The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-01-15
pies and the tobacco they repEeseat, he will


agree. If Gov. Hamilton can, devise ways
and means of putting stop to this practice
of picking samples, he will do much towards
establishing the tobacco tradetot Baltimore
upon fairer and more satisfactory basis, and
reliye the inspectors of the necessity of bear
ing other peoples sins But you will observe
that the changing of public inspection for
private inspection would not at all remedy
the evil! The Samples drawn by private
inspector could and would be picked as read
lily as if drawn by public Inspector, The
private inspector would be driven to selecting
the worst bundles he could find as samples,
in self defence. r.
Another great cause Of embarrassment to
the inspectors and of complaints from Eu-
rope. is that many of the small tobacco grow
ers of Maryland, people who do not make
more than one hogshead, from necessity, pack
it, bright and dull, long and short, seconds
and tail-ends, all in one hogshead. Now
neither a public inspector, nor private IN
spector, nor Gov Hamilton or any other
living man can sample such hogshead with
certainty. All that an inspector can do Is to
guess at it. If he guesses TOO low and under
samples, the buyer pockets his gains and says
nothing about it. Ii he guesses too high and
over samples, the buyer comes back on him
with q reclamation. If he undersamples nine
hogsheads to the extent OF twenty dollars
each, and over samples one hOgShead to the
extent of ten dollars, the buyer may demand
Of him the ten dollars and say nothing about
the other nine hogsheads.
The only remedy that | can see for this
state of things is mot to coniScate the tobac-
co as was proposed some years ago butt to
require the inspector to stay all hogsheads so
mixed that he cannot sample them with GER
tainty. Let the tobacco be shaken out and
carefully assorted; the number of pounds Of
each kind or quality of tobacco ascertained
and noted-then let it all be repacked back
into the cask. The buyer would then klCSS
exactly what he was buying and the inspector
would be relieved ofthe task of doing an i'm
possibility. As the owner would, | believe,
always get more for his hogShead when its
contents was certainly known, he would be L
gamer and not loser b. the operation. But
l have dwelt upon this branch of the subject
in previous letters.
| think the advantages accruing to the
planters from our present system OF inspec
ton and storage is not generally understood
in other sections Of the State. BY way of il
Illustration ! will cite a case: Some three
years ago packed six hogsheads of very in
terior tobacco-tObacco not worth at the time
more than 81 per hundred. ordered it to
be stored away and held for II rise in the
market held i, for three years. Last Au-
gust my agent sold it for SIS and 81 per hun-
dred. Now if had held this tobacco in New
\ ork, under their system, should have paid
40 cents per month storage on each hogshead.
If had held it in Cihcinnati, should have
paid so cents per month. If in Louisville,
fifty cents per month if in New Orleans,
twenty five cents per month. But in the pub
lie warehouses in Baltimore, belonging 10 the
7 4 Ill =.
Can you wonder that we are not willing to
torego these advantages and to have the New
\ ork or Cincinnati system forced upon US?
The people interested in the private ware
houses at Locust Point and Canton are mov-
ing heaven and earth to break up the State
system OF inspection, and to have the public
warehouses sold. Why? Because so long
as the State warehouses store tobacco gratis,
they are forced to store it gratis also Old
Shylock said that Antonio, the Merchant by
lending out money gratis, had hindered him
(Shylock) from making half Il million. and he
hated him.
The owners Of the private warehouses at
Locust Point and Canton can say, as we'll,
that the State warehouses by storing tobacco
gratis, have hindered them from making half
million also and they hate it. II our pres,
ent system of inspection and storage is main
money If it is broken up they will make their
half million, and it will come out of the peck
cts of the planters.
10 show you how much cheaper tobacco is
handled in Baltimore than in any of the other
great tobacco marts, have but further to
quote from papers before me. In New
York the cost of inspection (what We would
call the outage) is So per hogshead. The
charge for storage is, as | have said, forty
cents per month, except the first month, which
is free. We thus find that the cost of inspect
ing and storing hogshead of tobacco in New
York for one year is $40, while in Balt-
more it is just $500.
The cost of inspecting hogshead of tobac-
co in Cincinnati varies FROM s. to SIS. The
charge for storage is fifty cents per month
three months being allowed free to the plant
ers, but to buyers only seven days We thus
find the cost of inspecting and storing hogs
head of tobacco in Cincinnati for one year is
SO to $12, while in Baltimore it is only 81
| take these figures from reports made to n
committee of the Maryland Grange, appoint
ed to investigate the working of the system
of free inspection in other States They have
been published before, but never successfully
contradcted.
When tobacco inspection brings the State
into debt, the other sections Of the State
have a right to complain. This is very true
But doubt if eren then Western Maryland
should complain. We have been taxed for
forty years for building works of Internal i'm
Western Maryland, for very shame, should
not begrudge help to other sections Of the
State.
But tobacco inspection never brought the
State into debt until the corruptons produced
by the war had pervaded all things and all
places. And it has been said further that it
never brought the State into debt except
when orr Governors were themselves cor
rupt men, or weak and Inefficient The Gov
ernor appoints the inspector; lie can remove
him; he holds the administration OF the ware
houses in the hollow of his hands. When q
Governor procams that the inspectors whom
he has appointed and reappointed are dishon
est or inefficient, he proclaims his own weak
ness or inefiiciency, and that he has not done
his duty.
When Governor Hamilton says to his APP
peintees, that he expects them to conduct
their houses on business principles, and if
they bring the State into debt, he will regard
it as proof of their unftness and remove
them, You may bet your best hog. head of to-
bacco that the State is then in no danger of
being brought into debt.
| shall perhaps be told that there are many
Democrats in lower Maryland who are i'll favor
of the abolition of the present system of to-
bacco inspection. 1t would be more correct
to say that there are many disappointed Office
hunters in lower Maryland, who having been
disappointed in getting Office for themselves
or friends are now crying out for the distruc
ton of all offices which have been denied to
them. The situation reminds me somewhat
of the judgment Of Solomon. Wher the two
women were coatending before Solomon for
the possession of the child, one of them said,
if was not given to her she wanted it dis
troyed. There was good deal of human
nature in that woman. | think she is the
first soleheGd mentioned in history. fall the
Democratic soreheads Of the present day who
wish to destroy every thing they can't get
themselves, are descended from her, she must
have left numerous progeny behind her.
But you will observe, the woman did not
wish the child destroyed provided it was given
to her. | must do our sorehead friends the
justice to say that don't think there is one
of them who wishes the Office of tobacco in
spector to be abolished, provided it is given
to him. You see they seem to preserve the
family traits remarkably well.
| am in favor of the old Democratic doc.