New-York tribune., 1874-02-23
TIE MERCHANTS AND THE TREASURY
An o,r ad,,;caa from, w IA; N 0ton both Dub-

THE MERCHANTS AND THE IREASURf'
All our adyices from Washington, both pub
lie and private, represent that the wrongs OF
the importers excite general sympathy in Con-
gress, and that strong disposition IL mani
tested to do something for their relief. The
chaotic condition OF the Customs laws is fully
realized at tho Treasury Department, and sue
cessive Secretaries have urged upon the Gov
ernmeDt tho need of revision and reform.
Mr.. Richardson, as we showed the other day,
took very decided stand, some years ago,
against the constitutionality of law author
zing the seizure of books and papers, and we
do not believe his opinion has since under
gone any change. Indeed, from neither the
executive nor the legislative branch of the
Government ought the merchants 10 fear any
serious opposition to their demands, provided
their case can be fairly considered and decided
on its merits. Their only enemies are the
tribe Of special agents, spies ipformers, Jaynes,
SsnbOrns, Buffers, whose interest i'll the con-
tinuance Of the present system il enormous,
and whose power at Washington 1t would be
rash TO despise.
Let us remind Congress, however, that half
way reforms will satisfy nobody There are
four or Ave points upon which the merchants
have right to insist. In tho first place. the
CustOms laws and the regulations OF the Treas
ury must be revised and cOdifed. Secretary
McCul!och said i'll his report in 1867: " The
laws relating TO the foreign and eoasting
trade and the collection of revenue from
"customs arc now dispersed through many
volumes Of statutes and have been so
frequently modified by amendments OF their
| original provisions that on many points it ls
| difficult FOR merchants as well IA for the
| officers whose duty it is to construe and exc
cute them. 70 determine what IL the law in
force. 1t is Of great importance that laws
"regullting interests 80 various and vast should
{" be so systomatizcd that the rights and duties
"of the classes whose interests are most
" directly affected by them may be clearly ap-
"parent. Their present complication IL source
" of serious embarrassment 10 the mercantile
community, and it is not less embarrassing
" TO the officers of customs Secretary Richard
son has boen quite rs emphatic in his COM
plants Of this 1lsgraCeful state OF things as
Mr. McCuiloch " There is often,h ho says
"a direct conflict between diileron, statutes,
"and occasionally between two or more pro-
"vislons Of the same statute, while single
" different meaniDg..'
In the revision of these laws it will he neces-
sary 90 take into consideration the whole sub
ject of importers grievances, and it Is apparent
that q genuine reform will call for changes
much more sweeping than the mere straight
ening out of crooked clauses and adjustment
of contradictions. The seizure of books and
papers, and tho payment of mOietes to rev.
enue officers and iDfermers. are twin infamies
which the ind dignation of the community points
out for destruction aud when these go, it is
probable that the whole system of ascertain
ing duties on imports will need careful re-
vision. Secret compromises between mer-
chants and the Custom house, for the re-
lease of invoices under seizure, are fruitful
source Of fraud blackmail and demOr-
alization, which ought to be crushed
at once. Senator Fenton's bill, already passed
by tho Senate which limits forfeiture for
irregularity, undervaluation, &c, to the goods
in respect To which the wrong is committed,
instead of allowing the seizing officer to grasp
AZ he now does the entire invoice of which
the offending articles may have formed only
an uncomfortable part. is so clearly just that
we do not see how the House can hesitate to
agree to it. Finally, the merchants have
right to insist that when duties upon an i'm
pOrtation have once been hquidated and the
goods released, the transaction IN the absence
of fraud shall be final, and the Government
shall have no right after the goods have been
placed upon the market, to demand additional
duties on the plea that its own agents made a
mistake in the settlement. Carry out these
reforms, and though a few lucky politicians
may lose their enormous perquisites. the rev.
enues will be more faithfully collected and the
whole commercial atmosphere will be purified.