The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-07-30
UNDER VALUATION FRAUDS,

L Ah' "kRSs'N'N " wv
retary Manning to Investigate the OK
tent of undervaluation frauds In New
York city will soon make their report
Already II 10 known that the frauds ex'
tending over o period Of six years
amount TO fully twenty millions Of dol
lars. II has been discovered that the
underyalnations In New York are NOT
confined to the dry goods district alone,
but. says a correspondent, embrace every
description Of imported goods. Musical
boxes. furs. periumeries, buttons, hata
and other trimmings, hosiery, silk and
balbrlggan. articles Of ling g,rie, silk and
lace parasols, and In fact almost every
known kind OF goods dear to the
feminine eye, have been brought Into
New York under false valuation through
the collusion of Government experts
abroad and corrupt officials and mer-
chants In that city, And this list does
not cover all the frauds. The wool
growers OF the country who are protected
by heavy tariff are among those who
havo suffered most, The wool growers
of Ohio who worked and voted for the
Republican candidates were tho princl-
pal Victims Of the frauds which have
been unearthed and which were due 10
the criminal negligence Of officials, un.
dervaluations and the systematic falsl'
lcation Of accounts. The entire system
Of wool appraisements 10 to be over
hauled by direction Of Secretary Man
ming, who will 500 that In future the
vast wool interests Of the east as we'll M
the west receive the benefits guaranteed
them by protective tariff.
Another interesting feature Of the
New York Custom House frauds 10
touched upon BY the correspondent mon
toned above. Rx.Secretary kcCullooh.
whom he obliterated the fall roll. unwit-
.ingly brought 10 ligh. score Of pa
triots who had for years fattened at the
public crib. and who are now anxious
10 do the State some service by revealing
the secrets Of the various departments
In which thoy are alleged to have served.
These officials, says the correspondent,
almost stumble over each other In their
haste to pfomulgate the wicksdness Of
their late associates, and IN ex.a ,sistAnt
appraiser Of the port has been engaged
BY o firm charged with undertaking
its importations Of hat trimmings 10
help them out Of their difficulty. The
duties Of this discharged official are To
instruct the tainted nrm In the prao'
ticea Of lts tainted neighbors. to give II
bic vast experience as 10 how other
firms have escaped prosecution, to give
oil information In his possession As 10
the wrong-doing Of other Arms. to on.
tighten II on the crookedness Of Govern
ment officials sent abroad as special in
vostigatlng commissioners. TO tell how
they with meagre salaries have grown
rich In few years, and In fact this OIL.
cial 10 TO virtually sell himself body and
soul TO Arm whose undervaluation
frauds have been the comment
Of the New York merchants
for years. Special Treasury agents,
whose chief service consisted once q
month In visiting the custom house and
drawing their six TO eight dollars o day,
have sprung up as custom house attor.
neys." They are In the employ RI dis
honest merchants who hope TO turn the
tide Of public indignation from their
own fraudulent practices to those Of
corrupt Government officials and scho-
ming manufacturers abroad.
This will not be successful, The
guilty ones will DO found out and pun
ished. The merchant who has yearly
defrauded the Government out Of hun
dreds Of thousands Of dollars will stand
on o footing with others. Secretary
Manning proposes that In future ouI
customs duties shall bo collected fairly
honestly and without evasion. The or
posures outlined above are only paving
the way for reform. The time for Q
change and an overhaullng Of the book
has indeed come. The organs which
are constantly prstirg about sham 70
form administration have no space !,
| devote TO the exposure Of wholesale
frauds which have grown up undel
Republican officials. and which ar,
known TO exist In every custom hous'
In the country.
FORAKER's FOLLY.