The New York Herald Newspaper, June 20, 1874, Page 3

« CONGRESS. Adoption by the Senate of the Report of the Financial Conference, ena TINKERING THE POSTAL LAWS. Seeded Butler’s Speech in the House on the Moiety Repeal. ——_+—_—_—. THE TREASURY INCOME IMPAIRED. A Measure in the Interest of Fraud and Smuggling. eemareareeet PHELPS, DODGE & COS RECORD. | eters The False Invoices of the Model | p: “Christian” Merchant. CLOAKED CORRUPTION. Sanborn as the Scapegoat of Others’ Sins. SENATE, WASHINGTON, June 29, 1874. Mr. ANTHONY, (rep.) of R. i., from the Committee | en Printing, called up the House resolution to | print 2,500 copies of Professor Hayden’s report on | the cre taceous flora of the West. Passed. TAXATION IN THE DISTRICT. i Mr. BOREMAN, (rep.) of W. Va., moved to recon- | Bider the vote by which the billto provide a gov- | ‘erament for the District of Columbia was passed yesterday. He said he made that motion tn order to understand a provision of the bill which he | thought a very important one. He had not read | the bill Waen it was up for consilleration yester- | @ay, and therefore had not noticed the provision, Me reterred to the clause in the fourth section of the bill which proposed to levy a tax of three per | @enton all real estate in said District, except that | belonging to the United States and that used for | educational and charitable purposes. If he under- H stood that provision correctly it was to inaugu- | ave a system of taxation here uppn property never | before taxed—that was the property of all the churches, Had he noticed it previous to the con- \ sideration of the bill he would have moved to | strike it out then. Mr. ALLISON, (rep.) of Iowa, said it was the in- tention of the committee to have a tax levied on | all real estate ¢xcept that belonging to the United States, that used for educational purposes and that belonging to charitable institutions. Congress | @ome time ago had passed an act exempting church property irom taxation, which should | never have been passed, The cturch property in this District amounted to about one-iifteenth of all | the real estate, and the improvements made ground such property were at the expense of other | roperty on the street. The Council o: the local gislature here liad recommended the taxation as well as the House of Delegates. The bill pro- vided that the tax should be a temporary one, | only for.the year 1875, and the committee was of | Opinion that all real esture here should be subject | to tax to help lift tuts District from its embarrass- ment. Mr. STEWART, (rep.) 0: Nev., opposed the motion | to reconsider, and said if the bill ve once opened | again all the work of the committee woud be jost, | He did not believe the vill could be improved. The taxation proposed was no larger than that kevied in many other cities oi the Union. It was claimed that the government of the United States should pay & portion of the indebtedness. Lei the peorie ao their duty and Congress wouid do its | Mr. SARGENT, (rep.) of Cal., said he hoped the | Dill would meet all the expectations of the abie | committee which had perfected it, He tried yes- terday to have the bill amended in certain re- epects which he thought necessary, but met with r guccess. He hoped the motion to reconsider rould ve rejected, } Mr. THURMAN, (dem.) of Ohio, opposed the | motion, and suid that the committee was of the opinion that it was right to tax church property to help the District out o/ tts distress. | ir. MORTON, (rep.) 01 Ind., said that he was pot present yesterday when this bill passed: He had | been called upon by many residents and property holders of the District, who represented that in | many instances the property holders tad large as- sessments of taxes upon them for improved streets unpaid, and that this three per cent tax, together witit the vax for street improvements, would amount to a confiscation of the property in many eases. He fully concurred in the other provistous of the bill. Mr. THURMAN Said such representations had been | made to the committee and considered by it. In the city where he lived, in Ohio, they paid three per cent on personai property, as well as on real estate, and in Toledo they paid iour per cent. There was hardly a city im that State where the | tax did not amount to three per cent. He hoped | the Senate would remember that this bill relieved the people of the sewer tax, amounting to about 000," He moved to lay the motion to recon- | sider on the table, which was agreed to without a division. TRANSFER OF BULLION IN NEW YORK. Mr. SHERMAN, (rev.), of Ohto, called up a bill authorizing the transfer of gold mint bars from | ‘the bullion fund of tue Assay Office, New York, to | the Assistant treasurer at New York, which had been amended by the House, ana moved to turtuer | amend by inserting the words ‘‘And not less than the market value,” so as to provide that they may be applied to the redemption o/ coin certificates or im exchange for guid coin, at not less than par and not less than the market value, and it was | by ee to and the bill was passed. { . WRIGHT, (rep.) of lowa, from the