, 1876-04-14
REvENUE.COLLECTIOy,
Tho Other Side.

Tho Other Side.
ID fh4 Editor Of The Chicago Tribune:
Senator Gor1on's Hpoech on tho i7eyenue
Service hns boon approved nud compiinsntod by
yon. That speech contains these norin.
Dut Il IL truo that the officers Of tho English axcso
DO net scnl tho English rnvonue. while, We alt
know, the oicara Of so Americau esctao do spprops
ste American royeuue,
Aud, further on
Ny friend from Ohio aald ihe oher day, that, II sre-
cio-raJtnents wero ncysr resumed until tho Republ.
cans appointed honest men to collect tbs Wlisky tax
resumption was postponed forever.
Thceo and kindred Htatemontn have bcen 80
often assorted OF 1ato Without contradiction,
shat they hsva become 4 part Of tho o'popu,ar
bol!of; yet thoy sro unjust and untrue as gon-
eral propoalsions, and aro truo only in e1cop-
tional instances. / havo bcen Collector OF ln-
torual Rsyonuo for moro sllan lvo years, md
havo . right to bo heard on lilo other
aide. My DISTRICT Is larger than tho State Of
New Hampshire. NY collections average
s40o, 900 Sonr. During oil tho time that I bayo
taxcs duo tho Government III thts large e1tont
OF territory, and havo promptly pald evory tloilnr
into tho United Bsatea Ttcnsury. This amount
Of money Ia collected from two dihtlllerIcs, forty
61sTorog 0Hc forty tobacco and s'gar-faetoree end
from "a cents upwards It Involves an Intricate
and comprehensive system Of bookkeeping,
nnd copious system OF daily ontries, and
weekly, monthly quaEteEfy, and annual returns.
tho Collector. Every stamp and coupon muat
bo accounted for In money. Some Btampa arc aa
low 10 value as 10 cents. aon1o as high ~ $40. A
separate account IL kept With every taxpayer,
mid tho technical forms to bo Aled and pro-
served amount to thousands every year In my
oifice alone. Tho listllloties muat be constantly
vaitod. Tho bsoworlos aud cigar-factorios
must be inspected aud examined ot
loast onco onth,-involvins n great
lHh1 nj travail and All Strnt}nrA of
law must be reported To the District Attorney.
Thoro ia groat deal OF other work. not nooeB-
baty to bo enumerated hero; tho correspondence
alone amounts to 20o, lotters q month. My
whole tsrne fs given to tho tlutiee oil tho oflcc,
In addition to all this, tho Collector is Distrlbut-
ing Agont for tho Goycrnment In the Depnrt-
mont Of informal nevenuo. All those collcc-
tlons aro ISao gaoransoed ad9 to tho ooyornmens
as DtsbutelnR Agent. In the flvo years that I
hnve boon Collector, tho Government has not
lost dollar in my department. Whntavnr
losses have boom made, through orrors mis-
takoB. counttrfoit Inoney, oto., hare borno NY
self.
For a1l this scryico, und for oil those colleo-
tiouB, guaranteed BY 80 large 4 bond. tho Gov
c1nmsnt pnya mo 81. Zoo yoar,-less than por
he .pald all tue Deputy Collectors, oil tho
clerks, and all travelling oxpeusos. Lowing
70 tho Collector less than 5000. DO
not think there ID private firm or corporation
IN tho country that would expect TO have 10
largc business dono by q responsible employs
for go small q compensation. AIy booka aud &C
counts ato balanced every night. anl all tho col.
locsions for tho day placed III the United Btates
Depository.
havo uaed tho first poEson only for conyeu-
ienco, not for tho purpose Of praisiug myaelf.
No potaon will evor know who wrote this
letter. I write In dofenso OF my order.
30 uDjuat!y assailed by SonHtorB by
ministers In the pulpit, and by tho public proes.
Collector who docs his duty will not generally
hpply, l zotort that believe IL will. In my
Statc during tho fourteon years Of thu Internal
1loTenuo law not a solitary Collector has ever
boon tainted With official dishonesty; and yet 80
persistent aso tho reproaches cast upon US thnt
am almost ashamed to look my neIehbors In
the face Let us hago a hoaEing+ Worry regpect-
fully yours, 4 REVENUE CoLLEcTon.