The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-09
THE TOBACCO RING.
Trepidati0n Among its Members In
Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Gdzeae of the 4th inst. pub
fishes the iollowiDg;-
The examination into the returns OF the
tobacco manufacturers OF this city has been
going forward steadily. One good result has
been obtained. There has been a very large
increase in the tobacco returns for September
over those for August; 72, 2,2323 pounds was the
amount returned by the nineteen plug manuflc-
tuiers for the First District OF ONO during the
month of August. In the next month, SeDJem-
Der, there were only seventeen factories at WORK.
the establishment of A, B. Gaines having been
closed and that of Preston d Co. not being
operated. And yet those seventeen factories
returned 10 the assessors Office l59,746 pounds,
being gain over the preceding month OF nearly
l20 per cent. One irm returned in August 6l26
pounds; II Sc tcmber, 40, Sl7 Another returned
IN August S74 and the next month 2,463, A
third returned in August 2l62, aud the iollo wing
month IL 430.
There is but one reasonable hypothesis on
which 10 account Tor this great increase. The
energy aud zeal of the Government officials
threw the ring into great excitement and cou-
sternatlon. They saw that something must be
done white so much activity was being DIS
played. and accordingly they began to make
true, or, at any rate, approHlma ely true returns.
The consequence was that l59.7 TAG pounds were
returned III September against 72,232} in AU-
gust In other words, IN single month some
S35, ,OO0 or more, was saved to the Government.
ALother good result that has been Obtained:-
Dealers in tobacco have begun TO array them
selves on the side OF the Government. They
have been made 10 see what theY nave been
doing i'll purchasing these fraudulent goods.
Hitherto they have thought that they were get
til g their goods cheap when they purchased
them for 45 to so cents pound. But a LITTLE
reflection would have shown them, dr,t, that
goods sold at so low price were fraudulent,
and were liable to seizure, though held by iuno-
cent parties, and that this risk made the goods,
even at 40 cents, much too dear 10 be profitable.
fraudulent goods. indeed, are too dear at any
price. They saw, in the second place, that che
tax per pound was put by he manufacturers into
| their own pockets. Ia other words 81 cents on
| each pound of tobacco bought was the sun
| which the low buyers were giving to these
| GOvCInme ment detrauders. The defrau1ers,
| dealers begin to understand, are not selling
| tobacco cbedply. On the contrary, they are
| putting into their own pockets larger price
| per pound on their fraudulent goods than honest
dealers can oota n Tor Their honest goods. An
| bonest dealer sells his tobacco at seventy cents
| per pound. Deduct the tax, and there is left
| thirty eight cents for the net price. One o
| these derauders sells his tobacco tor fifty cents
| per pound, and the entire amount he Keeps
| himself, thus getting eighteen cents more pei
| pound than his honest neigubor.
| That these tobacco frauds are gigantic in ex
| business doubts. That they are committed by
there.is no reason TO dl>belleve. The other da,
the following despatch from 81. Louis was pub
| lished in the C0mnleTcldl:-"Henr ID. Christian
United States detective, and a witness II
| furnishing Information respecting frauds. wa
| found dead n an alley last n GIT, near Fifteenth
| street, under suspicious circumstances" anC
threats have been made by persons Ill this cit,
| against men who were prominent in conductin,
| the investigation that is now progressing.