National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-06-23

since the forty years that Mr.. James has been
| resident partner of the house in Liverpool, and
interested in the house In New York, during
which time Dodge says not question has been
raised as to the vast shipments Of this house,
and since Phelps, Dodge & Co. have been one
Of the largest importers In the country Of lead,
tin, and other metals, the Congress of the UNI
| ted States passed 0 law to encourage American
art, law which In various phases you wiz
| find on your statute books as the tariff was re-
vised from time to time, which was In effect
that statuary Of American artists should come
| in free. Whereupon this firm, of which Mr..
James, this ''honest, honored merchant" was
/ resident partner and consignor, had hundreds
/ and thousands of tons Of lead and block-tin
and copper cast into statuettes of the Goddess
of Liberty and Washington and Jefferson, and
imported them into this country as works of
American art, thereby escaping the duty. But
when here they were taken from the hold of
the vessel to the warehouse, and from the
warehouse went to the melting pot, being sold
to their customers for piglesd and tin.
Now, right here, I challenge any honest,
| just minded man to look me In the face and
say that an "honest merchant" or "Chris-
tian gentleman" ever did such thing to cheat
/ his Government, whether James OF Liver
pool or Dodge of New York. And yet this
Dodge tells US that the first knowledge or
| hint in forty odd years of business that ] have
/ had with the Government, that was accused
of any dereliction Of duty was in
December, 1sT2." Was that truei So
far from its being true, Mr.. Speaker,
Congress had to change this very law about
\ American statuary on account OF these fraud
ulent importations and cheating of the reve-
/ nue. Of which have spoken by this very firm;
/ and this firm was accused of this fraud upon
the revenue on the LIST day Of March, 1865, on
this very floor. Issnd to the Clerk to be read
/ an extract from the Congressional Globe Of that
date, part second, second session Thirty-eighth
Congress, page 1855. The fifth section of the
tariff bill was under discussion, and was as
| follows:
1 And be IL further enacted, That the term statu-
airy, used in the laws now in force imposing du.
to include professional productions Of statuary
Mr. Ksrnsn. desire some explanation of this
section. 1 should like to know what this unpro-
fessional statuary is. Has this provision refer:
ence to those people who import leaden statues Of
= Mr.. morrill,. may state. in brief, that It has
been found that parties have in many cases evaded
| the payment Of duties by importing articles In
| the form of statuary when they could not leyti-
| mately rank as such In some instances lead has
| been thus imported to large extent. We had q
| law by which ststusry was admitted free; and
statues Of the "Father OF his Country" and OF the
| "Author Of tie Declaration Of Independence
| were brought over in that way. believe that
the gentleman is answered go.
usntismon from vermont whether this does moi
refor to one particular firm. ! want to know
whether this does not refer to Phelps, Dodge
oo;i and that nrm alone He. no, ,ar,,,,.d ga.
we had statues Of webster and Clay and others IN
copper and lead, imported, and so soon as they
were landed and taken out OF the custom house
they were melted down 1t was fraud upon the
| revenue. 81 -.
| Mr.. Stevens. Phelps, Dodge 90.
! Now. al Mr.. Dodge himself came into Con-
press as a member of this House at the very
| next session. one would have supposed that he
would have arisen to explain if this very grave
| charge upon the president of the Young Mems
Christian Association was not true. So far the
| record. I am told. and / believe that there
are men in this House who know the fact that
l Mr.. Dodge himself admitted before the Com
mittee of WAYS and Means of former House
when questioned, that these importations were
made, The fact never has been denied, and
can be easily substantiated Imagine the fine
feelings of this old Mr.. James, the 'thonored
merchant" of Liverpool, when he was loading
up this fraudulent statuary to cheat the reVe-
nue. Of this country! ...... s...-... - Fl
i have no doubt that Il was quite true as
Dodge states, that when James heard that
Phelps, Dodge s. Co.'s books had been seized
in New York In 1873 he nearly fell dead, OF
that IL almost killed him, for he knew how
1 fraudulent their acts were, and always had
| baen. and feared the consequences. There was
q merchant Of high standing in Boston not
i many wears ago, who, when charged with
frauds upon the revenue, made confession By
committing suicide. -. - 1az c.. -a
A.. A.
importing Of ieao, anu 1,n, ana copper IN tne
I'm VI =. 80 ~ ~ az s.S ms
c..a =, 81.
y. sne nna,e n. "a $50, ~ 80; ,ScS
youI Lniii9 Saes' IL. ~. " ioof
sno ~ ZIG . ~ ~
us lnslch ou nISulHCnu 1s PS'IIoe'.
man was a.IS ~ sIe nnat slSSs
ssrusgei wnen ene na,sou seeusu eferJ uotlal
tuae " couiu ~ anu men II ,i
necessary 70 auu 70 our ~
SaAas.on 70 susSu.u M 9u a, iSs Win guy
asons nenureu anu elsnsy, Mnss snait W.
ssJ VI ntn ~ ~. noai u L.'s
peii - - 49, 70. -.
anl i1s, our IN
VI ni'iiOn'' anu
III % uoins 7-.'1 30 40
To meet the exigency we were Obliged &c
pass q JOINT resolution providing that until the
| end OF sixty days % per cent: OF the rates OF
duties imposed Dy law should pc ADDED 10 the
| then present duties and imposts on all goods
wares, anu meIchanaise, 50 tnat we mign,
/ then, Just sixty days from that time, TO WIZ, OF
the 5Uth OIL June, we passed an NAct 70 increase
the duties on imports. II covered nearly al
importations, anu, among otner tnings' II pro,
! vlded-.' sr'-- ~ -
On tin-plates and Iron gaivanised or coated
~ cents pound. .-ar..,.s g
AT this time, II ever, Mr.. Speaker, II became
all patriotic men, all lovers OF the country, to
do everything that possibly could be done "a
AID the revenues OF the oounry TO sustain It's
credit and enable the soidiers 70 receive their
pay, ana 10 support the armies IN the nela'
Let US see, then, what the course OF this nrm
OF Chrlstian merchants, fnelps, Oooge q Co
was IN that Crisis Oh tneir coantrys neea. Iney
were the largest importers OIL n,Piates IN the
country, and tnat article is one OF the largest Oh
their importations. As we shall see IN mo
ment, II ought 70 yiela large revenue. Inc
duty upon i at that time was - per cent. ad
valorem, which would ce about N cents per
pound. II was the intention OF congress TO IN
| crease II therefore tney enaeted that on Tin
piascs, Anu Hvn' saHauileu ~, " ooaseu. o.,
p,,, NJ W., e 49, ,.ont 10 ,bs TIsss,,rr
- " -. " 49, - q. - 80 1i 1850
person, as I have the means Of showing, and
was sanctioned neither 6v the letter tsIt
80, .,t ~, ~ 60 ID S,,.1
thought of any patriot, he procured an opin-
| ion from tho Treasury Department by which
/ the comma was cOnStrueQILO De removed after