The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-02-02
sTATETOBACCO INSPECTION.
From Baltimore, sun

STATE TOBACCO INSPECTION.
From Baltimore, sun.
The subject of tobacco Inspections, now
engaging the attention oil the committee
of the House of Delegates on inspections,
has an interest Tor the people of the State
at large outside of and beyond that which
it exctes among tobacco growers and
dealers. This interest is heightened by
the fact, to which Comptroller Woolford
has given prominence In his report, that
from the best comparison he has been
able to make from imperfect data between
receipts and expenditures on account Of
the tobacco inspection fund since the in
ception of the system in 1928, the actual
loss u the State treasuary has been SOL
l6S o.. The excess OF disbursements
over receipts during the past three years
has been as follow: In 1878, S2.496 o.
1874, S7,0S05 81; 1875 S6,902 70. 1nlS74
the State tobacco warehouses in this city
not only spent all they received, but sub
iected the State treasury to claims which
had to be met by SPECIAL appropriations
amounting to Sl5, 534 80. AS source OF
revenue to the State, therefore, the sys-
TEN of tobacco Inspections, like almost
every other branch of inspections, must
be voted failure. 1t is simply bur
den upon the general taxpayer. More
over, as we have recently more than once
pointed out, here, as in every other de-
partment of public expenditure, the ten
dency is to increase expenses. Ihey
grow much faster than receipts. what
is the corresponding advantage, taxpay-
ers will ask, TO offset the costumes OF the
system, as thus demonstrated by the comp
troller? Is it protection to the tobacco
growing interest of Maryland, at home or
IN foreign markets? Upon this point
the suggestions of the committee appoint
ed to represent the tobacco trade of the
State. and comprising among Its mem
bers an equal representation OF planters,
BUYERS and sellers, heard before the com
mittee of the House and Delegates last
week. are entitled TO consideration.
These gentlemen all united in urging
modification, if not an abolition, OF the
present tobacco inspection system OF the
State, and spoke in favor of free or prl-
vate inspectlon. Mr.. Duvall, in benaIt
of the sellers, showed that while years
ago an outage OF 81 "a per hogshead had
built the warehouses in Baltimore, pres
ent outage of - per hogshead Is lnsuih
Gent to run them, and the State treasury
is drawn upon annually TO make up the
deficiency of receipts below expenses.
Messrs. Gorter aud Gail, in behalf OF he
BUYERS, showed the damaging effect of bad
sampling and bad packing in the ware
houses upon'th interests of the Mary
land grower and dealer, and stated
that in selling Maryland tobac-
co in New York, for example,
when free inspection system prevails, 1t
is necessary to send for sampler from
there. SO little dependence is placed upon
the samples furnished by the Maryland
svstom of State inspection. 1t is true
that this is an argument rather against
the efficiency OF the present system as
pracuced than against the system it
self But what better, it may be asked,
can be expected, when the inspectorships
are political appointments, and the ware
houses, like the city yard, are strongholds
of political influence and power The
fact is that the whole system is obsolete,
or is rapidly becoming so, passing away
with the ideas and habits TO which 1t
owed its origin. The present tendency
is TO depend less and less upon govern
ment supervision and guardianship OF
mems private dealings, and to look more
10 personal character and to mems sense
of their own interests AS affecting and
controlling their transactions. We buy
less in reliance upon the mark or certiti-
cate ot the government or official inspect
or than upon our own judgment and
means of observation, or il these last are
wanting, upon the character OF those with
whom we deal. Latterlv there has been
somo talk of reviving the old system OF
fish inspection, SO as to insure, 1t Is argued
that every purchaser of KIT OF macker-
al shall get full measure number or
weight. Why not extend the same
svste n to every other article that is sold
in close packageS-to canned goods OF
every sort and TO boxes oi matches-and
have inspectors OF everything? 1t will
make offices for every body at least every
body that wants them, and that appears
to be the great desideratum in politics
now. Suppose, in the matter OF tobacco
Inspections, we at least try a comproms Sc,
AN experiment, such rs Governor
Grcomc recommends IN his message
There will bc those, no doubt, including
IN, representatives of the tobacco trade,
vino Will advocate the doing away with
/ compulsory or State Inspection altogether,
and the selling of the State warehouses.
| Others nav prefer Governor Groome
plan o. trying both systems together, OF
/ giving t. parties their option 10 reiy
i upon private inspection, upon their own
modes OF sampliug, &c in private ware
! houses, or 20 resort to the State warehouse
and inspection system.
Let us see which i'll the long run the
majority of growers and dealers will
prrfer. and which will be most for the
interest of the trade. At the same time
! lei II be remembered that nursing OF
"protecting" particular trades or branche:
IL indus nv or agriculture IN this State !:
M. the business of the Legislature, and
Is altogether '0reign to present ideas and
modes of thought upon such SUBJECTS
xb;ob favor the iewest possible restraints
snd the LARGEST liberty OF individual &C
ton. The only official inspections whicl
The interest of'society would seem clearly
10 call for are those which are an'taIy II
their character. or designed for the pro
lection of the public health or safety
The Masonic Grip Under the %ai
lows.
\ From the Sunday Democrat.
! Calcraft, who recently retired iron
the irving position of halgman in Eng
land, had an agreeable custom of Away
shaking hands with those upon whom h
was about to carry out the sentence o
the law. But it is has been observed
that Norwood, his successor, never does