The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-09
TIE TOBACCO SEIZURES
Question of Law Which Involves
Large Interests.
Ar interview with MeRars. Hernehoim
and Mayer
The Process Employed in Compromising 70
baooo Its Prevalence Elsewhere and
Ita Former Approval by tho An Q
thorities Tho informal Row
epue Side Of Tho Case.

Tho resent aelzuro Of tobacco N Tho wnre-
houses If \. HernRheim Fro. Mayor llroH.,
Fitzpatrick 4 %. and Thps. willie haa naturally
pauand particular public comment aud led 90 no
amall excitement both In tobacco circles and
among tho on'rara OF informal revenue. In
order to throw additional light upon thia attn
uular proceeding n DEMOCRAT reporter yaaor
anv interviewed some of tho principal partiea
10 the affair. Meeting Mr.. iIornsheim tho ra-
porter asked what waa
THE METHOD
nmployed III The warehouses; In regard to tho
lenf tobacco seized by tho anthori,iea2
MFR. Hive receive leaf tobacco hero IN hogs
heads which nre too light for oxport 40 we taka
the tobacco out. aaaort Il and plaea u In other
hogahenda Ia other woria We prze or com
nreas H. thna saving TO ouraevos freight
charges, ~ tho cotton mon do by oompressing
cotton. and II nlao serves 70 preaervo tho g..
hacpo
Rep.~Do you nae any swee,enlug or othor
process In compromising
MIR. U.-None whatever Sometimes whom tho
tobacco Ii dry we moeten II with water and
this. together with the compression. IL what
gives tho eaf itH black appearance. Hence i
Ii called black tobacco"
Rep,-1Iow long has thts practice obtained
among tDhneno NOM
Mr. IL Upward OF twenty or thirty or more
years III was an open affair Thorn was no
epncaalmant whatever about tho matter. and
revenue ofIicera and others have boon fully
aware q me fact. y Il no further hack than
II was 10 violation Of Internal revenue laws.
and this ought to be very good authority.
GENERAL rRACrIGE
Rep-In this tho only city In tho United atatas
whore tobacco haa boon handled thiR way
Mr. III 4s n
houecs I'm louisville doing The aane thing nae
In paduoah. Knoxville Henderson county, Ky.
auch Eeisnrea being mndc In oany o. theae
places but suppose huaineas Il considered 40
prosperous down here thoy thought they would
Rep..Where do You ahlp thia ,ohaceo2
Mr. ITO Mckee Tho Mesir ., ~" YER" ",
a 81 Rom m s" Orleans sS"a & aim ao"
million aud u half pounds 4 year.
Rep. The statement has boon mado Tint you
erred tobacco IL that correct7
Mr., IA Altogether Incorrect aud will mako
that very plain 10 understand. Wa aell tho 10
bnoeo ut an average price OF ton eants pound
Now, manufactured tobnago Ia subaotsd 10 n
tax OF sixteen cents pound. besides tho GOAT OF
the raw. material and tho manufacturing. and
nv the time that II reaches the purchaser hero
Will DO the additional eost Of the profit made by
The manufacturer. Yon sec plainly that there
II @ u se ns 20
any that One approaches nenrly to the other is
absurd.
Rep.- DO .you, regard tho action of tn"
MT. H.well simply regard their action ms
miaconception or miaoonstruotion of tho law.
have no doubt II will bo feotitNd but In tho
meantime IL la embarrassing and annoying
10 ua.
MIR. MAyEns OPINION.
The reporter next saw Mr.; Mayer. Of tho
hotias of Mayer Bros. who made substantially
lie same statement The officers u Internal
revenue. he said had frequently visited their
houses: had seen the process % eompreesing.
and never once suggested that II was In con
frayention or any law. Not only did they aea
Ii, but anybody else was ~ lihNrty to onter tho
warehouses;. and no idea OF eoneealment was
ever entertained, because there was never any
idea OF wrong. The practice preyailed up
wards Of forty yeears, antndhting tho informal
handling 81 tobacco il carried on more exten.
sively In he West. and even In the North and
East where they 40 10 tho extent of gr"aang
the leaf In order to give II coloring u prncose
not necessary here as Tim climate Ia sufficient.
He would not be SURPRISED II he learned thnt
rival intarcata elsewhere Ind something 10 do
with tho movement. which he deprecated il'
visiting great injury ON the traan.
kTHE LAW AND THE OFFICERS.
The reporter next wounded hia way IN tho Ill
reetion of the internal revenue otflc". whore he
asked for the section OF the law under which
The seiyura had been made. The chief deputy
accordingly showed him tho following:
"0n all chewing and smoking tobacco, Hnn-
cut cayendish. plug or twist. cut or granulated.
oil every description; on tobacco twisted by
hand or reduced into u condition 70 be CON
aumed, or In any manner othor than the ordi-
nary mode of drying or curing. prepared for
sale or consumption, even II prepared without
The use OF amy machine or instrument. and
without being pressed Or swertened and on all
Slne.cut shorts and refuse scraps, CLIPPINGS.
cuttings and sweeping Of tobacco. i tax OF six
teen cents pound.
Particular stress was laid BY the deputy onthe
words reduced into condition e. e., eo con
much IA the tobacco. when compressed had
been reduced to TINT condition, il was subject to
the sixteen cent tax.
The local department claims that II was In
gtructed by the commissioner nj Washington to
mako those seizures and bring tho question to
n final settlement before the courts The da-
partment does not hold thht there was any MT
tempt ut eyadinE the law on tho part OF the
manufacturers but that there has bean n mis-
construction of IL, and propose to bring the sub
iect to judicial determination.
TO this end the officers are preparing the
necessary information for the district attorney.
who will bring suit accordingly.
HnAhcrrD0is mn sfpPk whtaktnE