New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-06-27
| LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
MR. DODGE AND GEN. BUTLER.

MR.. DODGE AND GEN BUTLER.
REPLY OF TIE FIRM TO THE BRUTAL ATTAIN of
GEN. BUTLER IN THE HOUSE OF REPhhsLNiS-
TIvEs-IIIs STATEMENTS THE EXACT kEVhh'h
OF TRUTH-wIILPUL MISREPRESENTATION Or
THE FACTS. ..r.| .aIH
70 the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: After the full statement heretofore
published of tho difficulty Of firm with the
authorities and the subse quen exhaustive examination
OF the whole matter by the Committee OF ways anu
Means which resulted In the entire rcmodelng OF Tue
Sfoetyo and Seizure Acts" we had not supposed IL
would necessary TO add anything further III '"o wa"
OF explanation. But in the brutal and cowardy a'a
made upon during the closing hours OF W
Gen Butler certain charges were preferred by MIN !"
his character as Representative. upon the moor Oh tue
Uouse against our firm definite and with so nuch
apparent authority that feel called upon III Juse
TO ourselves and the public, to make once more oci
statement.
The charges specifically preferred were In 'he nam
First That had firm attempted 10 derauu INC
Government and evade the revenue by imporunS
metals In the form OF works OF art ana statuarS "
repy 10 this IL is only necessary to say, that tue I'M
portatons to which Gen. Butler referred were "a'o
before the firm OF Phelps Dodge Co came INTO exist
ence and before any OF the present or late
q, the firm became connected with the metal Importing
business the senior member OF the nrm' "hi"in To-
Dodge being at the time engaged IN the dry goods Dus
ness. .... -,
Second: That in the Tariff act OF April 1851 "hcn
temporarily increased the rates Of duty on Imports iV
per cent Mr.. Dodge went to the Treasury ana hau
comma taken out OF one place ana put III auo'nei ""
thereby cleared s2,25O,0o"
The facts in respect to this charge are AZ
Tn the very full revision Of Tariff embodied IN the
act OF June nnd not the act OF April lS6i so sec
acaly mentioned by Cen Butlerl t was decided py DOM
Houses Of Congress, after full discussion hat all III
crease of duties on and terne plates womb imper
the large industries already taxed under ,hc nt'i
revenue in which TIN used for the packing Oh fruits
asb and vegetables meats and the like and so tend 10
| reduce rather than increase. the receipts OF the
Treasury the same time 1t was decided 10 ihcreac
the duty on sheetron, galvanized with an admxture Oh
tn-whch article had been imported under the name Oh
"tin plates galvanized" and definitely and distinctly
named In connection with and at the same rate as gar
vanzcd iron In every successive Tariff since 1857. The
| hill WAS passed on the 3Oth OF June. and went
| into operation Immediately. On examining us
| provisions we found that while the duty on
{" Tin and terne plates" remained uncnengeu at 20
per cent ad yalorem, the addition OF comma atter
the word pilates" in the clause tin plates galVah-
Jed rendered the whole paragraph ambiguous II NOT
absurd and apparently imposed new duty or y cents
per pound an OF 100 per cent on existing uues
Seeing impossible it would be to enter our invoices
at two conflicting rates for one and the same article We
applied nj once the Collector for decision IN respect
| TO the course to be followed The Collector saw the
difficulty and referred to Mr.. Fessenden, then IN
Nev-York and lust appointed Secretary OF the Treas
ury We called upon him. end he Immediately stated 10
Ms and TO the Collector that he had been Chairman ol
the Senate Committee, and also OF the Conference COM
mttee which hal charge OF the Tarif Dill III question:
that he fully remembered the discussion as To TIN Plates
In which he had taken part; that full OF both
Committees had been that tin plates should remain at
25 per cent ad valorem that the comma hai eFi'
IDENTIFY ad led by mistake In the haste OF ehGros
ing and could not be considered the true nterpreta
ton OF the law.
| lie accordingly ordered the Collector to pass the
goods at q per cent and stated that his return 20
Washington he would issue special order making tue
construction official; and this he did under date OF July
o. after taking full time for consideration ana cohsua
zion with his former colleagues in Congress and the eX
| perts of the Treasury Department As finally inter
preted by Mr. Fessenden. the law was not in
our direct favor but the contrary had the technical
error been allowed stand and to entail very ex-
cesye increase OF duties the advance In the price o
stock on hand would have yielded to US. In common
with all other importers dealers vcry considerable
profit The facts therefore, were exactly the reverse Oh
| those stated by Gen. Butler.
Third: Gen. Butler states that In our large and com
uicated business every invoice brought day by day by
us to the Customhouse wrongly stated and that We
| were consciously and continually guilty Of fraud
Gen. Butler knO,rs this to be untrue. He knors on
the contrary for the paid attorney of the normer
he has given attention to the subject, that after most
careful and merciess examination OF some thousands
of our invoices by Jayne and his experts aided by our
own clerks bribcd to niure their employers, with the
full of books and papers. there were found only
some fifty that could In any be made the subject or
and that in the case or some or these OF
from $40 900 each the utmost possible loss the
Government could not have been in excess OF from SO
cents 81 invoice And furthermore, that the total
loss claimed by Government all the invoices
only $1,000 out OF an Importation or some SiOOO
| coo, and covering the space OF live years.
We believe that Gen. Butler further knows, but will
fully conceas the fact that the same error and misun
the Intricate law which compelled und err
penalties TO invoice our goods both at cost price
and market price. led u.s. in the case OF great mum
Der of importaons, to invoice their value above cost
and resulted In gain to the revenue and loss To
| ourselves immensely greater than the Government
| claims to have lost.
Finally looking at all the circumstances and the
character OF this speech its nstant falscatons and
peryersons of truth, and its brutal personalities we are
quite willing the verdict to its effect TO
who have fairly looked into the matters OF which they
| treat. PHELPS, DODGE x 20.
| Ne,- York, June &c, 1874