Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-03-14
PORTS OF ENTRY.

In their efforts 70 lower the estimation
in which the Republican party is held by
the people, the blatant newspaper dema-
gQgues which are trying to perfect new
party organization pause at nothing which
seems to hold out the possibility of MAX
ing single point. Every act of the Ad
minstration, or of any of its supporters,
is scanned with an eye single to its faults,
while its benefits are passed over in the
most rigid silence. If we are to believe
the half of what we see in the pages Of
these hypocritical sheets, ours is the most
corruptly administered government that
human ingenuity could devise. We
have to believe that every public officer,
from the President down to the lowest
salaried postmaster are in ccllusioC. to
swindle and rob the treasury of the coun-
try in every possible WY, apI it, by mis-
take, an honest men is Appointed, he has
to become thief, also, and that at once,
or he is seat off as one not qualified for
''4S N"HOS VI .(uDliC seTNICe.
Such Course of action is no part of
the duly of public journal. A newspa-
pei of truly patriotic impulses will have
for its motto, Nothing extenuate, nor
set down aught in malice :" it will
neither gloss over the faults of its own
party nor exaggerate those Of its oppon-
- ,At,ppalier, - fbot bo a4o
does not come within the province of the
Independent press" With those pa
pers, facts are either concealed, or dis
torted in the endeavor to warp popular
prejudice in some way. Take an article
from the Union of Saturday last as an
example. Alter enumerating the ports
of entry in the United States, the total
amount Of customs collected, ETC., it goes
on to say
From thirty-two of the model ports
these nests tor official bummcrs, para
sites and lCafers, there was not one dollar
Of revenue received, but $50, 900 paid out
of the treasury to hummer Collectors
And when it once did happen that an
honest, conscientious man got possession
Of one of these nests, and reported TO
headquarters that it was an utterly use
less sinecure office, and advising that it
be abolished, the late Secretary Bout
well removed him and put person in
his place supposed to be destitute Of all
such nice conscientious scruples."
This makes rather bad showing on
on paper, but the question naturally aris-
es, why these ports of entry were consti-
tuted in the first place, and, were they
constituted under Republican admins
tration If our recollection is not sadly
at fault it is an exhibit that has been
made up annually for political effect for
the last thirty years at least. There are
altogether one hundred and thrty-six
ports of entry, and about nine-tenths of
the revenue collected is received at eight
Of the principal ports. With such a long
line Of lake and sea coast as the United
States possesses, it follows that if the du-
ties are to be faithfully collected, snug
Cling stopped and the revenue protected,
there has to be port Of entry established
at Caeh good harber, partly Tor the con
venience Of the people-paltly for the
protection Of the government revenues
The fact that the coast is dotted with
ports, from many Of which little or moth
ing is collected, swells the receipts at the
larger places. But the extract we have
| quoted is designed to convey the impress
sion that these sinecure places are Great
ed and kept up exclusively for the ac-
commodation Of political pets. By a
parity Of reasoning every post route
which fails to pay expenses ought to be
discontinued. The writer of that article
knew that he was falsifying and distort-
ing the situation when it was written {;
but there is just as much fairness in the
garbled statement as we need ever look
for in the sheet in which it was printed.