New-York tribune., 1874-05-05

this were so 1t is evident that the naval officer and sur
| veyor who do not share this risk, cannot plead the
necessity for such protection but even as regards the
that any such officer ever suffered pecunlary loss
sGca 81 e dnH nnTo IL they
| ever should over-zoaous olicor would hnd proee-
| the Government that Ia finally responsible.
But there are reasons for the abolition OF the system
seriously public service than the matter of i'm
perquisites to these officials 1t gives them such
an interest frauds upon the that their adva
found in the continued existence OF frauds rather
than in their complete suppression In iaci - ehe
interest to certain extent 70 encourage the ltracton
OF law aud TO treat occasional detection Win snen =
| emoument without deerrlng others from similar
| practices. One of the welgr0unded complaints made
Induced by moetles to overlook frauds IN the
OF preparation in order TO secure their moeties W
subseouent detection threatened punishment. In
other words these officials think more of detection than
prevention to both OF Which every collector az n
me wellautbenticated Instances where coliect9 M
prevent the entry OF merchandise upon false or inc0r
entry have permitted goods TO be falsely or err
forfeiture entries made under precisely Similar crcun-
stances and having similar faults
brought out by examination ofo of the secretarys
previous reports The case would be sun more sarlhg M
last three Bnt the recent reports are so rreg
the nnes, &c, and the distribution thereof
| that / am unable, without giving more time
Won the worse condition. Going back "A little, then,
| from the 1st of January, 1868, to the lst OF De-
cember ls7O there were detected IN the ey, sey
eral customs districts OF the country 2i 29i
cases of smuggling. In l99 of these, the cases
settled without suit IN 833 cases the goods were
seized and sold without suit, and the offender allowed
to free IN 49, the goods were released ana returned
| l5 compromised and In only 1913 were the goods
by decree OF court aud the offending parties not
| otherwise punished. During the same period there
were 4S4 OF fraud and crime, violations OF the
nens as the laws of 1898, 1899, 1928 and 1866
for the importation OF goods in Illegal packages ana
1 ,.larka alnafr rnng
without suit in 70, the goods were released to the
thereof the collector IS cases of underyauation
| involving the payment OF over slOOD, were
court IL thus appears all the OF snug
Cling aud other fraudulent and illegal practices upon
tne customs revenue which we're detected during TINS
period nearly three years. rising to he startling num-
Der of 1895 there only l9 OF them that ever went
into for civil prosecution Ils leaves 42yi
will be seen which were settled compromised, or the
goods disposed OF by those who had an Immediate IN,
terest in the proceeds to he obtained In one way a
| another by reason of the moietes which they could
secure. IL TO me there can be but one answer TO
alI this and that Is unqualified condemnation and
destruction Of the system and practice which Is made 10
1t will be found upon further inquiry that al the port
of NewYork from March L. 1870. to March T. 1914 there
57 seizures, penalties fines, and forfeures ao-
gether and ofth number there appears to have
been no GRIMM, & proCee1s @ @ ~ t,st h 3 y has even
been convicted In the light OF the late Disclosures
more than PROBABLE the great majority OF the
worked by the subOrnng Use of money and the
| oppression OF officials; and the large sums pad
in settlement In many instances TO secure the n-
| munty from prosecutions; to avoid the destruc-
tion of business injury to reputation. and sometimes
inquiry where there existed guilty intent to de-
fraud the revenue more lehly was SHOWN ,na 70 un
honest merchant who was liable only On account
OF technical forfeiture If at ALL for ne reason tha II
| Cling and fraud should not be seriously checked In
effect, they say, let It 20 on The upright merchant
could be counted on TO return to the snare but tho
| rogue who had been allowed TO profit by his crimes