Committee | OM the Judiciary, reported without amendment | the bill to apolish the Western District of Arkan- gas. Placed on the calendar. Mr. PATTERSON, (rep.) of S. C., from the Commit- | tee on Territories, reported favorably on the bill to organize the Territory of Oklabama, and for the better protection of the Indian tribes therein. d on the calendar, SPRAGUE, (iib.) of R. 1, from the Com- | mittee on Public Lands, reported favor- bill providing for the appoint- commission to ascertain the ht of sndjocts of Great Britain to land in the Ter- mitory which was the subject of the award of the eer of Germany under the treaties of 1846 and | 4671 between the United States and Great Britain. | Placed on the calendar. Juan and other isiands. | THE FINANCE REPORT, | Mr. WaIoHT, Irom the conierence committee on | the Finance bill, culled up tne report made yester- @ay, and asked that it be disposed of. He said he hada no disposition to discuss it, and hopeu a vote ‘would be taken immediately. Mr. FLANaGan, (rep.) of Texas, opposed the re- port, and said its tendency was to take the country | away from anything like a return to specie pay- ments. : Mr. EDMUNDS, (rep.) Of Vt., said that, 80 far as the report related to redistribution of bank circu- | lation, he was entirety satisted with it, vat he ob- | jected to the clause abolishing reserves, which the | NKSs are now obliged to keep. He thought it un- Wise for Congress to authorize national vanks to Joan all the resources they had down to hiteen per cent of their deposits. Mr. WrivHT said that the section objected to by Senator Kdmunds had been agreed upon by both | houses of Congress. In the case of a panic.the reserves of the bank would amount to nothing, and it nad been agreed upon all iands that the reserves had better be leit out of cirewation, Mr. SUEBRMAN suid that the last three sections of the report were precisely similar to the bill reported carly in the session by the Committee on Finance for the redisirivution of the currency, except as to the amount, He saw notving in tie Feport not agreed to hy both houses. The ques: tion of increased paper money and tie question of e1e payment | been postponed. He hoped report would be agreed to, ir. SARGENT Said the bili as perfected by the report was much better than any heretofore pre- ‘gented, though he could not vote for tt on account of objections he lad against issuing reserves. Mr. STEVENSON, (dem.) of Ky., said it seemed to Mira that all could stand together on this report without inflating she currency. it met the views Of ail parties. Mr. THURMAN said he would vote for the report Decause he believed it was the best which could be obtained this session. There was littie or no evil in it, and it might be productive of some good. Mr. MORTON said the effect OF abolishing the ‘This bill relates to San | reserves Would be tu set irce ever $30,000,000, Which, at certain seasons of the year—to move crops, &€.—would be a great relief, “The law now Bited this ouey tobe locked up in the vaults or banks, and to set it free wouid be a practical mMeasnre of relict to some extent, Mr. MORRILL, (rep.) Of Vt, opposed the report Decause it contained no feature lovking to are- | Congressional Record, turn to ent, the provision for s pho sone bagegyy oe on should have some Umitations. If States having less than their pro- portion should pot cail for tt, m two years say, | they should be required to bold their peace after- wards, Mr. EDMUNDS spoke at some length against the Feport on account of its aboliuon of the bank re- erves, Mr. TucRMAN appealed to New England Sena- tors not to oppose this report. There were a lew Senators from the West who had stood tn the same ranks with them on this question and at the risk of condemnation. offered this redistribution, und pe hoped they ‘Would adhere to thei? promises and not seek a pretext to cefeat the bill now, Mr, EDMUNDS Inquired what the Senator meant by pretext ? . THURMAN said he utterly despaired of ever seeing any bill drawn which would not be objected | to by his inend Mr. Edmands, Even if that gentle- man should draw the bill himself he would find SOME Jail With it Mr. SCHURZ, (ib.) Of Mo., said he had paired with Mr. Logan Wpon all fcanctal questions, He would noi vote for this report, as it proposed to legalize ‘the $44,000,000 reserve, which he thought should never nave been issued. He, however, lavored the Tedisiribuvion feature, THE WORK OF THE CONFERENCE CONFIRMED. After further discussion, at four o’clock the vote was taken, and the report of the conference com- mittee was sgreed to—yeas 43, bays 19—as follows:— year—43. Alcorn, Gordon, Pratt, Alison, Harvey, Ramsey, Boxy, Hitchcock, Kansoin, Boreinan, Togas, Robertson, Carpenter, Jobnston, Scott, Chandier, Kelly, Sherina: ¥ ton. eOre Sprague, Conover, Stevenson, Cooper, Thurman, Cragin, Morton, ‘Tipton, Davis, Norwood, Wauleigh, nnis, Oxlesby, Went. Ferry of Michigan, Patterson, Windom, ilbert, Pease, Wright, Golth waite, Ravs—19, Anthony, Frelinghuysen, — Morriil of Me., Bayard, ager, Morrill of Vi, Boutweil Hamilton of Ma. Sargent, Buckingh Hamilton of