The Portland daily press., 1874-05-21
Washington News and Gossip.
THE MOIETY BILL.

The moiety bill, as explained, has to do
with all the existing machinery for the en-
forcement of the Customs laws. 1t induces
penalties and forfeitures, abolishes moieties,
substituting therefor moderate rewards. In
habits the arbitrary Sc zure of books and pa
pers, limits punishment to intentional frauds
and aims to adjust Customs legislation to the
standard Of freedom and intelligence which
prevails in other statutes. Mr.. Roberts said
the existing law rankles like letters. Forfeit
ures are wrung from the careless as we'll as the
criminal; ruin follows the footsteps of the Rev.
enue officer the good will of the citizens to an
alarming extent is lost; approbium does not
attach to the violation of the laws, and their
enforcement carries faint. For all the odium
of the exercise of this statute only about $780,
900 year have been derived from it, which
might perhaps have been collected without the
law. No collector, naval officer or surveyor
has appeared to ask continuance Of the law,
while those officers 1t Philadelphia have asked
its unconditional repeal. The rewards which
are substituted for moieties are distinctly
gro unded and limited, and except in cases of
smuggling exclude officers from any share in
them. The committee did not think that less
than was proposed was safe to the revenue:
they believed them more demoralzinp and
dangerous to the Government and citizen
The penalties and forfeitures are seldom made
the basis for suit; they are used for instru-
ments of terror. In a list of cases examined
by the committee, penalties of five millions
produced only fifty millions of revenue. The
commencement of suit for violation of
the Customs laws is ruinous; these laws do not
benefit the treasury; they are arragning COM
merce against the gove rnment
The bill provides for the forfeiture of the
particular items tainted by fraud with a fine
not exceeding five thousand dollars for each
offence, and doubles the dutable value of mer-
chandise when the COST of customs is omitted.
The question Of intent is left to a jury Suits
must be brought within two years. Mr.. Rob-
erts for the committee, believed that if The bill
becomes law the country will see realized to
some extent the ideal administration that
Brougham foresbadowe1, which found the law
the two edged sword of craft and oppression
and LETT it the staff Of honesty and the shield
of innocence.
Mr.. Dawes late in the day made an extended
speech in support of the bill. He considered
this subject of great importance. He cited the
curious fact that, while one revenue officer was
writing report against the system, he was re
ceiving $4,000 annually. Two years ago, on
complaint of Boston merchants, he had intro
duced a bill which passed, but the Custom
Houses heard of it and the bill slept its last
sleep in the Senate He criticised the Treas.
ury for delaying information upon this subject
in reply to resolution he had introduced early
in the session. He said the system had lost at
New York for every dollar collected 1851. and
at Boston for every dollar returned, 81. 49,
THE GARDEN SEED MAN.
In the Senate Tuesday, Commissioner Watts
If the Department of Agriculture, was mercl-
esly handled, and neither his venerable friend
Cameron nor his eloquent friend Frelnghuy-
EN-, or his staunch friend Scott, could stay the
ide against him. The Senate not only refused
@ grant him appropriations that he desired, but
hey formally determined that he should pay
or his lodging like other people, and no longer |
quarter at the Department of Agriculture The