| would be likely TO come again ana again, ana
IL % nan1y for the interest of tho revenue
| ofit1 tbaT here RhOud be frauds discover
and seizures and 80 you see tney do not attack
smuggling earnestly, which Is one great source OF
supply But from the merchant who pursnes leglii-
mate trade, and has reputation at stake II w! do
cbanSe ,1Se With him Indeed almost the first business OF
the special agent is TO find ont now much the merchant
able pay and on hat basis 10 propose compromise
The extent of the wrong to the Government has very
little bearing upon the terms OF settlement; but Iher
length OF the one hand ana private rdpacly
| on tho other tne principal factors in the case
AN HISTORIC PARALLEL
To find the best parallel In the career OF
ment 10 the venay and personal and political scandal
developed the moety system. we must go to the most
corrupt and oppressive period OF the French Monarchy
In the middle of the Seventeenth Century (Lous XII
being King we are told by Henry Martin In his His
tory France that spoation OF the revenue ana tne
people was effected by league between the Govern
nent the farmers OF the revenue Ihere 5plng up
| under the administration of the Finance Minister,
| Foquet, a System Of taxation when lnVOiyed tuo
pocketDg Of moeties by class oi ihVorsd in'uong %
standing betw the Treasury and the people TO take
toll of both The merchants o France were no longer
consulted as 10 hPoss VI into The counscis of the
admins ration as 10 every Changc IN the reNtI,ue 1--we
| and regulations Informers and spies spread them
selves over every commercial community. setting traps
TO catch ghtless aud unWdry IN lS5 tne OWI
duty importatons was rs per cent ad vaiorcn WINE
time the taxes domestic articles were never so hgh
before. The tax upon SAT- necessary httci9 @ OF no
yersal consumption, amounted TO no less tIn SovJOoo
francs per But OF this enormous revenue tie
farmers general. who collected H. paid to te klhe Only
1qO0)OOO francs. The remaining liOylUJO Tdcs Icp.N
sented their expenses, commissions, anu Phn,S, PThc
evils, at last by their excess ild the fon9da,
tion for their own cure [otes,5 & anu d 5rn the
went up from the merchants OF rams anu rom n2 o
| nrOvinces. The cost Of conducting me soNel1HcnV
annually through the combined m he aeT 0l
and robbery Of the treasury py Ino 10 romt
grew to a equal 10 20O0JjOOD ItIncs y, tc ~
day AT ast through the powerful innnenee OF tne ne
rrea+ raformer Colbert. encouraged and sustained Dy
the merchants aud the patrlOtc people tuc oys
tenn was abolished aud the wh0e ring ol pIpy
was thrown into dlsnay Inc Puupo alP cv"ry move
vigorous measures, and firmly supportel eNerB Inoo
ment Tor reform Fnanciers and spectators on an WV
ayaone were prougnt trial, aud the amount OF Hue5
and penaltes In turn imposed upon tness o0d
the revenue reached the enormous sum oi IIoo'Vo''
Is NOT this almost exact counterpart OF our own
o,sa, A., we not here enormous contributions eNIu
n tho revennrs and the peOplcl Is not Official NOR
aity deprecated, and not practices lusneu "io1
tend 10 1GGlemen and mocty hunters under contract
from the Government and with It's 5lnclon ~ iois
rrey upon the public revenues and upon IL H.
nthSrs IN almost every commercial cOmnuhll Az @ ~
this series Of Illegal and dishonest onelses rr
moral sense OF the country that makes the pdLe Io
tho Erench record striking. MAY not our lhh gdI
people also at last turn upon the guy ohtl"ls aa @
Roriv less guilty political accJmphccs III pO"CI anu
| condemn them TO ike ODliquY ana scoIhi ,,,oa and
submit that the laws should be az one CT e"
should be upright and faithful servants S ueSiie tt
they be iucited to the utmost naeitg 10 t barge,
ests rather than TO the public servant VINO
an Official responsibility III tappOhllnH VI onn
them plead IN the name oi ,ne under which
| the Government ana the mefchant shdli 10 , uo A.
same level / plead for the repeal OF laws whicn uo
arny s r@snect for law for tho abandonment OF pr4c
ices in official life which tend 10 lessen ot Iespa
oncal character and TO impair the sense OF mercantile M
| In "A