Texas, Stewart Edmunds, Hamlin, Stockton, enton, Jones, Washburn, Fiunagan, THE RIVER AND HARBOR BILL. The anfinistied business, being the River and Harbor Appropriation bill, was taken up. The amendment of the committee to strike out the ap- propriation of $50,000 jor the improvement of hite Kiver above Jacksonport, Ark., and the amendment to strike out the appropriation of $25,000 for the improvement of the Osage River, Mo., were rejected, mittee appropriating $25,000 (or removing boulders and rocks irom the Detroit River partly in Cana- dian waters, making a portion of the appropria. tion of $26,000 jor continuing the improvement of , the harbor at Dankirk, N. ¥., applicable to the iin- provemeni Of the tarbor at Erie, Pa.; providing ; thas $15,000 of the $200,000 appropriated by the House for continuing the improvement of the Mis- | Sissippi River between the mouths of the Ohio and Iilinois rivers shall be eapenues between the Mouths of the Missouri and Illinois rivers, inserting $25,000 for the tnprovement of the Cbattanoochie and Fiint rivers, Georgia; $10,000 for the improve- ment of the Apilacuicola River, Fiorida; $10,000 for the removal of the obstructions in the h the construction of a pier at New Castile, Del. ; $10,000 for continuing the United States pier in Delaware Bay, near Lewes, Del.; $10,000 for the | improvement of the harbor at Fall River, Maas. ; $5,000 for the tmprovement of the harbor at Mil- ford, Coun., and increasing the appropriation sor continuing the improvement of the harbor at New- port, L. 1, from $5,000 to $10,000 were agreed to. The committee reported to reduce the appropria- Von for the examinations and surveys of rivers and harbors, for which there is no special appro- priation, from $75,000 to $25,000. Pending the discussion, at half-past four o’clock the Senate, on motion of Mr. SARGENT, went into executive session, At six o’ciock the doors were Feopened, and the Sepate took a recess till half- past seven P, M. Evening Session. The Senate reassembled at half-past seven o’clock, und immediately went into executive ses- sion, The nomination of General McCook to be Governor of Colorado Territory, which occupied ali of the executive session previous to recess, was | again taken up and discussed, the Goors were reopened at ten o’clock P, M, Mr. WEs?, (rep.) of La., Moved that the Senate insist on its amendments to the Post Oftice Appro- priation bill, and appoint the committee of conier- ence asked lor by the touse. Mr. Epwakps asked that some explanation be made of the points of ditterence. Mr. Wasv said that the only difference where | any appropriation Was envoived was an item of $700, The main disagreement was in regard to the postage on newspapers, the House insisting that one and a hall cents per pound was enough, while the Senate had fixed the rate at jour cents per pound, ‘fhe motion to grant a conference was agreed 10, ‘The CHalR announced that the unfinished busi- ness was THE RIVER AND HARBOR APPROPRIATION BILL- Mr. PRATT, (rep.) of Ind., moved that the bill be jald aside Informally, and that the Seuate pro- ceed to the consideration of the bill reported trom the Committee on Pensions, to amend the act granting pensioug to certain solaiers and sailors of the War Dips %y Gud the widows of deccasea soldies's, approve: Febuary 14, 1471, and to restore | to the pension rolis those persous whose names mene stricken therefrom in consequence of dis- joyalty. Mr. MORRILL, (rep.) of Me., gave notice that to morrow he would ask the Senate to proceed to Ca consideration of sundry Civil Appropriation 111s. Mr. MORRILL, (rep.) of Vt., said it was well Known that the appropriations already were very large and almost equal to the revenues of the gov- ernment. He thought it wisdom and statesman- snip to consider something—to put money in the ‘Treasury, aud would therelore move. when an op- ortunity presented, to take up and disyose of the fitte Tariff bill to-night. Mr. STEVENSON, (dem.) Of Ky., appealed to the Senate to take up the Pension bill in accordance with the motion oi Mr, Pratt, Mr. ANTHONY, irom the Committee on Printing, reported favorably on the House resolution direct- ing the Puviic Printer to Keep separate accounts or ail expenditures for panung and binding the Passed. Mr. CHANDLER, (rep.) Of Mich., urged the Senate to proceed with the River and Harbor bill. THE PENSION BILL. The motion of Mr. Prat to take up the Pension bill was agreed to—yeas 28, nays 27. Mr. CHANDLER moved that /urther consideration of the River and Harbor bill be postponed till the first Monday in December. Z @he Cuark (Mr. Ingalls) ruled the motion out of | order, the bill having beén laid aside informally. The Chair appointed as a committee oi conler- ence on the Post Office Appropriation bill Messrs, Ramsey and Sherman. The Pension bill was then read. - Mr. MORRILL, of Vermont, inquired if the bill did not involve an expenditure of $11,000,000 back pay and $4,000,000 or $5,000,000, annual increase in the pension roll, Mr, Pratt said he was not able to answer with precision the question of the gentieman, but he was instructed by the committee to offer several | amendments Which would reduce the amount. ¥or instance, ie would oifer an amendment to tue first section, 80 as to give to every such soldier, not venefited by the act of 1871, a pension from the date of tue passage of the bill. Mr. MORRILL inquired if the gentleman had not oes of the increase prepared by the Pension ce, Mr, Prat sent to the Olerk’s desk and had read | the letter from the Commissioner of Pensions, stating that the passage of the bill would add | 32,221 soldiers to the pension rolis aud 16,000 widows, ard that the total amount required to pay them would o¢ $15,091,584. Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN Said it seemed to him, to in- troduce @ biil 46 the present stage of the session, | Involving the sum named was an act wanting in patriousm. He felt grateful to all who risked (nelr lives for the country, but thought Congress should take into Consideration the present financial con- aition o! the country. Mr, SHERMAN, at half-past eleven, moved that the Senate adjourn, Agreed to—yeas 27, nays 2Zi— and the Senate adjourned, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, June 19, 1874, After the transaction of a large amount of rou- tine business, such as the reference 01 bills, &c., Mr. MacDovea.t, (rep.) of N. Y., moved to sus- pend the rules and pass the bill directing the Sec- retary of the Treasury to report on the necessity of a public building at Auburn, N.Y. Agreed to— 161 to 61, THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL. Mr. POLAND, (rep.) of Vt., relerring to his propo- sition yesterday to go to the Speaker's table and dispose of the business thereon, and after refer- ring the Senate Civil Rights bill to the Judiciary Committee, said that lis object had been to do something that woulda be sausfactory to all pa tes, and that hisesfort had the usual luck of eff of that sort. .Itdid not seem to satisfy anybody, and it only subjected himself to misconstruction. He, thereiore, withdrew the proposition. Mr. WHITELRY, (rep.) Of Ga., moved to suspend the rules and lanta, Ga. mr. EB, HU. RoBERts, (rep.) of N, Y., said that that proposition was totally unlike that just passed, as to Auburn, N, Y. Mr. SPEKR, (dem.) of Pa., remarked that the difference was that one was in Georgia and the other in New York. Mr. GARFIELD, (rep.) of Ohio, moved an adjourn- ment, saying that he believed tt his duty to do all he could tu prevent iurther appropriation for pab- lic buildings. The SPEAKER remarked that the same majority vote which would adjourn the House could refuse to second the motion to suspend the rules, and thereby prevent such propositions getting throush the House, Mr. GARFIELD withdrew the motion. Mr. WaitinG’s Motion to suspend the rnijes and pase the bill was agreed to by—veas 158, nays 44, LAFAYETTE’S WATCH, Mrs. HoorER, {rep.) of Mass,, moved to suapend The New England Senators had | ‘rhe amendmeats ot the com- | arbor and | ass the bili fixing at $250,000 the | | limit of expenditure for pubic buildings at At- NEW YORK HERALD, SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1874.—TRIPLE SHEET. 3 | the rules and pass the joint resolution appropriat- | ing $300 for the purcnase and restoration to the | Jamily of the Marquis Latayette of @ watch presented by General Washington to Lafayette, | such purchase and presentation to be made under | *he direction of the Speaker oi the House. | The SPEAKER suggested that the Secretary of | State would be the more appropriate medium. | ‘The suggestion Was generally assented to and the resolution was modified accordingly. Mr. Hooper sent to the clerk’s desk and had read | @ newspaper paragraph relating the bistory and giving a description of the watch, which ts now owned by Mr. Ward, of Texas, who bought it at a pawnbroker’s shop in Louisville for $75, some years ago. The watch itseif! was also in the hands of Mr. Hooper, 8nd was inspected with great inter- | est by many members, | Mr. MAYNARD, (rep.) of Tenn,, mentioned that | the watch had been lost by Genera! Lafayette at Nashville, Tena., on his last visit to America, and | expressed the opinion that tf the matier was brought to the attention of the Tennessee Legisia- | ture that body would gladly make the restoration, Mr. GARFIELD said the only question in the mat- ter was as (oO the genuineness of the waten. If it was genuine, which bad been somewhat doubted by ohe expert, the resolution should pass as @ matter of course. ‘The joint resolution was passed. STARKWEATHER, (rey of Conn., moved to ed to the business on the Speaker's table and | dispose thereof under the two-thirds rule. r, WILSON, (vep,) of Lowa, moved as an aMend- Ment to suspend the rujes and proceed to the business on the Speaker's table, to be disposed of under the ordinary majority rule, Rejected—yeas 188, nays LLL. Mr. Starkweather’s motéon was then adopted without a division, and the House proceeded un- der the two-thirds role te dispose of the business on the Speaker's table, THE POST OFFICE BILL AMENDMENTS, After disposing of various Executive communi- cations the business Was interrupted, and Mr. Tyner, (rep.) of