Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-03-30
.;cInarks OF MIR. Ecmper

Ueii.rrcd IL the House Of Delegates, on Fri.
dag, tie 2%d Of .Mnch, $500, on the till
ojo|i<Ainy Compulsory Inspections.
Mr. kEMPER said he should nrt throw
AWAY the ten minutes allowed him by replying
To the member from Hanover (Mr. NEWTON J
He had something more important to do than
to follow that gentleman in his rhetorical Inc.
andcrIncS and antithctica ilourShcs The
remarks Of that gentleman had not the
slightest application to any position assumed
by himself and did rot touch the point in
CONTROVERSY Mr.. X. desired to bring facts and
the results Of experience to the attention fthe
House.
Two wears ago, the regular committee Of
this House on Agriculture and Manufactures,
had deliberately investigated this whole 1ues
ton and had embodied, in an able and elabo
rate report, facts and information derived from
the most authoritative sources, and conclusive
against this proposed innovation. They had
proven that the proposed voluntary system OF
inspection had, wherever tried been disastrous
to the wheat growing interest, and to the flour
trade. In New York the compulsory inspcc.
ton Of flour had been abolished, and the vol.
| untary system substituted Under the old SyS-
ten, the lour Of Naw York stood rs hi ,h in for
ci.n markets rs that Of Virginia. but the report
shows that since the adoption of the voluntary
system New York flour has fallen BOT only
lowrr than that ol Virginia, bu; "lowcr than
that of any State in the Union" Why is
this Mr.. ThOS ?. kcttcll, probably the most
eminent commercial writer Of the day tells us
thu; "lormcrly, when inspection WIS compnl-
.;orv, the standard of New York flour was
high and the inspection unilorn; but since the
adoption Of the voluntary system, private in
spcctorS have lowered the standard to suit
sellers"
We learn from Il meeting Of New York mer-
chants that 'thc loose and irregular manner in
which the business was conducted had destroyed
lis value aS standard, and thrown diSCrcdit Oh
the character of American flour in foreign
markets." The New York Mirror informs
us that since the adoption Of the voluntary
inspections, frauds were constantly practiced
upon the market, and lin many cases twenty
pounds of flour were found to have been cx,
tractrd from each barrel The New York
| journal OF Commerce informs lis that three
thousand barrels Of flour shipped from New
York to France, and there seized by the police,
were mixed with Indian meal aud adulteratctl
b. other substances not so innOcuouS." McSSrS.
Hunt 4 Co., extensive commission merchants
and flour agents Of New York, say: I'VE con-
slider the inspection Of flour, as at present con-
Quoted in New York, Of very little consequence,
as dealers pay very little attention to it..
e McSSrS Newman l. Co.. also extensive flour
agents Of New York, say: Your Virginia
standard is very much above that of New
York"
McSsr<. Alcn & Paxton, exclusive flour
agents in New York, say: "'rhc voluntary
inspection Of -four in this market has low
cred the standard nf fonr to n very low
cbb. In fact, so far ;.s quality or grades
are concerned. it amounts TO nothing at all -
And this is the operation Of that voluntary
system which YOU now propose, without lnveS'
tigation, prccpitatcly to substitute here Tor
those compulsory inspections which have pre-.
vailed in Virginia for one hundred and fifteen
years. You propose to authorize any sc0un-
,lrrl to palm Off inferior or adu!teratcd flour
upvm foreign markets, and thereby destroy the
confidence of the world in Virginia flour, to
the ,ctriinrnt Of honest manufacturers. Eve.
r., one knows to what IN extent the price OF
wheat l.; controlled by the price Of flour, and
here YOU propose to lower tie market va lue OF
whcat--to icprcciatc the great staple OF the
State, by degrading tile standard OF Virginia
flour The bill is nothing but scheme for
paluIing of inferior brands for supcrtlnc flour
WIS. the mcrS of Richmond in their own
printed argument upon this subject, winch
they nave laid upon our desks say that, II
compulsory inspections arc abolished, they can
then sell the lower grades Of flour, now brand
ell "mildngS,' for sapcrline flour. Their
avowcd object in asking the change is to palm
off "lnidlings' for supertne flour.
It will not do for the gentleman from uano-
yer to say am unwilling to trust thy constI-
tucnts with the discretion to export their flour,
with or without inspection, rs they please
That sort Of sophistrv won't hold water. The
whcat-growerS and Observation-Disclosures of the
country know that the inspection is Il protcc-
ton and passport to- the honest dealer, anu
am executing the wishes and protecting the in
tercStS of the great agricultural classes, by IN
siSting upon the pcrpetuaton Of that system.
They know that the office Of State Inspector
must 20 down unless all inspections arc COM
pulsory. And if the State inspection does 20
down. us this bill designs that it shall, then
the humber mlllers Of the country are bound
to he crushed out by the leviathan establish
mcntS of Richmond
The extensive millcrs of Richmond may be
able TO sell their flour in foreign markets with
OH, the inspectors endorsement, for their
private brands are known almost the world
over. But the more obscure manufacturers Of
the country unknown at distance can never
sell their flour abroad unless ii is rcc0lnmen-
,lcd by the brand Of the public inspector, be-
cause that brand challenges for their flour the
implicit confidence Of the commercial world,
and thus places the humblcst manufacturer
upon an equality with the wcalthicst, and
thus secures the same advantages to all.
Here the fall Of the Speakers hammer, ad-
mcnshctl Mr.. H. that his time was up.