New-York tribune., 1874-02-10
CUSTON-HOUSE REFORM.

1t is hoped that Congress. In the multiplicity
of topics now under consideration, will not
omit to give careful attention to the subject
of Custom house Reform. The commerce OF
the country is undoubtedly suffering from
complication of disorders, all of which are
within the reach of Congressional remedy.
The laws regulating the collection Of customs
are intricate and complex to the last
degree; by system Of moieties dis
tributed among CustOm-house officers, an
extensive system Of espionage is foStered
and maintained by another system of com
promises with accused persons, importers are
IN constant terror lest, by some technical in
fraction of the law, they shall bo subjected to
what may be plainly called blackmail. In
formers and spies spread themselves over every
commercial community penetrating every i'm
porter's counting ROOM dogging his footsteps,
and setting ingenious traps to catch the un-
wary. Under law of doubtful constitution
ality, the books, papers, and private memo
randa Of any merchant may at any time be
seized and carried out of his reach, and be re-
turned only at the pleasure of the officers, whose
acts seem to be entirely beyond the reach of
law. This is certainly dispassiOnate and
calm statement of the case.
The statutes under which customs dues are
collected are scattered all along from 1877 to
1874. They have been amended, revised, and
vaIiously changed until it requires more than
the astuteness of the proverbial Philadelphia
lawyer to unravel their intricacies OF follow
their Interpretation. That these laws should
be consolidated in one harmonious body
lo;l. Snerntarv
Richardson, in recent letter to the
Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Commerce, says BY a consolidation of the
" tariff laws into one act, and by the substi-
tuition of specific for ad ualorem duties on
scale of equivalents which could be deter
mined by experts with comparative ease, the
" administration of the law would be advan
" tageously simplifed, the inducemcnt and
" opportunities for fraud lessened, and the
" revenues correspondingly increased" ItOught.
perhaps, to be enough to say that the laws
regulating the collection of customs were
many of them enacted when the Republic was
in its infancy; and upon this body of law
wholly inadequate to the present condition of
our commerce, has been engrafted the present
system.
Next in order among the obstacles in the
way of an honest and just administration of
the laws, is the system of moieties. Under
this scheme of law, reward is offered to
nformers and customs officers That reward
is not prOportiOned to the vigilance of the
officer or the Importance of the case, but
solely to the amount wrung from the accused,
whether guilty or not. The only defense of
this system is that it stimulates the officer to
vigilance. 1t is for the interest of every GUS
toms officer, informer or spy, to direct his
efforts to the conviction of the accused
The theory of the law is that
the guilty person should be compelled to sur
render part of his evil gains to the instru-
ment of his conviction The practice of the
Custom-house is that every importer is the
lawful prey Of the seizing officer. Conse-
quently, owing to the complications OF the
laws and the intricacies OF the Treasury reg
ulations, innocent men are often, nay con-
stanty entrapped and compelled to pay
roundly before being liberated. Without the
system of moletles. it is urged that customs
officers would relax their vigilance. That
is TO say, customs officers who shall dis
charge their duties thoroughly are not
oo'hih'pio ny vhtiihS any nNeu SdldTy
they must be enticed by the prospective gains
to be realized from convicted law breakers.
II will be seen at once that such a system
cannot fail to be vicious. On the other hand,
it Is updeniable that honest Importers suffer
more from the oppression which the moiety
system supports than from any other cause
The principle underlying the whole system of
moieties seems to be that it IL better that
many innocent persons shal s9liSr uDJustiy