Ind., irom the Appropriation Committee, reported back the Senate amendments to the Post Office Appropriation pill, The amend- ment restricting 1etier carriers to towns of 30,000 instead of 20,000 inhabitants was concurred in. ‘ne amendment prohibiting advertisements in Washinaton papers for post routes except those in Virginia and Maryland was concurred in, The amendment to strike out the proviso for the free Sansmiaalon, of agricultural reports was non-con- rred in. i@ amendment prohibiting the publication of | the revised statutes in the Dewspapers, at govern- ment expense, was concurred in, ) ‘The amenduient fixing the rates of newspaper | postage at four cents a pound, and on siugle papers atone centeach and requiring prepay- | Ment, was discussed. | In the course of the discussion, Mr. HAWLEY, (rep.) of Conn., protested against the partiaity shown to country newspapers in the counties at expense of the large daily papers. Every man who had any advantage from the government should pa, something for it, and then Congress could affor to put newspaper rates of postage down to one cent a pound, dir. TYNE remarked that the proposition as it passed the House was a considerable reduction on the present newspaper postage, but that the advantage of prepayment Would more than com- | pensate for the reduction. Mr. Hoiman, (dem.) of Ind., asaed his col- league what the effect of the Senaie rates at four cents a pound would be. | Mr. TYNER replied that the effect of it would be to increase the rates ofpostage 200 per cent, and, in some instances, more than that, {ts eflect would also be to send the newspapers irom the Iwails to the express companies, Mr. HAWLEey, of Connecticut, characterized the | Senate amendment. charging four cents a pound, as @ Most extraordinary and unreasonable propo- | sition, and said that the requirement of prepayment would throw the whole burden of the postage on | publishers, That was the purpose of the amend- ment. On some newspaper publishers the tax would be as high as $30,000, NEWSPAPER POSTAGE. Mr. GARFIELD reterred to an argument made re- | cently before the Committee on Appropriations in regard to the postal telegraph, in which the theory had been suggested that the primary business of | the Post UOftice was not the transmission ot intelli- ; gence, but the transmission of packages which | might, or might not, contain intelligence. He had | since looked into the question historically, and | found that tne resolution on which the Post Office ‘Was started in the days of the Confederation re- | cited that the condition of the colonies rendered | it highly necessary to devise ways and means ‘for the speedy and secure conveyance of intelligence.” | That was the corner stone of the whole postal ) system, It was orainaly for the purpose of trans- witting intelligence. ‘rom that standpoint he | approached this question. The statement had been made that seventy-eight per cent of all the weight of mail matter was newspapers, and yet | the revenne derived from the newspapers was ; only a little more than $1,000,000 out of $30,000,000. If 1t was the business of the Post Ufice | to carry packages as an express company, such a , disparity conld not be justified. The Senate, how- | ever, seemed to have goue over to some extent to | the express theory oi the Post Office Department. | If that theory were true the postage o! news- Papers should be greater than on letters by eight | or ten times. On that theory the Senate haa not gone far enough; but he maintained that the | original theory and the one which ought to be maintained was that the Post uffice Department | Was maintained not for the purpose of revenue, | but jor the purpose of disseminating knowledge throughout the country, and that there was some intelligence 01 so public a nature and of ao gen- eral importance that preierence was given to it. That was the reason why the newspaper should | have preierence over tho letter. He agreed, now- ever, that newspapers should be prepaid, because last" year, when the postage of newspapers amounted to $2,718,241, only $1,072,998 of it had ; been collected, | Mr. E. H. ROBERTS, Of New York, moyed to amend the amendment by making the postage on daily | and weekly newspapers one cent a pound and on Mugazines two cents a pound. ‘The greater amount of business of the dailies and weeklies placed them within the range of the wholesale business, and therelore the postage should be less. | He miormed the House that newspapers wanted no sympathy, but only justice, He was contident | that the House was not going to legislate against | newspapers out of spite. Great as some public men migit be, long as might be their public life, their career was short as compared with the Ii!e of | | a great newspaper. ‘There was none so great that he could afurd to sneer at it. Lf the House chose | to legislate irom spite the newspapers would be | carried outside of the mails, Mr. G. F. HOak,. (rep.) of Mass., criticised Mr. Roverts’ intimation that the House was actuated in its legislation by opposition to newspapers | rather than by a desire to do what is right and for | the public interest, cently that if the House expected to curry favor | With the country press by letting the country news; apers go free it was mistaken, and now he | had been warning the House not to legisiate out of spite. That was certainly not the motive with which gentlemen addressed themselves to this im- portant question. ‘he newspaper press had its errors, its sins, its crimes and its licentiousness a8 Well a8 its honest advocacy of the public good. The cure {or the evil that prevailed in the Ameri- | can press was che multiplication, not the suppres- | sion, Of the circulation 01 newspapers. Ifthe great | newspapers of New York misrepresented members of the House in their public conduct, thereby strik- ing @ bow at the very principle of sel!