Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-01
TARIFF TINKERS.
Assistant-Secretary French, OF the Treas.
ury Department, Again Before
the Commission.
His Plans for the Speedy Determination
Of Disputed Questions Rep
resentatiyes Heard.

LONG BRANCH, July 31.-The Tariff Com
mission resumed its session to-day. Assist
ant Secretary of the Treasury French gave his
views as to the importance and necessity Tor
the creation of a tribunal for the speedy de-
termination of disputed questions arising
from time to time in customs cases. A cir
cular from Secretary of the Treasury Win
dom, the chambers of commerce and boards
OF trade of the country showed that there
were $4,000 customs suits pending. These,
of course, did not represent SO many distinct
questions; on the contrary, large numbers OF
them depended on the same points, but, ow-
ing to the laws delay, importers had to
continue bringing suiIs on every impor-
tation. Owing, however, to the death of
President Garfield and the change of cabinet,
the plan for tribunal had fallen through.
1t had beenl opposed, also, by lawyers who
were interested in these iitigations, and who
represented that 1t was a new scheme of the
treasury department to get advantage OF
importers, and when the bill for the creation
of such a court was introduced in the Senate
by Senator Sherman, it was denounced in the
New York papers as a new scheme of the
treasury TO wrong importers in some way or
other. In point of fact, the scheme was for
the benefit of importers, and instead OF being
for the purpose of giving new power TO the
treasury, it was proposing to part with
all the power which it now had
over the subject. Everybody in the de-
partment desired to get rid of these
controversies aud labor, One plan was to ar
range the matter very much as the valuation
of goods is now arranged; that is, to leave it
to the decision of the appraisers, and let
their judgment be final. Another plan, and the
one he himself favored, was the creation of q
customs court, composed partly of exporters,
and one or two eminent lawyers, member
of the court to receive 5000 or 5000 year,
Al lxn,
and to sit in New York. He would have the
decision OF that court final and unappeala-
bic. One objection made to that plan was
its expense. He thought if the country
could afford to give $19,000000 to the inn
provement of rnud-puddles it might not be-
grudge $4,000 or $4,000 year for the
maintenance of this court, which would save
the present enormous cost of litigation.
Another proposition was 10 give the juris-
Claims. That would certainly be great
improvement on the present system. This
was a very important matter, and
he hoped the Tariff Commission would
take up the question and make some definite
recommendation on the subject. Passing
into the sugar question, he gave his theory
OF the law fixing the duties Of the standard
of color as value and.staxstion; how that
standard had been falsi6ed BY artificial
scope is adopted by the whole trade as a just
criterion of the value of sugar, how objec-
tion was made by sugar importers on its be-
ing adopted by the treasury department, and
how high qualities of raw sugar now come
in at low rates, being artificially discolored.
There never had been time, he said, when
sugar importers rendered TO the Committee
on Ways and Means any agreement as
to the beat mode of collecting duties
on sugar; they could not agree am5ng them
selves about it. He suggested that probably
the best way out of the whole sugar difh-
Guilty would be to apply the ad valorsm system
to il. There we're practically two questiops.
hefore the coumizsfon. .0ae wzswhefher The
tsx.on sugar should Be lowered cf inarsase1,
different grades OF sugar should be graded,
as sugar now pays the largest amount of
revenue to the government. The amount for
the fiscal year ending June, 1881, was over
$4,000, 900, and that for the last fiscal year
would probably exceed $5,000,000.
After the hour of recess the committee
gave hearing TO John G. Dix, of New York.
He said that in 1862, when Morrill, was get
ting up his tariff, he sent for the representa-
tives of the drug trade, himself among the
number, and told them he wanted them to
prepare figures for the taxation of drugs and
chemicals, and that they mus put the figures
as high as possible, promising that az soon
as the war trouble passed away he would
use his influence TO have the tariff on
drugs reduced. They had done 30.
For fifteen years he had felt per-
sonally injured by the fact that neither
Morrill, or anybody else had undertaken to
revise the tariff, except 10 take off the tax
here and put one on there, to advance some
private end. Mr.. Dix was requested to send
to the commission list of the articles he
would recommend to be placed on the free
list.
E. Ranlet, representative from the New
Orleans Cotton Exchange, and also repre-
senting Southern manufacturing interests.
made an argument in favor OF placing jute,
butts and iron cotton-ties on the free list.
Commissioner Oliver-Does not the article
of cotton ties pay the least duty that any
article of manufactured iron pays?
Ranlett-I believe 60. 1t is thirty-6ve
per cent ad saiorem. also ask to have
MANILA and sisal, or Mexican hemp, and
argentiferous ores put on the free list.
Adjourned until tomorrow.