The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-02-21
Revenue Moietiss and Spies.

immediate abolition of the presentarbitrary
and disgraceiul system Of custom house seiz.
ures, iniormers, moieties and spies, Ia likely
toreeeivea powerful impetus from the publi-
cation ust made Of the profits Of the custom
house officials and spies in New York and
Boston, and oe the terms Of what are known
as the "Sanborn contracts for the collec-
ton Of amounts claimed to be due the
United States under the internal revenue
laws \ synopsis of the report of the
amount Of fines and penalties collected for
violations Of the revenue laws in New York
and Boston from March l, 1869, to No
yember 3, 1873, was published on Satur-
day. The document itself, which was
communicated to the House of Representa-
tiges by the Secretary of the Treasury in
response to resolution calling for the
information in question, is described as
being cylindrical roll, resembling band
box for lady's muff, and when opened
was found to cover two hundred sheets of
paper. 1t contains the particulars ofabout
three thousand five hundred cases which
have been compromised" or settled upon
the payment of fines, of which one-half
went to the custom house officers and in
formers. In the great majority of cases
the indebtedness to the government was
small, ranging from 500 to 81 900. The
gross amount of fines, forfeitures and pen
alties collected in the two cities aud within
the period named in the resolution, was
Sl,S62, 4Si.57. The actual amount Of du-
ties involved and paid into the treasury
was S244 ,60603. The whole share of the
United States remaining in the treasury is
S2,2lS,S77.5T the balance went into the
pockets Of the officials and spies In par
ticular, the report shows what fat thing
the collector and other officers Of the New
York custom house have in their respec-
tive Offices During four years the collec-
tor received for his individual and personal
share SiO1 ,245.97; the naval officer, S324,-
05S.64; the surveyor, 1891, 213.Gl; the in
formers, principal among whom figures the
redoubtable Mr. Jayne, S7l6,249.O4 And
I this, be it remembered, is but sample of
what is and what has been going on all
over the country, although of course, the
richest harvest is that which is reaped in
the city Of New York. The smallness Of
the amount of actual dues supposed to
have been withheld from the United States
compared with the enormous sums exactcd
in settlement Is worthy Of special attention.
| The payments made are not TO be taken
by any means as confession of guilt on
the part of the persons making them. The
/ report covers cases of accidental and unin-
territorial irregularity as well as of attempt
ed and discovered fraud, and the payments
were often the price paid to avoid pro-
traeted contest with the government, which
might have involved the stoppage of credit
and of business and possible bankruptcy
to the parties assailed. Tie New York
Tribune truly says that the sums received
by the custom house officers and inform
er represent not the spoils of smugglers,
but the fruits Of extortion and oppression
levied upon the commerce of the country
In company with this disclosure of the
operations Of the custom house under the
moiety system, come the particulars OF the
contracts entered into by the Secretary os
the Treasury under the law of May s,
1872, by which that officer was authorized
to farm out the collection Of internal reye-
nue. taxes unpaid upon ''such terms and
conditions as he shall deem best for the
United States" Under the authority thus
given Secretary Boutwell, contracted with
John ID. Sanborn, of Boston, and several
parties in Philadelphia, for the collection
of large amounts Of taxes due, the contrae-
ting parties TO receive one-half of the gross
proceeds for their services and expenses.
The extensive operations of these contrac-
tors, especially in the city of Brooklyn,
and the large sums which were claimed BY
them, attracted the attention at first Of the
Department of Justice aud finally Of Con
gress, when a resolution was passed calling
upon the Secretary of the Treasury for
copies of the contracts under which San
born & Co. were operating. A good deal
Of delay and difficulty was experienced in
obtaining the information called for, and
when it was forthcoming it was found so
meagre and unsatisfactory that a second
resolution has been introduced BY the COM
mittee OF ways and means calling for the
amounts collected and the names of the
parties from whom the collections have
been made. This information the secre
tary appeared reluctant to give, urging that
such publication. would be unjust to the
individuals concerned, and General Butler
objected to the consideration Of the reso.
luton, which, consequently, under the
rules was laid over 1t is now freely
charged that Sanborn himself is proteqe
Of Butler; that the Essex statesman" is
himself party interested in the contract,
and that Assistant Secretary Of the Treas
ury Sawyer, by whom the law of May 8,
1872, was introduced, has also an interest
in the matter. 1t is further insinuated
that large amounts Of dues, which might
have been readily collected in the ordinary
way without additional expense TO the
government, have been purposely left I'M
collected, in order to furnish rich gleanings
for the contractors. The whole business
is so redolent Of suspicious of corruption
aud fraud that the committee of ways and
means have unanimously resolved upon
bill repeating the law Of May 8, 1872, au-
thorizing such contracts to be made. In
the meantime, all these revelations serve
to illustrate still more strongly the iniqui-
tous and debasing nature Of the whole
system of treasury moieties, and of the
partnerships created between the govern
ment, its officers and paid informers and
spies, for the spoilation Of taxpayers and
merchants. The civilized world probably
does not present parallel to the revenue
service Of the United States in this respect.
and the quicker this blot and scandal upon
the legislation Of the country is gotten rid
OF the better Congress should lose no
time in repeating every statue aud part of
statue under color OF which this ncfn-
rious division of spoils at the expense alike
of the government and the citizen Is car
ried on,--Boiiip,ore .Saa.
PEoPosED New County IN MARY
LANo.--A meeting was held at Laurel, on
Safn ln.t -. "a NJ