Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-02-17

!
mlttee of the chamber of commerce
appointed to investigate the alleged IL
legal collection of duties on sugar.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT.
WARRINGTON, Feb TO-
To George l'dson, EsY., Secretary If the Cham
Der q Commerce 81 the State Of Ne,0 York Men
York:
eIR:-l have considered your note of Feb g. in
! which you enclose II copy of the report adopted
| by the chamber OF commerce on the 3lst inst
on the subject of collection Of duties on sugar,
and III which you state that at the same meeting
1t was resolved that the secre airy Of the treasury
be respectfully requested to rescind his order Of
sept, z, 1879, and to refund the excess of duties
| collected under it above lawful duties as pre-
scrlbed by existing statutes. | have the honor to
inform the chamber of commerce that prior to
the order referred to the department had became
! fully satisfied that large quantities of sugar had
! been imported which had been artfcially lvlored
! for the sole purpose of introducing them into
| TINS country as Of color and grade below that
which fairly belonged to them thus defrauding
! the government of large amount of its customs
revenue, running honest importers, and depriying
the sugar planters of the country of the protec-
| ton which congress intended to afford them Two
| cases had been tried in the courts one in San
! Francisco and in Baltimore in which such
fraudulent artificial celebration was established by
! court and jury. In both cases the court ruled as
matter of law, that il is the right and duty of
ofhcers OF customs to look through the fraudulent
arllhclaI color and to assess duty upon sugar ac-
cordlng to its true color, stripped of all dsguiscs
TINS doctrine must commend itself to the common
sense OF every honest man. To
! hold that an importer may import sugar
! the true color of which il above No.
| 20, Dutch standard manifcStly colored so as to
reduce 1t apparently below No. Z, would be to hold
out premium for dishonesty and fraud. The de
! IQrtnPQt he pr1p pf
! 1879, has undertaken to look through fraudulent
color, and assess the duty upon sugar at its true
color. In executing this order it is stated in your
! report that thousand suits have arisen aggre-
! gatldg nearly ~ 900 000 The order was prompt
ed by the highest sense of official duty with no
other object than to prevent frauds upon the rev.
enae and to protect honest importers and sugar
producers, Nothing has occurred to shake the
confidence OF the department rs to the correctness
OF the course pursued. The government will be
prepared for trial Of pending eases in the
courts rs soon as they can be reached. 1t
will be seen, therefore that the request to
abandon the suits and refund the duties in
controversy cannot be complied with. 1t
may, perhaps, he proper to suggest in conclusion,
that none at least of the gentlemen upon the spe-
cial committee who made the report to your
chamber is party to one more of the suits re-
terred to- and has, therefore, n pecuniary interest
IN tins question. My sincere respect for the
chamber of commerce Of New York and its i'm
portant functions and influence in commercial
matters leads me to state more fully, in answer to
your resolution, the position of the department
then perhaps your formal communication would
demand. It il the design of the department not
only to enforce the laws in the collection Of rcve-
nues but to secure kindly aid and good will of
merchants with whom the customs business is
chief conducted Very respectfully,
JoHN SHERMAN. Secretary.