-government, the cure was to put by its side another newspaper | ; Of eqnal circulation, and sooner or later the people wouid learn to pick out the truth. | Rewspapers, and he trusted that nis friend from New York (Mr. EB, H. Roberts) whom he honored very highly, would not attribute to him either the ' desire to curry 1avor Wivh the country newspapers or to wreak spite against the city newspapers. | _ Mr. E. H. Roberts replied that newspapers were Made by wen, and must thereiore represent human Irailties and human passions. The practical ques- | tion was, whether the postage on newspapers was | tobe putso high ag to be in the interest of the | | richest newspapers or whether it was to be put at | such a rate as would be found best for the interest | of the government, It seemed to him essentiai to | adopt such arate as would be for the interest of | the government, He wanted the action of the | House to be not only just, out to be so just that no | fair man could complain of i. The amendment | whicn he bad offered seemed to him to be fair and } proper, and he hoped thatit would be adopted, r, amendment offered by Mr. Roberts, It was op- | posed by Messrs, Cameron (rep.), of lll, and { Cobb (rep.) of Kansas, members of the Post Oftice Committee. Mr. Roberts’ amendment was rejected, and the | OM all newspapers and periodical publications mailed from a known office of publication or news agepcy, and addressed to regular subscribers or | news agents, postage shall be charged at the fol- | frequently three cents a pound, provided that the rate of postage on newspapers or periodicals not exceeding two ounces im weight, and circulars, when the same are deposited in a letter carrier’s | Office for delivery by the ofice or its carriers. sali be uniform at one cent each; | Weighing more than two ounces shail be subject to | & postage of two cents each, and these fates shall | be paid by stamp. The amendment allowing single copies of news- papers to go through the mats iree witbin the | county was concurred tn, | The amenament allowing four-pound packages | Of the third class to be transmitted by mali was, | alter considerabie aiscussion, concurred in. The amendment requiring an oath of publishers | Was concurred In, with some modifications, | The amendment making the change of news | paper postage to commence on the 1st of July neXt Was concurred in. | , The amendment fixing the salary of the New | York Postmaster at $8,000, and dividing ai! other | postmasters into four Classes, with salaries of not more than $4,000 Dor leas than $3,000; leas than $3,000, but not less than $2,000; less than $2,000, but pot less than 000, and those of | $1,000, was discussed, the recommendation oj the Committee on Appropriations being that the House now concur, Mr. LAWRENCE, (rep.) of Oho, opposed the Sen- ate amendment, arguing that the compensation of postmasters in the smaller cities and towns was now too high, and warning the House that the po- litcal upheaval sometimes called the Grange move- ment would overtake the members, Mr. MAYNARD, (rep.) of Tenp., scoffed at the theory of making the Post Office Department self sustaining, and declared that he was ju favor of The gentleman had stated re- | He therefore | | favored the lowest possible rate of postage on ! AWLEY, of Connecticut, also advocated the | | Senate amendment was modified so as to read that | Jowing rates :—On newspapers and periodical pub- , lications issued weekly and more frequently than | once a Week, one and a halt cents for each pound or fraction thereof, and on those published less | but periodicals | less than | | ostal facilities rather than making the Post OMce partment self-sustaining. Mr. Conunn, (rep.) of ind., said there was as much sense in saying’that the Post Ofice Depart- Ment sdonid be sell-sustaining as in saying that the War Department or the Navy Department or the common schov) system should be made self- sustaining. The Senate amendment was non-concurred in. Mr. Kasson, (rep.) of lowa, moved a proviso that | BO postmaster in any city or Lown with a popula- tion less than 50,000 shall receive more than $3,000 Ber annuum, and stated thas in several of the tates the Governors, Judges and high State om- ciais did not receive such high salaries as some of | the postmasters tn those States. | The amendment was rejected. POSTAGE ON PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. All the remaining Senate amendments in the | bill were non-concurred in, except the last, which | nits the postage to twenty-five cents a volume. Mr. BURCHARD, (rep.) of fi., moved to amend by striking out the first part of the amendment | which relieves public documents from pre-pay- | ment, and the last part which limits tue twenty- | five cents postave to documents already printed. Mr. HAWLEY, of Conn., regarded the Senate amendment as to a considerable extent a restor- common can: or igen? the [ranking privilege, | It had its uses, but it had been abused and the pub- ¢ sentiment of the country was against it. The dency Of public sentiment had been in the ‘ direction of paying something for everything | passing througn the Falla and the republican party had certalniy adopted that idea, He wished ihe experiment to be adhered to for two, three or four years at least. Public sentiment was not yet ready to abandon the experiment or to restore the tranking privilege directly or indire>tly, Mr. PaRKER, (rep.) of Mo., Tepiied to Mr. Hawiey and denied that the Senate amendment was in any sense a restoration of the franking privilege. | It did not permit documents to go through the Mails free of postage. He characterized the agita- tion for a repeal of the franking privilege as noth- ing but humbug, and said that in the petitions got up by the Postmaster General names trom grave- | yards and tombstones were put. For his part, | after the peopie had demanded that the pay of | maembers 01 Congress should be reduced, 80 that | no member could live decently upon it, he did not | Propose to pay postage upon public documents, Mr. TYNEK said he desired to put himsell on the record as voting against everything that looked | lke the restoration of the iranking privilege. He believed that he was as much instructed by his constituents, through political platforms and | through the expressions of the — press and in various other ways, to vote in favor of the re- peai of the franking privilege and against its restoration as he had ever been instructed ta re- gard to anyother matter. A political campaign was about being entered upon, in which some members Were to take a part and to be candidates, and he warned them that they bad better be cautious about reinstating upon the statute books | @nything that looked like a restoration of the franking privilege. Mr. GARFIELD called attention to the proviso thas the Congressional Record, or any part thereof, shall go through the mails free of postage. He re- jarded it as alittle bit of moral bribery. Unuer that a member coud nave his speech under the heading, ‘Appendix to the Congressional Record,” | and could have it sent through the matls tree. If that was not a species of moral bribery be did not know what was, Mr. MILLS, (dem.) of Texas, moved to amend the | Senate amendinent by reducing the limtt of post- age on public documents irom twenty-five cents to ten cents per volume. Carried—yeas 124, nays 112, The question then recurred on a division of Mr. Burchard’s motion, which was to strike out the first part of the Senate amendments exempting public documents irom prepayment. ‘rhis motion was rejected. The next division of Mr. Burchard's motion, which was to strike out the part of the Senate amendment Which iimits the provision only to Codmpeute already published or ordered, was to. ithe last division of Mr. Burchard’s motion, which was to strike out the proviso that the Congres- sional Record, or any part thereof, saall be carried ee he mails tree of postage, Was agreed to— 107 to The Senate amendment, with all these modifica- tions, Was then voted on. It read as follows:— ‘That. hereafter the requirement that postage shall be prepaid ghall not apply to public docu- ! | Senate or of tue House of Kepresentatives, or by | the President or head of any executive depart- privilege when the law was passed abolishing the same; and the postage on no single volume of public aocument shall exceed the sum of ten cents, and the same, if not prepaia, shall be payable by the person to whom the game may be directed and recetyed, and the words “public document” written or printed on «the envelope containing any public document and subscribed by the member or other person mailing the same shall be dcemed a ment, and the term “public document” shall be deemed toincluae all publications printed by or- der of Congress or either House thereof or of an: department of the government, and if any suc documents shall not be taken irom the t office to which the same Ssiall be directed within thirty days giter being received thereat the peeoenrce May aell the same for the smount of the postage | due thereon and shall account to the Post Office ent for the proceeds thereol, ate amendment thus moaified was non- curred in—veas 113, nays 118, Tne bill now gues toa conference committee. The House then, at six o’clock, took @ recess un- til half-past seven o'clock, Evening Session. The evening session of the House was occupied by the speech of Mr. Butler, (rep.) of Mass., on tne } System Of moieties in the Iaternal and Customs