The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-01-18
Tobacco-Inspecfion Laws Concluded.

special and continuing order LOT rioaS'
Adjourned.
Tobacco-Inspecfion Lsws-oo"c'""eo'
Editors Of The Dispatch: our pelei Is
that there are many people III aulno,I.!
who do not understand why IL was 'iia'
such high value was once placeu vi W
bacco-notes issued by inspectors ana Whicn
notes were marked "Passed. lnat We
will explain, after first remarklng tnae III
Colonial times the King, by his agents III
Virginia, levied an export TAX OF so many
shillings on every hogshead OF TOBACCO eA-
ported. We remember well Deing tOlu U!
a gentleman OF past age that NJ one iiihe
all tobacco, no matter about coior, cnaruC-
ter, or anything else (as to what would now
he test as to quality, that was marked
"passed" by the inspectors, had a hXed
value, and as such value was known 10
merchants they would readily take such
notes in payment OF goods that planter
might wish to buy. For instance, Mr. b.,
planter, would bring hogshead OF to-
bacco to market, and II it was found IN
good order and otherwise merchantaDle "
BY the inspectors, they would give Mr. Il.
n note Tor manifest stating that TACT,
and also the gross, tare, and net weight
Of such hogshead. Now, Mr.. B., without
having the shadow OF sample OF such
hogshead. could take such note ana use II
as currency to buy any goods he might
want, the merchant receiving such note al
the fixed value before alluded TO. We do
not think there was any law OF the State
fixing such value, but such value was
agreed upon among shippers as to the price
they would give for all "passed tobacco.
Now, mark you, the inspector at that time
did not give the planter any sample OF such
tobacco, as neither he, the merchant with
whom he traded, nor the shipper who after
wards bought the hogshead OF such mer-
chant, wanted any sample. TO effect sales
OF such hogshcads all that was necessary
was 10 have a note or manifest giving the
weight OF such hogshead, and which note
had marked on it by the inspectors the
word "passed." This will show that at
one time the simple word "paSsed y put
on a note by inspectors was OF conSidera-
bic value. As tobacco is now sold either
loose or by a sample, buyers can Judge Tor
themselves land this they do aS to the
quality, keeping order, &c, OF any tobacco
they may wish to buy.
evil now try and also explain how II
was that many years before the war the state
OF Virginia had some show OF reason for hay
inc something TO do with tobacco ware
houses owned at that date by private par
ties. Then the inspectors Of such ware
houses were by law appointed by the
county courts-that Is, by the county
courts wherein such warehouses were To-
Gated. The owners. in consideration OF
the fact that rs the State agreed to insure
all, or probably all, planters tobacco Sent
TO such warehouses, that they would agree
to permit the inspectors to be appointed as
above. Now. it was further understood
that as the State was TO insure against loss
by fire. that it should receive so
much a hogshcad for every hogs
head shipped out OF such warehouses.
The latter being so, OF course it became
necessary for the State to have such in
spectors TO act as it, agents or officers To
see hat the state received into It's treasury
the amount due it for the insurance re-
ferrcd TO. Every inspector at such ware
house provided certain number OF hogs
heads were opened at it was paid by the
State a fixed salary-about, we think,
S333.33. Now. as the inspectors did then
receive such salary from the stale, that
NAV have made them in law and in COM
mon sense officers OF the state. Can the
same be said Of inspectors to be appointed
by the Governor? That question we will
discuss hereafter.
just here we wish TO call attention to one
fact, which we think planters ought to
know.
Before the war, tobacco-planter bring
ing his crop Of tobacco TO market to sell II,
OF course had to have it opened and in
spected. The latter was done by marking
the warehouse numbers, weight, &c., on
the hogshead, and then giving a note or
manifest corresponding with such weight.
numbers, dc. Suppose such notes were
numbered at some warehouse Nos. 1910,
1911, 1912. 1918, 1914, such numbers would
show that five hOgSheads had been inspect
ed. Now. if such hogsheads were after
wards reOpencd no matter how many
times. the custom was 10 keep OH them the
same marks a. 10 the numbers, dc. and so
such five hogshcads could not count but
once in the total OF a crop. How was
the case last year i'm one OF our
cities. and at private warehouses hay-
ing samplers appointed by the State 7
Why, the fact was, that such five hogs
heads, after having been sampled and in
spected as the law required, could have
been reinSpectcd afterwards FIVE times or
more il the owners desired il. When first
reinspected the old numbers would be
scratched off. and new number, (w9re-
house numbers) put on. This would con-
tinue TO be the case every time such five
hOgsheads were reinspccted, and the con-
sequence would be that while only five
hogsheads had reached the market, yet, il
only reinspccted twice, it would so TO
swell up the amount Of such five hOgsheads
TO ten more. This practice makes the re-
ceipts at some warehouses appear very
much larger than they are, and that GER
tainly don't have a tendency to help prices
/ in markets where the matter is not known.
II is well known that the more OF n thing i
made Tor which may appear rs having leen
madc) the lower the price OF that thing will
/ likely be. We can see nothing in the bill
now before the Legislature which indicates
that the proposed inspectors OF tobacco to
be appointed by the Governor at ware
houses owned by private parties can be
possibly thought State officers. BY their
appointment the State does not get one
cent Of revenue, nor does it pay them one
cent for the services rendered, and as the
property OF such warehouses is private, we
cannot see the justice IN giving the Gov
ernor the right to appoint officers TO manage
other peoples private property for them.
With the facts known to all men, we cam
not see how the inspectors alluded TO can
possibly be considered State officers. We
have already shown that under the bill now