The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-06-16
Omscial Accountability.

A Washington dispatch states that
the President is understood to have
said
THAT it will be the policy of the
executive government not to retain
any officer, either on the customs or
internal revenue service, under whose
administration frauds occur. These
officers are to be treated apparently
as responsible ministry
Under this ruling, what is to be-
come of the official heads Of the Gus
tom House of New York? When
Lawrence was arrested, it was an
nounced that he had committed frauds
to the amount of a million dollars
The Treasury agent sent to New
York to look into appraisements
found undervaluations the rule in the
single department investigated. name
~, silks and silk ribbons. In the
course OF thirty days he saved a quar-
ter of million dollars to the revenue
in the silk room of the appraisers
Office, merely by advancing invoices.
The logical deduction from this fact
is that the practice of differentiation
there has been of long standing, and
that the government has been robbed
of many millions of dollars. These
frauds have occurred under the very
eyes of the Collector and Appraiser.
The conclusion is irresistible that
there is corruption or gross ineffi-
cheney somewhere in the Custom
House, for the detection OF systematic
and extensive frauds on the customs
revenue committed through under
valuations is perfectly easy Even in
the absence of all knowledge of for
eign markets, the examiner may COM
pare the prices of the same line of
goods, as shown by the invoice of the
honest importer, with those found in
the invoice of the dishonest importer
And, if there is one honest importer
at the port of New York, his invoices
of silks should have been sufficient to
put the appraiser on his guard against
such monstrous undervaluations as
were discovered by the Treasury ex-
pert. It is in the matter of under.
valuations that the great bulk of
frauds have doubtless been perpetra-
ted. Lawrence committed fraud by
collision with q customs offer, but
his million of stealings constitutes
but a drop in the bucket to the vast
frauds committed by undervaluations,
if we are to rely upon the results of
months work in the silk department
by the Treasury expert as the gauge
OF the conduct Of the entire office.
The rule which it is declared the
President has determined to adopt
would seem to be an excellent one to
apply to the New York Custom
House. Its business il SO vast that
the opportunity for the commission
OF frauds is proportionately extensive;
and If the government revenues are
being robbed there by wholesale, it is
important that the robbery be brought
to full stop Immediately. The
Treasury balances are running down.
There has been loss since December
last of $11 ,OO0, 600 in coin and curren-
cy, and of about $4,000, 600 in coin
certificates. The showing at the end
Of the fiscal year cannot be but very
disheartening one to the Secretary Of
the Treasury and to the country.
There is need that the government
should collect every dollar of the
revenues provided by law. Hence
the Importance of laying a heavy hand
on the ring of customs thieves in New
York City. It 10 there that the
largest haul may be made, and the
Treasury most quickly replenished.
After the machinery of the collection
OF customs duties at New York has
been thoroughly reformed, it will be
in order to bring to Judgment and
punishment the ring of importers who
have been growing rich for years from
the plumber Of the public revenues
Inter Ocean.