Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-09-10
Tobacco Inspection.

Our nelghDor, the IHdependent, taxes US
to task for our article on this subject, and
insists upon it that in giving circulation
to authorizes rumors" about improPrie-
ties in the conduct of the warehouses, We
have not been sufficiently explicit in ex-
cepting the present Inspectors as being
connected with these irregularities. In
speaking Of these reports current in the
community and the subject of common
comment, the TINES said: ave mention
this not to assail these present inspectors,
of whom, whilst we know nothing good,
we know nothing essentially bad, except
that they are better fitted for the discharge
of their political devoir than their official
duty, but that it may be seen how vicious
the system is and how it can be and is
perverted from its legitimate purposes"
We submit that any fair minded man,
who is not seeking to torture our remarks
into personal reflection upon the pres
ent incumbents, must see that We were
speaking of the system and not of men,
and that even when speaking of SO gen
eral subject We expressly disclaimed any
purpose ito assail these present Inspec-
tors" because of those reports. That this
is the only legitimate construction to
be placed upon our article is evidenced
by the fact that it was copied by the
NarlborO' Gazette. &c Calcert Journal and
the Leonardtown Beacon.
The Independent, in this connection, has
thought proper to pay a, doubtless, de
served tribute to one of the present In
spectors, who has been lifelong friend
of the editor. To this we do not object
Nor do we for moment suppose that the
fact that the latter is partner in a large
tobacco commission house in Baltimore
sity has any thing Ia 80 wi.h this officious
promptness to vindicate one of the In
spectors, who has not been assailed, but we
ascribe it entirely to that warm friendship
which acts on impulse and without due
consideration, and which does more cred
it to the heart than to the head.
We still insist upon it that We have q
right to speak of the system of State in
spection as being vicious, and to illustrate
that viciousness by "authorless rumors,
provided in SO doing we do not personal
ly reflect on any particular individual
If newspapers cannot do this they will be
of little use to the public, and that "inde-
pendent press" of which our neighbor is
SO fond of copying paragraphs about
would be indeed but an empty sound
We care not how much personal attention
the friend of the INDEPENDENT, or any
other Inspector may give to the discharge
of his duties, we insist upon it that the
present system is vicious and liable to
abuse. 1t is impossible for the Inspector
to attend to all the details of the ware
house. He can no more break bulk of the
hogsheads than he can do the coopering
which consumes so many nails. 1t is doubt
less under circumstances like these that i'm
proprieties occur, especially as we are in
formed by the Independent, that the man
who offers to bride an Inspector would
likely be shot, unless "the contempt he
would feel might merge all his anger
Why, it was only the other day that we
saw in one of the Baltimore papers that a
laborer in one the warehouses had been
arrested whilst attempting to sell some
three or four hundred pounds of tobacco