Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-03-11

80 justly boast, involves THIS among other incon-
veniences. Nothing can be done against which
popular catch-cry, however sinister and silly at
once can be raised. Wherever, for instance, the
interests Of public malefactors requires them to
know just what the public prosecutor is about
the hue and cry OF ''starchamber," brings ii all
out. Every extraordinary investigation,b by COM
mittee for instance, which the curious are do
sirous to know all about, and the interested are
anxious to have them know about and the public.
alas cannot comprehend the harm OF disclosing.
is compelled by the star chamber cry to publish
itself to the world, Ia the manner Of the Fenian
campaigns against Canada. the details OF which
used to be magnanimously proclaimed few
weeks before hand. If the pending investiga-
ton of the celebrated Charles III breed Of Judges
as popularized in the city of New York, shall
prove an impotent farce (and if it doesnot it will
prove a mracle) the result will be due to the
cause above stated, in connection with the secret
painful distrust of the Legislature, which per-
vades the public mind. Every man who testiies
before the Judiciary Committee Of the Legisla
ture now sitting here, knows that the eyes of
Barnard and Cardoza are on him, and that their
heavy and INSCRIPTIONS hands will be- il he
should offend them and the Legislature should
fail to depose them.
THE STYLE OF CRIMINAL COUNSEL,
As exhibited notably in the Stokes case is an in
dex TO the grade Of popular intelligence which il
raised to ascendency by the newspaper form Of
government II used to be said that man who
is his own lawyer has fool for client partly
because his inorlinate bias and extravaganza in
his own favor prejudice his cause with the
judges. With sensible people, such is the effect.
But John Graham and John McKeOu know that
1t is not exactly 40 with fools and the rate the
newspaper public az a whole, rightly or wrongly,
in that category, by adopting as counsel the
widest extravaganoes both OF theory and ex-
PRESTON which an excited criminal could put
forth in his own defense and in denunciation Of
the officers Of Justice. Graham. to be sure il a
= l.. -
insanity. But the hearty concurrence of his asso-
cates in denouncing the law officers and all
others who do not think the eold-blooded assas.
sin Of Fisk pure specimen of injured Innocence
conspring persecutors comprising foully the
death OF worthy citizen in the person of their
precious client-does not this indicate that they
believe the most violent absurdityto be the most
successful argument with the public and with
these " most senseless and fit mon whom the
law required for jurors
VERY SUSPICIOUS DETECTIVE CASE
Came to denouement and doubtless to settlement,
the other day heavy fraud on Jay Cooke x
Co. was planned, apparently. Scene 1 brought
on the stage a well dressed man, proposing to
invest in fve-twenty bonds to the amount of
$780, 900 and desiring them to be sent to GER
tain Office where he was to pay their price, some
$143 600 currency, in a certified check on city
bank. Scene ii introduced at the Office of Jay
Cooke Co. pair of well known detectives,
bringing the following " warning =: They had
received information that forgery on large
scale was in contemplation, but they were una
BILE to ascertain the intended victim. Yet they
had ascertained the plan of operation, to the
mnutest details, as follows One OF the forgers
was to order bonds to the amount of S14O,0OO,
to be sent to given place to be paid for. The
rogue was to write his check for the amount and
ask the messenger TO go up with him to tue bauk
and see it certified. At the paying teller's win
dow the forger was to substitute, by sleight OF
hand, good check for small sum, which the
V.s.Nl lsas E..V
hand, the forger would substitute for the genu-
inc certified check bogus check for sl4O,OO
with well executed forged certitcation on its
face. This the messenger would accept, in the
belief that he had seen ii certified Nothing was
wanting but scene Ill, in which the would-be
swindler should be caught in his own trap But
this would have been quite too practical joke
for the confederate who was cast in that part.
WORD ON THE GENERAL ORDER BUSINESS.
When | was merchants clerk, here, thirty
years ago,a notice would be handed mo soon af-
ter the arrival of Liverpool packet to the effect
that certain packages selected at random by the
proper custom house officer from the goods con-
signed to our house, had beensent to that branch
of the custom house called the public store. 1t
became my business to get these specimen pack
ages passed as all right, by the Examiner and
Appraiser The result OF this was permit
from the Collector to land the rest OF our goods.
But at other times, the notice received would
be that the ship was - 'discharging under general
order" That II, the convenience Oh lnb snip ue-
manding, and that of the custom house allowing.
such general ORDER" the Collector had ordered
the whole cargo or balance of cargo sent to the
public store, to be claimed and passed there and
| 1t became my business, in common with hun
| dred other boys, to Chamber daily through the
| huddle OF merchandise in the public store until
the goods in my charge should turn up.
There was then no warehousiug system to faclll-
| tate, as now, this general order business. Now
| approved warehouse men giving sufficient bonds,
/ aufr Nad Inv tna (1nVaFnmant
| tody of imported goods until the duties and
other observances required shall have been
| paid, thus enabling cargoes to be discharged
| without delay. Each of the fAreign steamship
lines keep a bonded warehouse ON or near its
wharf, in which goods may be stored under GER
tain conditions at the expense Of the consignees,
until the duties are paid and the goods claimed
| and formally passed at the Custom House. Each
| of these lines has naturally desired, and long
contended for the general order business" of
its own ships that is, the privilege Of discharg-
| ing its cargoes directly into its own warehouse
"under general ORDER Leading importers also
have seen their interest IN supporting TINS de-
mand and in enforcing 1t by any complaints
which could be brought against the warehousing
and counting contractors appointed by the Gus
tom House. But all collectors have firmly re-
sisted this demand, on the ground that it il
| wrong in principle and dangerous IN practice, Ia
give the custody of imports until duties are
paid, (and thus, in effect, the custody of the
Government reYenue) TO parties owing divided
duty, and, in fact, closely related in interest
somstimes lentihsd with the importers them
} selves. Every collector has insisted tina
the General Order business must be confined to
warehouses unconnected in any way with thu
importing interest Notwithstanding this, the
! present Administration has leaned strongly t.
the wishes of the steamship men and importer
in the matter The lately published official cor
respondence shows that the Secretary of til,
, Treasury has each of the three successive col
= lectors Connell, Murphy and Arthur, to conced
the point and that they have firmly protested
agai 1t it, alleging that it would involve thei
official suretes in any loss that might result, an,
in fact, sufficiently Interesting that they woul
be compelled to resign if required to make tn
change At length, the President has interfered
requiring that some change be made for tn
> greater convenience of the merchants, but leaN
ing the principle insisted on by the collector
9 untouched. The monopoly of the General Orde
business by one warehouse firm, which
. convenience but not indispensable to the custoI
house, is abolished, and the business is to h
divided between warehouses distributed at col
> yenient points, but none of them connected wit
steamships.