Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-04-08
]DortG oborca q i,nes
PORT TOBACCO:
Friday Morning, April Oh, 1881.
Tobacco Inspection.

any part OF the purpose OF those VINO Or
iginated the present system that the State
should derive any revenue from this
eource. The same principles of public
justice that render it improper that the
inspection of this product, which il grown
in only small portion Of the State,
should be charge upon the people of the
whole State, operate also to preclude the
State from deriving any revenue from this
source. In addition to this, the State il
prohibited by the Constitution Of the Uni
ted States from deriving any revenue from
her inspection laws. t.a.a -.
The following extract from the report
of the COMMITTEES of Ways and Means, Of
the House of Delegates, made to the
House by Gen. John g. Chapman, of this
county,, the Chairman of the committee, in
the year 1927, the first session after the
purchase of the warehouses; furnishes sat-
isfactory evidence of the intention of those
who originated the system. In its report
to the House Of Delegates, made Febru-
ary IS, 1897, the committee spoke upon
the tobacco inspection question as fol-
lows:
"Ths purchase of the tobacco inspection
warehouses is heavy charge, and bears
Immediately upon those who grow the
article. As soon as the amount of reve-
nue. derived from this source shall be suf-
ficisat to extinguish the debt contracted
by the purchase of those houses, We think
the tax should be repealed, leaving q suf-
fcient sum to be paid in the form of out
age to defray the incidental expenses of
inspection.
1.-THE csmmitte: use no argument in
support of the position that the State can
not of right impose tax, for the benefit
of all, which will be partial in its opera
ton. The tax upon tobacco is Of this ma
ture. 1t might likewise be untimely to
urge constitutional objections to tax
upon exports, to . greater amount than
is sufficient to deftsy the expenses of in
spection. These questions might be out Of
the reach Of inquiries at this time, but uia
hereafter arise, ehen tic State dsau haze paid
for her par expenses from the acails Of her
inspection laus; and ee doubt not that the
propriety Of modelling the inspection laus to
make TIC proceeds only sufficient to defrdy
the expenses, soiu readily suggest itselfto some
future legislature"
The better opinion is that the State has
now been very nearly, if net fully, repaid
the expenditure for the purchase of The
warehouses. Although by the report of
the Comptroller, made to the Legislature
in 1875, it appeared that the Tobacco
Fund was, at that time, ostensibly still
indebted to the State to the amount Of
$61, 1854; yet when we take into consid-
Grafton the receipts from the wharves,
which constitute part of the warehouse
property, which have been since 1858,
through neglect, diverted from the To-
bacco Fund and paid directly into the
State treasury, it is thought that the in
debtedhess is almos', il not quite, can
csled.
The time for the remodeling spoken Of
by the committee of 1927. has, therefore,
new arrived, and it will devolve upon the
next Legislature to take the proper steps
to make the inspection system strictly
self-supporting, and to see that only such
amount is levied upon the tobacco in
spected as is absolutely necessary fer the
economical conduct of the system. Ell
Gent measures should also be adopted to
remove every reasonable doubt as to the
reliability of the State Inspections. The
certificate of the sovereign State of Mary
land ought to be the highest possible guar
antes to the commercial world that the
commodities bearing her brands have been
honestly placed upon the market.
The Legislature should thoroughly
examine into the numerous COM
plants that have OF late reached US
from abroad, ascertain to what extent they
are we'll grounded and bona tide. and adopt
prompt measures to remove the causes
that lead to them. The inspectors should
be required to exercise greater vigilance
in detecting the false modes of packing
sometimes resorted to, and stringent meas
ures should be adopted to prevent all tam
pering with the samples after they are
drawn.
The attention Of the last Legislature
was directed to the propriety Of making
some essential notifications in the system,
chief among which was the yielding by
the State of the management Of the de-
tails of the warehouse property to private
parties. This will doubtless be brought to
the attention of the next Leg,s ature, for
their wise and considerats action. 1t is
said that such q modification would tend
to remove the political influences that are
now said to control the subordinate ap
pointments to the warehouses, and there
by greatly promote its economy and in
crease its efficiency. We reprint to-day
in another column . letter which was
published in the Baltimore Sun Of Janu-
airy 2Sth last. which is understood to have
been written by citizen of st. Mary's
county. This letter contains some intelli
gent suggestions as to notifications in
the system. It admits the necessity OF
the inspectors being appointed by the
State, the alternative suggested of ap-
pointment by private corporate body.
we do not think will be regarded IS fca-
sible,) but insists on the details of the
warehouse management being intrusted
to private individuals. We do not see
that any valid objection can be urged
against such . modification. 1t is GER
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