The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-06-28

her house used 70 sscrsts them
The stock market YVES more sOtive and nrn yesterday
mornug but In the afternoon Il weakened Gold |
opened r and rose TO lAa but closed 1t lA0x l4ok.
under the Cubas Governments were barely |
steady The closing quotation for gold at night Was
i40K
The receipts OF animals the live stock markets this
week were as follows Beef CATTLE seas; mich oows
1o8 veal calves 2627; sheep, la62o, and hive hogs
1640 The offerings Of beef cattle large, and the
general quality inferior TO that noted for some weeks
past We quote the market dull and weak, with but lit
Ito essential change from last weeks quotations Good
TO primo cattle sold at 1oc l7xc per pound fair al
&c., common at 14c and poor at l1c lSc Cows were
steady Veal calves about 1c per pound higher
Shesp plenty and sell st &C. Tc and live hogs at
9Xc. 1910. pcr pound, live weight
Secretary McCulloch and the Internsi
Revenue Departments.
In the Times Of Monday appeared defence
of the Internal Revenue Department written, as
VIC have every reason 10 believe, by . graduate
of Fort Lafayette. This department has been
the subject of great deal of popular animad-
version, and we do not think that the article
in the Times Is calculated to do it any good.
This article charges that the people OF the
United States, and especially Of New York
city, are . set Of cheats, swindlers and per-
jurers. The corruption Of officials u to us 9
very old story; but the Bohemian Of the Times
opens an entirely new view Of the case when
he dfiates, through six mortal columns, upon
the corruption of tho people generally.
We respectfully call the attention of Secre-
tary McCulloch to the article in question. It
10 oco x,h;oh OF d In dn alvnOat ynvch
damage to the public credit as the circular Of
Mr.. Jay Cooke which we have just exposed.
The whole department needs thorough over
hauling. There are abuses here in New York
which would disgrace any government on the
face of the earth. Among the internal revenue
detectives and other officials there are gradu-
ates of the Tombs prison, who carry into their
new vocation the experience which they have
gained In that congenial residence. A certain
assessor has discovered that his assistants pos
sess the power-and exercise ii, toO-of OPEN
ing his desk and abstracting therefrom his
official returns. How easy it is to alter these
returns; and how much money can be gained
by this simple little transaction are evident 10
the most obtuse observation. It only requires
an official investigation to establish the fact
that the thieves and burglars who are among
the attaches of the Internal Revenue Depart
ment do not neglect their opportunities of
plumber, and grow rich upon the profits which
they pick out Of the pockets Of the people.
When the provisions of the Tax bill, and the
numerous and sometimes conflicting opinions
of Mr.. Commissioner Lewis, are considered, any
one can easily understand how difficult IL ia for
our business men 10 conform strictly to the
laws in making their returns. An experienced
lawyer is required to draw up any merchants
return in strict accordance with all the recent
decisions upon disputed points in the law.
Those merchants and othermen OF business who
do not employ such lawyers, render themselves
liable to visit from one of the internal reve-
rue detectives and TO all the pains and penal
ties which the detective may choose TO inHict.
The VICTIM who is first subdued by threats of a
prosecution for perjury willingly consents to
pay the detective five or ten thousand dollars,
over and above the legal penalty, in order to
hush The matter up; and it rests entirely with
the detective himself whether or not he informs
the government of the amount paid him to
secure his silence. The system OF farming out
Offices, in which Fernando Wood was such a
great adept, seems also to be adopted by the
Internal Revenue Department; and, in short,
we know of but few forms OF vice 10 which the
prison birds who figure among the assessors,
and detectives Of the department do
not resort.
These criminals find ft defender in the
author of forged procamations and the gradu-
ate Of Fort Lafayette. IL is quite characteris-
tic Of their line OF business that they should
reply to the criticisms upon their own conduct
by impeaching the honesty of the American
people. The spy system is as abhorrent to the
spirit Of our government as the system Of
Wholesale murder and assassination which the
rebels inaugurated after the battle Of Gettys-
burg, and which resulted in the decease Of
President Lincoln. Yet, a. the Times informs
us, corps of detectives has been organized
some of these detectives have resorted to ter
rorism and blackmail, in order to reap rich
harvest from our ignorant or unsuspecting citi-
zens. Great Britain, q country which has o
larger debt than ours, pays its interest by -
revenue tax upon five or six articles of COM
mcrce or production. Our legislators have not
had the wisdom to profit by the experience of
older countries, but persist in prying into q
citizens cupboard for his silver, into his pocket
for his watch and into his safe for his receipts
and expenditures No one can deny that the
Internal Revenue Department has employed, in
some instances, the right men for this sort of
work. Among it's attaches il numbers those
who can break into cupboard, pick pocket,
and burst open a safe as well as any professor
at Sing Sing We doubt, however, whether the
result Of such operations is to make the de-
partmcnt any more popular aud effective, and
whether tho accnsaiions of swindlinn and nor