The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-23


latter
Although the country laughed heartily at Gen.
Hancock when he said, few years ago, after re-
celvlng the nomination for the presidency, tnat
had heard it mentioned some time, sub
sequent developments have proved the
sense and seriousness Of this remark.
No general blow can be struck at the tariff ques-
ton without raising cry from every member OF
Congress. Even the freetraders will protest
against removing all protection from some
articles which are produced in their immediate
districts. When the question is considered In
detail it comes home to all of them somewhere.
The people of the extreme portion of the
South and of the prairie States are more favor
able to free trade than those Of other localities
This is because they have few or no manufacto-
ries of any consequence; yet, when they come
to consider a proposition like Mr.. Morrlsons 2o
per cent. horizontal reduction, they are heard to
rise in their seats and ask that certain articles,
which found to be grown in their districts.
be exempted from the provisions of the bill.
The ultra-Democratic sentiment in the South is
at present divided on the question of tariff. be-
cause of desired protection to their rice, sugar
growing industries and iron producing interests.
The South can never be said to be free-trade
section in toto.
Customs revenues are collected largely after
the manner internal revenue taxes are collected.
AT the different ports of entry on the seacoast,
ETC., are stationed customs officers and q corps
of assistants, the same as in internal reve-
nue. districts are located collectors and as
sistants The ports of entry have government
warehouses, where imported goods are deposit
ed upon their arrival and where they must be ap-
praised and assessed and where the importer
must pay the dues before the goods are received
by him. 1t is in making the appraisement of these
goods that the great frauds known as underva
uations are perpetrated. An differentiation
means too low appraisement of goods Theap-
praisement is made low, of course, to favor the
importer, and the officer making the undervalu-
alton receives bride. The New York customs
officers have been guilty of differentiation and
also those in Philadelphia, Boston and Balti
more, for many years. The efforts of the gov
ernment, from the time Mr.. Sherman went into
the Treasury to the present, have been bent
towards securing honest valuations of imported
goods. The revenue collected by customs aggre-
gates more than that collected from internal rev.
enue Ike government receipts from both
sources have for years aggregated about $780,
900 per day.
the Secretary of the Treasury, and the same
internal revenue and a customs bureau, in
which are scores of clerks, and at the head of
which is commissioner, is maintained in the
Treasury Department The same kind of frauds
and the same class of criminals are encountered
in the customs service as in the internal revenue
service, necesstating the employment of detec-
tives special agents, etc. While the internal
revenue service has to deal with moonshners,
illicit distillers, and the manufacture of funny
barrels" and dishonest gaugers, store-house
keepers, ETC., the customs service encounters
smugglers, who sneak in imported goods without
paying tariff and Matchmaking and bribe- taking
officers and officials who connive with importers
to defraud the government in all the ways
imaginable. The smugglers are the buccaneers
of the service, and are treated by the same
means that the illicit distiers in the internal
revenue service. Inasmuch as the importations
reach but comparatively few cities before
passing through the hands of customs officers,
the work is much more condensed, and the field
much smaller than that of the internal revenue.
For instance, it is not necessary to keep detec-
tives or special agents in the customs service at
Indianapolis, Columbus, Denver, Chattanooga,
Pittsburg, etc. because it would be very difficult
to smuggle goods into those places, yet the
internal revenue service covers those places very
cl ose!y, and finds much to look after there
Reciprocal treaties with foreign countries is
an old way of evading, or rather going around,
the necessity of the tariff laws A treaty may
be made with country by the United States,
whereby all goods from that nation shall be admit
ted to this country free of duty while at the
time we have ne most stringent tariff laws The
country entering into Inc treaty is simply ex
empted from our tariff, and we, or ou- produc-
tions, are exempted from paying duty into that
country. These treaties are brought about for
mutual benefit. Whenever this country con-
ceives 1t to be to It's interest to have free trade
with some other country negotiations are opened
through our Department of State for a reciproc
ity treaty-that is. treaty which will be recip
rocally beneficial to the United States and the
country with which it negotiates. We have
been dickering with Spain for reciprocity
treaty for several years, and have employed
special EN- bassador during the past two years, il
the person of Gen. John w. Foster of Indiana,
to negotiate this treaty. Spain is very much in
need Of and wants our manufactured articles,
while we desire her sugar. tobacco, ETC., and for
the purpose of stimulating this exchange are the
steps taken to secure the treaty. A reciprocity
treaty is nothing more nor less than waving of
the. tariff law for the exchange of articles which
are enumerated in the treaty.
Treaties were put on foot very soon after the
first tariff law of the United States was formed,
and have been popular subjects in Congress ever
since. There are now pending before Congress
reciprocity treaties with Span Hawaii and
Mexico. The difficulty most obstinately en-
countered in the ratification of these treaties
has been not that these countries were not will
ing to take our manufactured goods, but that
we were unwilling to receive so much of their
productions, like sugar and tobacco, upon the
terms proposed. The two articles named are
the ones to be most freely supplied us by these
countries The South has led in the opposition
to the ratification because sugar and tobacco
most materially affect the South. The terms of
the treaty are stipulated in the compromise of
negotiations, the same as trades our merchants
would bring about. A treaty does not signify
the reception. of the goods enumerated
terms are modified and in many
instances the tariff on the articles named are
simply reduced to what our representatives
would consider fair compromise Along with
the discussion of silver in Congress during the
coming session will stand ont prominently the
consideration of these treaties. Debates on
treaties have always been conducted in secret
session of the Senate. These discussions are
upon diplomatic matters, and it has been thought
wise to keep them in the strictest secrecy AS
they affect the people very materially and come
to every household. demand has been made,
however, that the doors of the Senate shall be
opened and reconsideration of treaties made
matter of discussion the same as anything else
1t appears now that there is majority of the
Senate in favor of removing the Injunction of
secrecy treaty matters, and it is possible that
the every day reader will hereafter know more
about our dealings with foreign countries than
in the past. P. S. HEATH
Utah's Perpetual Leap Year.