The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-05-02
New York ON Tobacco.

tobacco mart OF the WOrlu. hehce, WhdC-
ever Affects this department. OF trade is
matter of serious moment to our city
in particular, as well as to the West in
general.
The manner of making the Cover nment
assessments upon tobacco, as we'll as
the modes ordained for the due collec-
tion of those assessments, have received
the most deliberate care and iore-
thought of Congress and the Depart
ment, under the administration OF which
the revenue arising therefrom is collect
ed. After various changes and modih-
cations of the laws regulating this mat
ter, a system of procedure was adopted
that was supposed to be final, so far as
any radical principle involved in the
business was concerned.
On the faith of this understanding,
our citizens interested In the tobacco
trade OF the West entered upon the pros
eeution Of their business with an honest
purpose to yield strict and honorable
compliance to all the requirements OF
the law; and have SO conducted their
business in all its relations to the Gov
ernment from that time to the present.
In order to conform to those require
ments they were obliged to expehd
large amounts for appropriate machin-
cry and appliances of various kinds in
connection with their factories and
modes of conducting their trade.
And now, after having thus largely In
vested their capital and arranged their
machinery, and just getting their busi-
ness suitably systematized under the
established order of things as pre-
seribed by Congress and the Revenue
Department., q movement is suddenly
sprung before Congress for an entire
change of the whole system of business
in connection with this trade. -
| Nobody will gainsay the right In Con-
gress to alter or modify any law upon
this or any other kindred subject, when-
ever the public good demands it, or the
general interests of the country may be
promoted thereby. But, in the present
instance, neither the public good in the
matter of revenue, nor the general inter-
ests in the matter Of trade, require the
changes proposed; nor can they be sub
served thereby. On the contrary, it is
clear that, while no good can possibly
be accomplished by the changes pro-
posed, immense evil will be caused te
individual interests involved therein
Such change as that no good Govern
, ment has right to make.
. No greater evil can aff1icta community
cerned, than the frequent changes in
our laws affecting those interests. The
everlasting and perpetual tinkering il
Congress in Its special legislation in re-
gard to various lines of business is only
evil and that continually. The business
OF the country, as In this instance of tht
tobacco trade, scarcely gets regulated tt
/ meet the requirements of the law, befor'
J the whole system is upset, and new re
| quirements imposed, and all without th
: shadow Of cause or faintsst ray 0
:. reason. 1t Is to this witless zeal TO
} meddling and inordinate propensity t.
, tear down what has just been con
s structed, manifested in Congress, tina
g much of the business depression of tn
q country is attributable. In view of thi
t meddlesome spirit OF mischief in Con
lgress, men of capital hesitate about en-
e barking in business, because they fee
i that nothing is safe because nothing
t settled.
8 Now here come some tobacco men c
a New York, personally interested in th
(: matter of tin-foil as an envelope for fine
n cut chewing tobacco sold in small pack
r ages, and petition and urge upon Con
: gress, with all the lobby appliances fo
t which New Workers are distinguished
q 80 change the law that all ine-cu
y tobacco shall be packed in small pacb
ages in tin-f0il. OF course this is d
Il rect blow at our Western tobacconist
Q who mostly pack in ten, twenty, forty
e and sixty-pound packages without vi
s ing the toll, which 10 applicable only
It one or two-ounce packages. 1t is tn
r movement of a New York tin-foil mi
v nopoly to force upon the trade, throug
I legislation in Congress, an article whic
J those monopolists have to sell, an
r which our Western tobacco manufa,
turers do not use and do not want.
8 BY this proposed change, We learn, th
e cost will be sirteen cents per pound add
# tional for the mere cost Of packing. On
!, would naturally presume that th
T. United States Treasury would be benz
a fted BY such preposterous addition t
4 the cost of tobacco. But not 30. Nc
d one cent of this accrues to the benefit Q
0 the Treasury. It all acerues to the tin
e foil aristocracy of New York. Certain
9 ly Congress will be slow to make an
o such change for any such purpose.
v Another and quite as significant
9 feature is developed in regard to thi
8 proposed change in the law: that is, i
!: regard to the manner OF verifying tb