Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-10
AN OUTRAGE.
By 1he United states internal ReEenue
Collector Of jackson. Mtss.-Hs
there NO Redress for it2

EDITORS APPEAL-Permit me to give
you an account of az outrage perpe-
trated on NE by the United States in
ternal revenue collector in this city. L
am a member of the firm Of Harpmann
& Brother, of Memphis, and as such
travelling for the purpose Of soliciting
orders from merchants dealing ia our
line of goods. After stopping here until
/ transacted my business, and when
about to leave for Canton, a man who
introduced himself as United States
deputy collector from this district, ap-
preached and asked Dle to show him my
certificate as peddler of tobacco. l re-
piled thatI was not q peddler and there
fore had no certificate. Upon which he
asked me to call at the collectors office
and ne would prove to me that was
subject to peddiers' license, although L
merely solicited orders as is the custom
with commercial travellers. told MIN
that would call at some other time az
had then other business on hand, and
walked away from him. Returning
fifteen minutes afterward to get my
samples and go to the depot TO leave,
found that my samples had been
seized by said deputy-eollectOr. / de-
thought had transgressed against the
internal revenue laws, to procure a war
rant and proceed against me. He did
not deliver up the samples, nor did he
get the warrant, and l was compelled TO
remain here, not being able to transact
any business without my sam pies. After q
good deal of bother, the district-attOrney
concluded to bring the eese before the
United States court, Judge Hill presid-
ing. After prolonged argument, where
in said attorney tried TO prove every
thing except the point at issue, namely,
that was a peddlrr of tobacco, Judge
Hill decided that my samples had been
wrongfully seized, and the case was dis
missed. Now, sirs, every merchant
knows what a commercial travellers
business is, and every internal revenue
officer knows, or ought to know, the
same; and never has anyone been re-
quired to take out . peddleT's license.
have been subjected to long delay,
prevented from keeping my appoint
ments with customers in other towns,
besides having to pay the large sum of
fifty dollars to counsel, and tried on q
criminal charge, merely because the
collector wished to make q test. case of
some one to find out, for his
own satisfaction, whether q COM
mercial traveller comes under the head
of peddler or not. And what remedy
have against this proceeding? A suit
for damages against the United States
government. After having been put to
great expenditure ami trouble, am to
engage counsel at a still heavier eX-
pense and subject myself to great deal
more trouble, in order to avail myself Of
the only remedy left me. This is indeed
hard, and the more so as any other rev.
enue collector in any other district where
may chance 10 be, can take it in his
head to make a test case of me in his
district and subject me TO the same
trouble and expense. ! call on all the
travelling agents Of the United States to
resent this outrage. II I have been
made test case Of for them, they are
also apt to be made q test case Of for
others, unless legal steps are taken to
show these gentlemen that they cannot
vent their venom upon the first citizen
they come across. In what transaction,
under what circumstances, are we safe
from similar Outrages, il an officer can
arrest US and seize our goods under false
pretenses, against all Jaw and justice?
Where can we expect this thing to stop,
ii there is no penalty attached
to the arbitrary seizure of 8 per-
sons property? There is one rem
edy-R suit for damage. But
this very suit subjects me to heavy
expenses and trouble, and unless the
commercial agents assist me with money
10 bring this suit, can never bring it to
a satisfactory conclusion. We have in
deed come to pretty pass in this glO-
rious free country. Such thing would
be an impOssibility in any mOnarehieah
country. No officer in any civilized
country, would dare to commit such an
outrage on any citizen, merely to satisfy
himself, whether his construction Of the
law, or the accepted construction Of the
whole country for many years, is the
proper one; and yet the act which bears
up0n this case cannot leave any doubts
in the mind Of ten-year old schOOlboy,
so plain is the wording Of it. I trust,
sirs, that you viii give this place in
your valuable journal, at your conven-
fence. am DESTROYS to let our northern
friends know that we are kukluxed in
more than one shape by the officers
sworn to do their duty toward tie eiti-
zens of the United States, as well as the
government thereof. II may prevent
some other outrage, for fear OF being
shown up before the world. / am, sirs,
your most obedient servant,
J. HARPNANN.
JAoKsoS, MISS, November 6, 1874.