The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-03-21
A Disgrace to the Country.

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A disgrace TO the Country.
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boen msde = no,on, ;o",. sn@. aa'e,y u naS
sion and "x,orr,;on e ai;" In. u ypPies'
and oe various o,bor far". se "na ai-""O'i
outrage IL Tho s,ots - wS;oh ",o"s aeu
had not beor bron~hs ~, nv =. W. aG az
inon;rv :, would he H. ~ ~ ~ V.n0'a'
impos:;biIitv 10 bel;ova ,ha, .,nh ,soo ~ !"
ipgs undcr cover If Law could oaam. O; ~
civilized country ;us,lv nroud 90 ~ g.
institutions The con,noro;al -. 20
the LcIorr will rememhor H. aasa ~ os
Phelns Dndoc & ~ ~ Naw VI .n1
of Jordan Marsh 6 u ofPos,on ,.sa NV
books and naners wore .eiTsd Sv T,o "nUss
detectives and who wore holJ mn )" ny
oazc of Tho conn,rv a. ba;n" ~ !;
swindling the. Custom House Spsnac
fraudulent invoices and mad - ra, ~,
one case nj least0 nm onormors ~ ~ N ae
money. 10 e,tricate tIemselvos fron ,Sa
tolls of detectives. snies and ;nformors
Phelns Dodgc Il a. hoco,sa 90 ~
peculiar condition of tho ,smo;o,v" Law
found themselves obI;god % 80 -
men s271 600 when he aoerooa,s 81 Ill
the errors in their Custom iiorso .ooonn,.
covering many wears of bps;nes. and IN
yolyinp hundreds of milIions oe Jou.r.
was but q FEM hundred doHors Xxi
This il hut n TYNE on n LARGO scolo or wL.,
has been poinS ON for n Cew yoars b.oL -
several of the large commercial c;,;os
How such things can come about will
be the instructive monty of eyerv ro,dnr
and here is where tho sting;no DISGRACE ~
the whole matter comes in Tbo 9%o;o,v"
law gives 10 the ..informer = or Tho uorson
who RECEIVERS money alloood 10 he dro %
the Treasury. one half Of all the money
recovered. The law also subjects 10 for
fixture the whole of anv invoice If oood.
if any item in the inyoice is nndervsluod
and INTERPRETATION NAV and docs fronnen,
" happen from miscalculation of frciob,s
and commissions. and from other error or
inadyertences. as well No from Jos;en
The law is thus an cnormous temntat;on
TO the greed of officials and n, ;ns,rumen,
of ayaricious and unscr,nulons mon
Slight errors or miscalculat;ons amo,r,;na
TO n few dollars or n few hupdrcd dollors
may be so perverted as to yitiate transoc,
tions amounting to thousands and hundreds
of thousands thew NAV bo made IN worL
the forfeiture of immense sums and 10
subject time. bonorcd mercantile bouses ~
threats of exposure and public sb,me unless
they .scompromise. !" by having whatever II,
demanded. The execution Of tho lav lin
part) has latterly been in the hands of
men who, as the testimony shows. are
capable Of doing these things. and thew
have done them. Having once fxed their
attention upon a wealthy victim. ns in The
case of Phelps, Dodge K Co. New York
or Jordan. Marsh & Co. Boston the frst
movement is to surround the establishment
and the members of the firm with spies,
and the next to corrupt some empiove
clerk. or book keeper 10 make transcripts
from the books. to tear out leaves from
books, or to do some other similar thine
This has been done in at least three in.
stances. The wretch who was made to do
this treachcrous work in one Instance had
been taken into the house as matter Of
charity, when he was not needed and he
had been promoted from time TO time on
account Of what appeared to be his great
zeal in the business. Having secured the
aid of spy and traitor of this Kind inside
of the establishment, and cspecially if the
corrupted traitor be in responsible posi-
ton, all the rest is easy, for the evidence
against the doomed house can be made 10
assume any form. The indoor traitor has
it in his power, in some cases, to make the
very entries, or fabricate the very evidence
which is to bring his employer to disgrace
or ruin. The man who is once corrapted
for money TO play the spy and informer
upon his employer, will not balk at forgery
sary for his purpose,
Such arc some ofthe developments Of the