The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-20

Just cause committed upon ihcm. Bur II an these
statements are not true in substance or fact: II
the whole storg IN all its essential parts false
As the peJured invoices unaer which Phelps,
Dodge & co. pleaded guilty that they passed their
goods without tax into the country then the law
that catches per1ured scoundrels ana smuggling
villains and Furnishes them, however severely,
ougnt 10 De sustained ana made more stringent,
not less. The first statement OF Mr.. Dodge which
challenges attention is whether the house IN
part OF December 1872, always borne this unbefn-
isbed reputation without fault or blot which he
states; and b ave the dealings Of that house with
the government been Always Just and true, as
Christian '.merchaDt princess ought TO have dealt
with the government Because. II that be 80, 1t
can hardly be believed tnat Tor a com arariyey
small sum of house of such wealth and
good repute has suddenly become SO vile and
criminal as they confessed themselves TO be In
their letter TO the secretary OF the Treasury when
they desired to 'setlle' with the government Tor
their crimes IT, on the other nand. II Is found that
this firm have been cheating thus government Tor
long years. then we shall conclude that they have
only been caught at their old tricks. Now Mr..
Speaker it Is "A notorious TACT 10 everybody hay-
ing TO do with importations in New York officially
for many years past that the house OF Phelps
Dodge Co. have been confessed to be guilty OF
the most petty and outrageous smuggling. taking
In without paying duties that could be most in
geniousy conceived. harsh accusation this,
you say say , Yes and one that ought not
coed Well, then, SIR, many years ago. since
The iorty years that Mr.. James has been resident
partner OF the mousse IN Liverpool and interested
IN the house In New York. during watch time
Dodge says not question mas been raised as 10
VAST shipments OF tuls mousse, ana since Phelps,
Dodge Co. have been one OF the largest import
ers in the country OF lead, tin ana other metals.
the Congress Of tue United States passed law TO
encourage American art, law which in various
phases You will md on your statute books as
the tariff was revised rom time time,
which was in effect that statuary OF Ameri-
can artists should come in Tree. Where
upon this frm, OF v hich Mr.. James, this honest,
honored merchant was resident partner and
consgnor had hundreds ana thousands OF tons OF
lead anu block tin and copper cast mo statuettes
OF the Goddess OF Liberty ana Washington and
Jefferson, and imported them into this country as
works OF American art, thereby escaping the duty.
But " hen here they were taken from the hold of
the vessel to the warehouse, ana from the ware
house went 10 the melting pot, being sold to their
customers Tor Pig lead and tin.
FORMER ACCUSATIONS IN CONGRESS-.
Now. right here, 1 challenge any honest. just
minded man to look me in the face and say that
ever did such thing to cheat his government
whether aJames Of Liverpool or Dodge OF New
York. And yet this Dodge tells US that the '.irst
knowledge or hint, in forry-odd years OF business
that have mad with the government that l was
ace accused o. any deteictlon Of duty was IN Decem,
Its being true, Mr.. Speaker, Congress had to
change this very law about American statuary on
account OF these fraudulent importatons and cheat
ing OF the revenue Of which have spoken by this
very firm; and this firm was accused OF this fraud
upon the revenue on the lst day Of March, 1865,
thus very moor. / send to the Clerk TO be read an
extract rom the congressional Globe OF that date
part second second session Tnirty-eghth Con-
gress page 1885. The fifth section OF the Tariff
bill was under discussion, and was as follows:-
And be further enacted That the term .'stauary,"
foreign importations shall be understood ude pro-
Mr.. KEasAs-i desire some explanation Of this secuon
should ike to know what this impressions ststuary
port leaden statues OF Liberty Gc.s
found parties many cases evaded the pay
n BY n %pf p IN .hs form Of
some instances lead has been thus imported to large
s and the Of M coSny and
prought over in that way believe that the gentleman
xvoud l;ta IN Lropv e-oc, III. ronu.
man from Vermont whe Their this does not refer to
70 PheD and aon Goes not
9, tataary vas admitted free had
lie Is hs
Mr.. ELDnEDcEIWhat firm did ihat'
Mr.. STEvEss-Fhelps, Dodge & Co.
