Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-08-27
Tobacco Inspectien.

OF the article in question.
1t is stated that the present system is
inefficient and expensive, and that Mary
land branded tobacco cannot be sold I'M
der its brand in Europe, but has to be
again inspected there before it can find
purchasers. It is proposed now to abolish
the present State inspections, to rent out
the warehouses to the highest responsible
bidders and have private inspection of all
tobacco stored therein. Buyers and ship
pers have long been in favor of this plan,
but farmers we believe have generally OBJ
jected, preferring the present system.
Without any special knowledge on the
subject of its practical working, we know
enough of the present system to condemn
it as vicious, and as the proposed change
is based on correct principles we are in
clined to favor it. As rule, commerce
should be as little interfered with by laws
and governmental regulations as possible.
The less hampered it is by these the nearer
we approach to that free trade which
should only be regulated by the law of
supply and demand. There are certain ar
ticles however of traffic, which from their
very nature vary essentially in quality and
value, and yet the variance cannot readily
be discovered because of bulk or other
reason, such as tobacco and flour. Here
an inspection by an expert is absolutely
necessary for the protection Of both buyer
and seller, and this duty, we believe, may
always be much more safely entrusted to
private enterprise than to official appoin-
tees. Gradually people are awakening to
a sense of this fact. Men who are ,engag-
ed in trade have long been in favor of the
abolition of al State inspections, and the
present system has only been retained,
partly to crafty the farmers, but more,
we are sorry to say, as a matter of party
expediency and for the purpose of party
patronage. Still public opinion has been
steadily making advances and gaining
Victories. in this direction. At one time
everything sold had to be measured or in
spected by States officer, even every
stick of wood carried to Baltimore had
to be measured by awood-corder appoint
ed by the Governor. But that is now a.
mong the things that were. Four years
ago a severe blow was struck at the whole
system by the Hon. John Lee Carroll,
through whose fundamentally and infu-
ence mainly the inspection of flour by
spection of this article has been found TO
work 80 well that we are not surprised at
the present movement, and we are sure it
will meet with the hearty cooperation of
the next Governor, who is man of enlarg-
ed and liberal views on this and cognate
subjects. Doubtless, if the original pur-
pose could be carried out and competent
and proper men were selected to office, the
seller might derive some advantage from
having an inspector who was appointed
by the State. But we are sorry to say that
the question of competency is one that
rarely if ever is thought of when tobacco
inspector is to be appointed. The only
question to be then solved is one of poll
tical influence, and if the solution of that
is satisfactory it matters not whether he
ever saw tobacco or not. The natural re-
suit of all this is that every inspector is a
rabid politician and his warehouse is a
hotbed of political corruption. No man
can be appointed to the humblest place
therein unless he be a political striker
who will strike his best according to or
ders at both the elections proper and the
primaries. How servilely they can obey
the behests of the appointing power, we
witnessed here very recently, and do not
wish to see the like again.
Under such system, it is not strange
that the brand of the Maryland State in
spectors should add nothing to the value
oftobacco. We do not know Of any frauds
ourself, but it is not unfrequently the sub
-iect of remark that any man who will
choose to superintend personally the in
spection of his own tobacco may by the
judicious investment of few dollars de-
signate the spots where bulk shall be bro.
ken to draw samples from. Whether this
is true or not one thing is very certain
the present system is a burden to the State
last year the expenditures having beer
greater than the receipts. Any man who
will take the trouble to examine the sub
ject can but marvel at the increase of bust
ness Just before the election which require:
so large an addition to the number oflabor
ers in the warehouses and its sudden fall
ing off in few days thereafter. Nor viii
his surprise be much abated when ht
makes calculation of the number of nails
required in the course of year. Itwoul6
be cheaper for the State to buy the Avalor
Nail Works at once and devote them ex
clusively to the furnishing of the multitu
dinous demand of the warehouses. These
are some few of the abuses connected will
this matter, which we have heard men
toned, and we have no doubt that if the
subject were fully Investigated much more
would be brought to light. We mention
this, not to assail these present Inspectors
of whom, whilst We know nothing good
we know nothing essentially bad, except
Sthey are better fitted for the discharge
ir political deveir than their Official
ut that it may be seen how vicious
On is, and how it can be and is
from its legitimate purposes
e are in favor of taking the
tobacco away from this con,
. Nuence of politics and leav-