The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-09
THE TOBACCO SEIZURES.

| The recent seizure by the officers of the in
ernnI Revenue horo who hnvo presumably
acted upon iutruetionB from Washington OF
sion Of dealers In this city. Inns naturally ere
hted no littl" surprse. especially Ms tho
parties whose tobacco hns boen seized nrn NIL
known to be men of tho highest integrity and
commercial standing We have examined
into the matter and do not hesitate to declare,
that tho action Of tho Federal officials has
not only been harsh but Il n most ,lnwarrant-
nhlr and high-hentln outrage upon tho
mercantile community. 1t appears that
Tor many years. 10 many. That the
memory Of tho oldest dealers runneth
not 10 tho contrary, ii haze been the
custom Of tobacco firms In this city and
"Iaowher", 70 prepare Icaf tobacco FOR ship
mant 10 Mexico by asserting II according to
the length Of tho "af and subjecting II 10
pressure IN order 70 preserve II from moukI
This leaf tobacco Is not prepared In my wny
~ having any foreign substance mixed with
It, but Is simply taken In It's natural state,
pressed into hogshcads and shipped To It's dee-
ttnation There hh4 neyor been any secrecy
about 1t, the government officials haye for
yours been cognizant of and authorized the
process, not q pound has been shipped except
with full knowledge and consent Of the
revenue officials. and the commissioners Of
Internal Revenue have themselves annetionesi
1t after Their attention had hoen called to IL
by dealers In this city.
Fully protectcdby the law, as they beloved
and entronehcd behind the authorization of
M
here have continued the rrprisaI OF what is
called Black Horse tobacco. for shipment to
Mexico, which country consumes largo guam
Titles OF II l5ob,000 pounds being shipped
from this port alone per nnnum. They were
therefore very naturally surprised upon
being Informed by the revenue officers
here that they We're In contravention of law,
aud that their stock Of leaf tobacco was
seized and would be- llbeed in tho United
States Court. We have heard Of no similar
seizures in New York, Baltimore and other
cities whore this trade Is carried on, and the
action Of the officials here, therefore, Is Justly
regarded ms most IneZCusable and oppressive,
~ nsc no harsher terms The revenue laws
are bad enough rs they stand permitting rs
they do, the most fragrant abuses and yiOlat-
ing the most sacred rights guaranteed by the
constitutions, but II they are - be construed
at one time in one way and at another time a
different way, Just as 1t may suit the within or
caprice Of the individual who may happen to
be at the head Of the Internal Revenue De-
partmcnt, and regardless Of the consequences
to the mercantile interests OF the coun-
try, the sooner they are reformed or
abolished the better 1t Will be for
everybody, except, perhaps, the OIL
cious Intermediates who seem to fancy
that 1t Is the special province OF government
to hamper and embarrass commerce In every
possible way. The pretense Of the officials
here that the government was losing the
sum OF sixteen cents per pound Is simply
absurd, In view of the fact that the tobacco
Is not and cannot be regarded as manufacture
cd In any sense and in view Of the further
'act that. while 1t costs the dealers here from
eight to eight and a. half cents per pound, 1t
Is sold for ten cents to Mexican dealers.
Taking into consideration all the facts, the