The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1891-07-08

W DtuOiu hoSp lNoPic oitO"bhS "u'
| still think that when the Agricultur
| al Department was established, itwa
for the sole purpose of protecting th
great farming class Of our people
But, behold, how is it administers
| now2 We will soon show that il
singing out the Durham Fertilize
| Company for attack for disregardinl
this custom Of the Department, th'
| purpose Of the law is lost sight Of ant
the farmers are smitten by the hant
of one who should be, AND Is PAID ]
SALARY To BE, their friend If Mr.
Robinson had done his plain duty b,
would have sent out his inspector
and disregarding friend. and fo'
alike, when this law went into effect
he would have seized every bag o
kfertilizer in the State outside th,
place Of manufacture not having /
tag on it, as the law required, and i
he had good reason to believe fraut
was intended, he should ationce have
taken steps to confiscate the property
by legal proceedings, and if he had
good reason to believe no fraud was
intended he should just as promptly
have released the goods on receipt o.
the tax. And this should have beer
the uniform custom and such a Gus
tom would have been sanctioned BY
the Equal Laws, equally admins
tered" which is the foundation upon
which our republican institutions
are built. When partiality in the adj
ministration Of alaw enters, then OPP
preston begins.
But the very strangest thing about
this whole business is, that afteral-
lowing this unlawful custom Of the
departmental spring up and grow,
Mr.. Robinson, the avowed friend Of
the farmers, begins, continues and
persistently keeps up his fight against
the Durham Fertilizer Company,
which is well known to be thecompa-
nv above all Others which Is receiving
the patronage of the Farmers ALI
ance. If he did this sonthe complaint
Of the Farmers Alliance his conduct
would be consistent; but how does he
stand when the Alliances that bought
the goods pass solemn resolutions de-
nouncing the conduct OF the Com
missioner And why is il we see
agents Of other fertilizer manufactur-
ing concerns taking sides with the
Commissioner In doing 80, do other
manufacturers and their agents look
with gratitude on Mr.. Robinson in
relieving them Of the duty Of buying
tags beforehand and tagging their
own goods BEFORE shipment and run.
ming like duck after a June bug for
the Alliance goods Weventure the
assertion upon reliable information
that 800 bags Of guano, without tags
on them, were shipped by another
manufacturer, Cother than the Dur
ham Fertilizer Company, since the
tag law went into effect, to an agent
in Oxford and $50 of those bags were
hauled out in wagons from Oxford to
the farms Of the consumers. before the
tags for those bags reached oxford at
all, and when the tags did reach Ok
ford only 20 bags out Of the 800 re-
manned in the hands Of the agent at
Oxford. This is cited as merely an
instance 10 show how beautifully the
custom of the department works in
disregard Of the plain language Of the
law above quoted requiring the'tax
to be paid even before delivery 20
the agent, to say nothing Of his de.
livery 70 the consumer who puts the
guano out Of sight in theground.
Imagine, il you can. some old Gran
vile farmer, in d hurry toplant his
crop, and his guano on his premises
ready for use, waiting for the manu-
facturer to write 10 Raleigh for tags.
and for the department 20 write 70 the
agent al Oxford and send them, and
for The agent at Oxford awaiting 10
see somebody from the neighborhood
TO send them by, and the neighbor
having his own affairs 20 look after,
waiting a convenient time 10 drop
over TO see the patiently waiting con-
sumner to deliver TO him the tags, and
with what alacrity the old Granville
farmer, having waited so patiently
for days, TO get the tags, when atlast
he does receive them. puts them on
the guano bags and within five min
utes afterwards opens the bags aud
begins 10 scatter his guano. Docsthe
law contemplate such custom az
this I
Where isthe assurance or guaran.
tee 70 the department Of getting the
tax 1T all under such d custom r
And above all why single out the Al.
lance goods and treat them 50 harsh.
" and at the same time treat the
| goods Of others 30 leniently