, 1880-02-26
"WE TOLD YOU sol"

The Immediate-T Transportation bill, known
as ssthe Aldrich ,bill,' has drl1ted upon
breakers, as we predicted it would when its
friend ~ Mr.. Garfield proposed, in the abun-
dance of his generosity, to submit it to the
Secretary Of the Treasury for an opinion.
An admirer of Gen. Garfield once thus char
acterized him: "He has the brain Of o god,
the heart Of a lion, aud the skin Of mouse"
Every man on the Ways and Means Commit
tee was ready to report the Aldrich bill ex-
cept Fernando Wood. Mr.. Wood said, My
dear Mr.. Garfield, please have the bill sent
over to the camp of its enemies for an .opln-
ion" and Mr. Garfield, with the utmost OF
compliance, said "Yes." We have begged
Secretary Sherman to give the bill his per-
sonal attention. But it appears that he hasn't
time! He has turned it over to Mr.. A. <
Tingle, Chief of. Special Agents. We are
privately advised from Washington that MIR.
Tingle comedies everything in the. bill ex-
cept the clause providing for the abolition OF
the pro fornaa entry at the coast port This
is main, If not the main, feature Of the bill,
and can by no means be conceded BY its
friends. To carry out this feature OF the
existing statute requires an army Of clerks
at the port Of New York, whose services in
the event OF its abolition may be dispensed
with. The abolition of the pro forma entry
at the coast port is in the interest Of econ-
omy. Its retention is an outrage on interior
importers; and We defy Mr.. Tingle or any
body else to show that it tends even in-
directly to protect the revenue against
frauds. It is purely clerical affair, and no
official who makes the record ever insDects
single article Of the merchandise Of which 1t
is the subject The pro fornlG entry at the
coast port of merchandise destined for the
interior accomp}ishes two things, and two
only: ~ 1t subjects to theimpertinent espion-
age Of rival importers at coast ports the in
voices, and so the business, OF interior I'M
porters, and (2) imposes upon the Govern
ment the utterly needless expense Of an
army Of clerks, who, upon tho passage of the
Aldrich bill, may be at once discharged.
We are astonished to learn that Mr..
Tiugle proposes so absurd an amendment.
The proposition Is in the interest Of waste
full expenditure of the public money, and
can rebound only to the benefit Of two
classes Of men: ~ the force Of clerks now
employed to keep useless records, and (2) the
importers Of New York City. We can con-
ceive of no reason why Mr. Ttngle should
desire to serve the interest Of the one or the
other class. He ought to be devoted to the
utmost Of economy consistent with the
safety of the revenue; hence it is absurd to
presume that he wishes to make business for
a score at least Of clerks whose services
might better be dispensed with than retained.
He is Western man, q native Of and ap-
pointed from Indiana; hence it is passing
strange that he should join the party Of New
York importers in the effort to retain, by
unjust laws, their hold upon business which,
when relieved, Is sure to come to the sec ton
which he calls his home. !.
We trust the hearing accorded to Repre-
sentative A1drich and Mr.. John G. Wilson,
Of this city, By Mr.. Tingle, will have changed
his views. We should be sorry to believe
Mr. Tingle capable OF doing gross injus-
tice to the West, and we have strong hope
that he will report a full Endorsement Of the
4 AlIrich hill