The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-07-25
The differentiation Frauds.
SERIOUS REVELATIONS AS TO THE EXTENT OF
DISHONEST IMPORTATION.

The New York correspondent OF the Bati-
more San, under date Of July 20, says
Mr.. II. Wheeler Combs and his fellow
commissioners, appointed by Secretary Man
ming to investigate and report as to the extent
of the differentiation frauds in this city, are
gaining gradually on the thousands of pro
torma invoices submitted to their scrutiny.
The investigation thus far shows a serious
state of affairs, and the question among honest
merchants is, if the frauds in this city in six
years run up close to 100000, what will
be the grand total after the commission has
sifted the charges against dishonest merchants
in nearly every city in the Union? The un-
dervaluations have not been alone in the dry
goods district, but embrace every description
of imported goods Musical boxes, furs, per-
fumeries, buttons hat and other trimmings,
hosiery, silk and balbriggan, articles of lin
gerie, silk and lace parasols, and IN fact al
most every known kind of goods dear to the
feminine eye, have been brought into this
port under false valuation through the alleged
collision of government experts abroad and
corrupt officials and merchants in this city.
1t also appears that under recent Republican
administrations the government has been ex
tensively defrauded in the matter OF importa-
tons of wool Incidentally the wool farmers
of the United States, who imagined they were
being specially protected, were fooled by
these frauds. The wool growers of Ohio,
who worked and voted heartily for the Re-
publican party, were, without knowing it, the
I principal victims of the irregularities that
have been discovered, and which were due to
official negligence, undervaluations and falsi-
fcation of invoices The question naturally
arises here whether protection is of any use
at all. Secretary Manning management of
! II NIL
bringing all this crookedness to light. The
entire system of wool appraisements, affect
ing the vast interests of the East as well as
! the West, is to receive a thorough overhaul
I ing at the hands of the new investigators APP
pointed by Secretary Manning.
Our merchants are just now witnesses of
| an interesting spectacle performed for their
! special benefit by discharged customs Off
Gals. Ex-Secretary McCulloch, when he
obIiterated the fraud roll, unwittingy brought
to light score of patriots who had for years
| fattened at the public crib, and who are now
! anxious to do the State some service by re-
! yealing the secrets of the various departments
in which they are alleged to have served.
| These officials almost stumble over each other
in their haste to promulgate the wickedness
of their late associates, and an eXassistant
! appraiser of the port has been engaged by n
! firm charged with undertaking its importa-
tons of hat trimmings to help them out of
their difficulty. The duties of this discharged
official are to instruct the tainted firm in the
practices of its tainted neighbors, to give it
| his vast experience as to how other firms have
escaped prosecution, to give all information
in his possession az to the wrong doing OF
other firms, to enlighten it on the crooked
ness of government officials sent abroad as
special investigating commissioners, to tell
how they with almost meagre salaries have
grown rich in a few years, and in fact this
official is to virtually sell himself body and
soul to a firm whose differentiation frauds
have been the comment of New York mer-
chants for years. Special treasury agents,
whose chief service consisted once a month
in visiting the custom house and drawing their
six to eight dollars day have sprung up as
fsoustom house attorneys. They are said to
be in the paw of dishonest merchants and that
they are valuable there can he no doubt. In
a. word, their services are intended to turn
the tide from dishonest merchants in this
| country to corrupt government officials and
manufacturers abroad. 1t was such men who
! last winter arrested a dozen poor dressmakers
of Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, whose
combined guilt was $1,000, and permitted a
San Francisco merchant with 5000 worth
| of Struggled goods go scott free. There was
some talk of OBTAINING the latter gentleman,
but Col, George Bliss said it was az right,
! and it was.