheads
About fifty cents or one dollar per hogshead.
will secure it is said, almost immediate atten-
tention; while an indefinite delay il accounted
the just reward Of those who will not succumb
to this official corruption. 1t ia hardly neces-
sary to dNcll upon the grossly reprehensible
character Of such practice as this involving
the plainest official delinquency; nor on the
gross Ouu ages it may eventually entail uron
the producers. What is now levied as
honus, may presently he exacted AS black
mail. or demanded as a right; and thus we NAV
shortly see the day when the tender of we
know not how large fee, shall be necessary
condition precedent TO touching the Tobacco
at all, by those whose sworn duty it is to in
spect it, and who become false and periured
by the very fact of asking or receiving a bride.
These circumstances will indicate the state
OF Reorganization. inefficiency and demorali-
zatlon into which the management of some of
ktsa3a h...l -
take not, give just grounds for the grave COM
plants OF the farmers IN this regarri. That
the evil is, in great degree, owing 10 the
appointment Of some irresponsible or incom-
peteLt men IS Inspectors there can be doubt:
but We think it clear that tte main evil has
sprung from the practice Just introduced Of
bestowing even Tire humblest appointments. in
the gift of the Inspectors, rewards If LUliti-
cal services to the powers that be. The places
that ought to he file,l by real working LdCOrers,
are occupied by broken down political ruffians,
appointed for no other reason than their skill
in the practice Of violence at elections.
The Inspection system is intended for the |
benefit Of the Tobacco growers. 1t is the in |
tereSt Of the Tobacco growers that inspections
should be made rapidly and efficiently. Il is |
therefore not at all important to them by |
whom the actual manual lalaT be performed, |
whether by neSroe, Irish, Dutch, or Chinese. |
All that il wanted is to have the work done
and quickly. And hence tie farmers appear |
to have the right to demand that sort of Labor |
shall only be employed in this business, which |
is most efficient for the end to be attained. Up
to a recent period, when the Inspectors were
allowed to employ negro or Irish labor, there |
was no complaint hcari of neglect or corrup- |
tion. IL was sort Of labor exactly suited 10 |
tie work, for it is we'll known that no other |
men are rs equal rs they to the hard work |
which the warehouses demand. American Ia |
Dor is untitled for it-at least, in other words,
that kind uf American labor that would be !
equal to the task could not be secured for this |
'lrudgery, because it could find better and more |
profitable employment; and thus it happens |
that the only description Of American labor |
that cOuld be got ID undertake che work Of ne !
groes and Irishmen, was just such as is utterly |
incapable Of any labor az all. Il was thus |
that great wrong was done to the Tobacco |
growers, by the IoOliah and ridiculous wareEare |
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