PATRIOTIC READING OF THE LAW
Now, as Mr.. Dodge himself came into Congress
as member OF this House at the very next ses-
SION, one would have supposed that he would have
arisen 10 explain II this very grave charge upon
the President OF the Young Mems Christian Asso-
told and believe that there are men in TINS House
who know the fact that Mr.. Dodge himself ad-
United before the Committee OF Ways and Means
importations were made. The TACT mas never been
denied ana can De easily substantiated Imagine the
fine feelings OF this Old Mr.. James, the .honored
merchant OF Liverpool, when he was loading up
this fraudulent stauary to CHEAT the of his
country uaughter.) have no doubt that it was
quite true, Dodge states, that when James heard
that Phelps, Dodee Co. books had been seized
in New York in 1878 he nearly fell dead, That il
almost killed him for he knew how fraudulent
their acts we're and ALWAYS had been and feared
the consequences. There was merchant OF high
standing in Boston not many years ago. who,
when charged With frauds upon the revenue. made
confession Dy committing suicide.
importing OF lead and tin and copper in the
form OF statuary was by no means the most serious
attack OF this firm upon the revenues or the gov
ernment for their own benefit Cast your mind
back, Mr. Speaker. to April, 1854 the very darkest
hours OF tue war, when Grant was reorganIZing the
Army OF the Potomac for his march on Richmond;
when every patriotic man was preparing himself
for the final great struggle; when the nation
needed every dollar that 1t could command, and
wneu 1t became necessary 10 add one-haf to our
revenues 10y taxation to sustain our falling credit,
with gold at 1s0 What shall we say of firm
which. lii that trying hour OF the nations peril,
exercised it's Internal ingenuity in devlslng
ways and means to defraud our impoverished
Treasury OF millions, and succeeded in so doing
To meet the exigency we were obliged to pass a
joint resolution providing that until the end or
sixty DAYS fty per cent OF the rates of duties i'm
posed by law should be added TO the then present
duties and imposts on all goods, wares and mer-
chandise 80 that We might have time In which to
adjust the tariffs; and then. just sixty days from
that tune. to wilton the Both OF June-we passed
an ACT 10 increase the duties on imports" 1t
covered nearly all mportatons, and, among other
things, it provided
or TIN plates and iron galvanized or coated with any
metal by electric batteries otherwise, Two aud half
cents pound.
At thus time If ever. Mr. Speaker, 1t became all
patriotic men, all lovers OF the country to do
everything that possibly could be done to ala the
revenues OF the country, to 5us ain Its credit and
enable the soldiers receive their pay ana to sup
port the armies in the field. Let rs see. then,
what the course or this firm OF Christian mef-
chants (Pheps Dodge co., was in that crisis OF
their countrY's need. They the largest i'm
p0rters oi tin plates In the country. and that
article is one OF the largest OF tner importations
As we shall see In moment, 1t ought to yield "A
large revenue. The DUTY upon 1t at that time was
twenty-five per cent, ad yaiorem which would be
ABOUT one and one-iourtn Genus per pound. lt was
the intention OF Congress to increase il; therefore
they enacted that ION tin plates, and iron gavan-
lied or coated DC. there should be duty OF two
ana one-hali cents pound. But Mr.. william T..
Dodge went to the Treasury Department OF the
united states, In bis own person, | have the
means OF showing, and there advocat ted reading
Of that law which sanctioned neither by the
letter, text, spirit nor meaning, nor by the true
ana Just Thought OF any patriot. He procured an
opinion nom the Treasury Department by which
the comma was construed 20 be removed alter
the word plates and inserted after the word
''lron,n 80 as TO make 1t read -
On tin plates and iron, galvanized or coated with any
meta by electric batteries Or otherwise and one