National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-10-05

great excitement in the office of some large
importing house, dispatches reporter to
learn the importers story of his grievance,
and forthwith publishes it to the world as
one of the most heinous offenses against
proper commercial law known to merchants
Of the largest experience. 1t was differ
ence of opinion as to what constitutes the
goods known as "Italians." A little in
quiry by the Washington correspondents
of the papers referred to at the
Customs Division of the Treasury
in this city might have saved both
of these journals from making egregious
asses of themselves. But they had neither
the time nor the disposition for this. In
fact, that is no portion of the business of
those persons who prepared the articles
here alluded to, because those onslaughts
were bound 10 be made in furtherance OF q
plan to effect certain legislation next winter
by a Democratic House. OF course, the
merchant does not care anything about how
much duty he pays, because it comes out of
the consumer at last but he deprecatss fire.
quent changes in the rates. Still he is
so dissatisfied that he brings o suit
to recover what he contends is an over
assessment. Just how he proposes to re-
turn it to the consumer when he has re-
covered it he fails to state. The consumer,
however, will be the party entitled to
it in equity, because he will then
have paid the excessive rate in the shape
of an addition to the price of the '1taIians. l"
But the sharp reporter endeavors to help
him out of this dilemma by stating incl
dentally that he has to allow the attorney
or agent one half of what is recov cred for
carrying on the appeal suit. This frank
statement lets the cat out Of the bag en-
tirely. The appeal is filed by an agent
who importunes the merchant to allow him
to do it, and agrees to be at every expense
and trouble for contingent fee of fifty per
centum of the amount recovered. The
agent gets the signature of the firm and
then files the appeals, and writes the arti-
cles for the metropolitan press, and for q
prospective contingent fee gets Zone of our
reporters" to interview him. The inter
view ended, the reporter departs with the
article in his pocket. ready prepared, which
he prints as the result of his long and in
teresting interview. This game is played
or attempted every successive year. 1t is
no new thing either to the Department or
to Congress.
A few facts might be stated here with
effect. One is that no sooner is our. tariff
amended (and too often at the suggestion
of the importer) than manufacturers abroad,
instgated thereto by the importers, set
their wits to work to really and practically
evade its provisions by making and intro
ducing new styles of goods, the compo-
nents of which are purposely SO disguised
as to deceive all but the most accomplished
experts. When these goods arrive it is
insisted that they are precisely what is de-
fined to come in at certain rate OF duty,
and il is added that they were manufac-
tured for that identical purpose, which is
true enough. We happen to know that
Mr.. Blodgett, who is an expert and who
was at that time in charge of the Customs
Division of the Secretary's Office, was SO
much puzzled as to the elements of com.
position of many of the samples presented
that he obtained the services Of a micro
scopist who brought into requisition the
aid of powerful glass, by means of which
he was enabled to determine the qualities
and the number of threads of each ele-
ment in the goods. If we remember
rightly, it was on the result of this infal-
lible test that the decision turned.
When their trickI are found out
and these importers are compelled
to disgorge the honest rates at which their
goods are chargeable it is natural that they
should be much chagrined, but they would
rarely make any noise about it, either in
Congress or the newspapers. They are
ashamed to do this, for they dislike the
exposure that is sure to follow. But the
agents fume and bawl and scold and threaten
in the hope of securing some portion of
their moiety in the shape of fees. 1t does
not appear probable that the Secretary of
the Treasury, or Mr.. Clark, the present
chief of the Customs Division, or Captain
Adams supervising special agent, will take
fright easily either upon the baggage
smuggling question or upon what consti-
tutes Italians" in commercial parlance.
They are none of them made of that sort
of stuff. So the Detective press, brokers.
agents, attorneys and merchants may as
well take notice that if they propose to
fight the old battle over again this winter
they will enjoy lively time with game
enemy.