The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-26


strument Of penalty and punishment. The law
says That the books and papers OF the merchant
shall be seized and carried on whenever t snail ap-
pear the satisfaction oil the Judge OF the District
Court that fraud has been committed. Then the
Judge can Issue his warrant TO The Marshal 10
seize all the books ana papers relating to The sup
%se swe.s to IL sy sss csra
out OF the ten-orthe anldavits ana complaints upon
which these warrants are based have been issued
House. WHAT does he know about it OF his own
knowiedgef Nothing; absolutely nothing. What
does he swearf He swears upon his information
and belief that he has reason to believe that John
Doe or Richard Roe has attempted to commit
fraud upon the revenue and that 1t relates to GER
tam imp0rtatons and that 1t IS necessary TO seize
That is not what the law means. bad as it H. Not
District Judge that fraud has been committed.
II because Jayne or his assistant swears he be-
lieves that fraud has been committedf no. You
ss city nS get
such an affidavit AS that lCheersl You could
not get an order for the arrest honest white
as that strikes at the very root Of the
liberties OF the people. SO oppressive and degrad-
not long since said to me :M"It is cheaper to pay
$4,000, although not committing the slightest
four Weeks in the District Court TO have It deter
mined whether ne was an honest man or a knave."
s saas & y man sSs
nit 10 it for moment (Applause) But you are
not without relief Congress has already been
reached, and do not believe that there Is Custom
House influence enough on the part or iniOrmers
or moiety hunters in Congress to defeat the just
demands OF the Chamber oil Commerce. (Applanse.)
The President then introduced Mr.. Barbour,
Mr.. BARBOUR said MIR. President and gentlemen,
am glad 10 see among this large audience OF mer-
aaa % or r 80 20 nS
opportunity Of meeting them here and explaining
TO them why ior 80 many long months we nave
with the same regularity as we had done for the
last twenty years. need hardly give you, gentle
and outrages practised upon Us and upon
our manufacturing interests by those shielded har.
sae to e
the last week, and have been asked by many
friends and acauaintances 4 thas statement long
IN POSITION to Prove it. S We had been Induced By
our fax machinery. We had the misfortune to
come over here with capital, machinery and skilled
son, erected machinery and started our enter
prise. For seven years we went ON unlnterruptedly
have carried on very energetic business enter.
prise Last year. gentlemen, ! think we were called
pVs ssads to how s on oabs
menced in the Revenue Department. We did
not wait to have warrant issued Tor the seizure
down to the Revenue Department. (Cneers.)
We asked the officials to go carefully through
or otherwise. upon which to found q charge
OF fraud. We asked those officials to 20
our r ana see e nev COME
substantiate any charge they might make against
our goods. 1t was OF no ayail. think we had
q a contest with those revenue oliicefs, and /
wogm recommend any importing firm 70 show
best thing any one can do when these pleasant
gentlemen, the revenue 0dlcers, come IN, IS to
help themselves. lCheers.) It is right to remon-
strate against these proceedings. There are
many large firms whose names could repeat. and
With which the public are familiar. who have
within the past TWO. years ceased to keep stock
of goods here They simply represent their bnsi-
arrive by each steamer. BY this means they avoid
the risk OF having their property seized and con,
error error have had some twenty Years. experience
In this city as an importer, and ! think the
ing that in the importing BUSINESS there is Of neces
sity great number Of details. We frequently re-
ceve the invoice by the same steamer which brings
our goods. There Is generally great hurry
In making up an invoice, and it is quite impossf-
Bile Tor merchants TO be responsible Tor every little
OF merchandise (Cheers.l You can easily see,
gentlemen what an immense temptation It is to a
brfDe as an nformer to get up little irreguarlty
or some clerical error so as to divide the spoil be-
not know, gentlemen, that need saw anything to
You about the law. That matter has been clearly
laid down by my friend on the right Mr: Choatel.
There Is one law, however that understand as
well as any lawyer, and that is the law OF right
and wrong (cheers) and think that II q law
exists to-day which permits those revenue officers
to march into our counting houses and take away
our books and papers, the sooner all merchants
turn round and stare such o law square in the
face the better (Cheers.) The sooner we stand
together, shoulder TO shoulder tn defence OF our
Tere is one thing Merchants pae even ssoSe
their books, papers, money or property That is.
their good name and reputation. (Checrs:) 7
ntt1d In n LINN w IN hn hall
out to foreign capitalists 10 invest In developing
the resources OF The country (Cheers.) A mer.
reputation Of a lifetime, and was this to be iIched
away from him by the government that he may
have done much to uphold and MAINTAIN? (Cheers.)
SPEECH OF JACKSON S. SCHULTZ.
Mr.. JACKSON s.. SCHULTZ was the next speaker.
He said that the revenue of1icers OF this district
had charged the merchants OF New York With
petit larceny, with bribery, with having i'm
properly Influenced public officers and with hav-
was the Indictment. Were they guilty or not
guilty. He mad put in the plea ior them at wash
Should not "a" allow statements to 90 to WASH
ington without the antidote. He read letter
IRON Mr. r. IL B. Claim stating that some changes
houses had been led into trouble from the perplex-
ing character of the tarlff. lie replied to that
tain former time, about four or ve years ago, and
to this came reply, stating tnat they had some
That was all that Phelps, Dodge & Co. did. It began
ana ended with a correspondence. When Mr..
Claim stated that he never had any trouble in
regard to the Revenue laws he was mistaken.
Tie land freight on goods should be added to the
cost OF them, and when MIR. Cla1in went down to
the custom House and was told he must pay he
did pay. That was before MIR. Jayne and his reign
OF terror began. Ii this had occurred in Jaynes
time Mr.. Clahin's books would have been taken
down to the Calcutta Blackhole in the Custom
House, and II this had been done to him he proba-
bly, would have acted more in unison with his fellow
citizens and merchants. (Cheers.) Under the
administration OF Jayne Mr.. Clafn's lmportations
probably would have subjected him to trouble. In
1865 an order came from Washington to seize the
books and papers OF q most respectable merchant
In this city. rhe special agent sent for young
man who had been in the employment OF this mer-
chant, and on hearing what this person had to say
1t was replied that the government OF this great
country could not afford to go into so small and
mean a business (Cheers.) That great merchant
was A. I. stewart. (Ckeers.) The speaker re-
ferred IN severe terms to Jayne, who, he said,
had no objection to seize letters and
private papers, even the letters ofahies. Cheers)
He went on to show that Woodward, Robinson Il
Co. did not intend to DO any wrong. jayne admit
ted TO the committee OF the House that he had taken
$4,000 from this tirm, and the statement enraged
one OF the committee SO much that he (Mr.