Revenue service of the government. The full re- | Port of the speech and a picture of the scene which attended its delivery are given below :— SPEECH OF MR. BUTLER. Mr. SPEAKER—Failing health and the imperative warning of my medical adviser of the danger of ; draught upon my physical strength kept me silent upon the debate on the bills repealing the several moiety laws by means of ‘which system the collec- tion of taxes had been assured in all civilized na- | tions, Perhaps thia mabilty was not infelicitous, | | the House to what [I deem the dangers to the Tevenue of so complete a departure from a system begun under Hamilton, sanctioned | without imterruption by every legislative | act, without one imtended exception; and | because this may now be done, too, after the | Olicers lately executing these laws have gone out | Of office, Tho personal emmities and ieelings which egged on the prosecution of the investiga- | tlons of the Committee on Ways and Means nave { subsided or fatied in thew specilic objects; per- sonal ambition ana hate, which were tts impelling motives, have either been satiated or failed in | their purposes; and the bill proposed by the com- mittee having passed the House without a divi- sion, what I may now bring to the attention of the House will not have its weight diminished by | the allegation of a desire to deleat an aileged | measure of reform for personai or private reasons, | Lassume the experiment of abolishing moieties is to be fried. lonly desire, therefore, now to raise | @ warning voice against this experiment as one in ; the imterest of the dishonest and unscrupulous , importer and tax evader, against the interest of the people as well as the honest and conscientious merchant, THE MOIETY SYSTEM. | What, then, ts the motety system? Jt is the giving of certain large rewards to official or other persons who will take upon themselves the unpleasant task—which is the duty of every citizen, but | wholly negiected—of exposing frauds upon the government and evasions of its taxes by those by whom the law requires they suall be paid. This ‘ system has been the machinery for preventing frauds in the collection of taxes in all civilized couutrtes trom time immemorial. We derive our j laws in this regari, as indeed in all others, | directly from England. It was declared in the | House as an argument against it tnat the moiety system had been abolished in England. That is true, but the other truth which caused its aboli- tion Was not stated in the same connection by either of the gemticmen of the Committee on Ways and Means in their elaborate speeches, | taking up several days upon this subject; | or in the Severai reports which they have made to | the House, covering 600 pages; and that is, Great Britain has abolished duties upon ail articles of importation save seven oniy, and upon these her tax 13 substantially a specitic and not ad valorem duty, and she has thrown around those seven ar- ticles such safeguards as to compei the honest Tents, certified to be such by uny member of the | | | | | | | | exempis public documents from prepayment ana | ation Of the Jranking privilege, and therefore he | objected to it, He was not going to join in any | | St. suMaient certificate that the same is @ public docu- | f | Very large duty on tea, but yet enougn to excite | ment, or any other person entitled to the iranking | plod Y, 7 8 Rothing of Alaska. Does not this simple statement | bill of the Committee of Ways and Means almost show the entire impossibility of collecting the just | every one of tuem been removed. taxes upon this number of articies by tue knowledge | WORSTED STUFFS. of the customs officers, to be imported under ap Now to the press Let us take @ manufacture ad valorem duty founded upon their valuations, or | which has but just been begun in this couatry, to protect (rom smuggling s0 extended a customs | Fraudulent undervaiuations in worsted stulfé of line by any practical number of officials vom- | all kinds sent from Engiaud to the United States mittee on Ways and Meane forget to tell you also | are simply enormous, a8 the sudjoined examples that im addition to the number of officers which | will demonstrate :— Great Britain has to supervise the collection of | Combed, not milled, worsted stuffs exported. taxes upon goous she still has @ “preventive ser- | from Great Britain in one year, total number of Vice,” as 1t is called, with an organized corps of yards, 154,206,478, Of these there were sent to the trained officers covering her whole coast, and | United States, 48,642,218 yards; co other countries, watching every bay, inlet and headland of her | 105,664,260 yards, Total Value a8 declared in the island whereou contraband goods can possibly be | invoices to the United States, $10,224,741 24; to janded. We have no such service, but oficersen- other countries, $83,931,100 44. Average invoice gaged in collecting revenues upon regu- | value per yard to the United States, 2ic.; to Pi larly imported goods only, the special agents countries where there is no tariif of duties, 39,70, of the Treasury and the revenue marine Diffefence, or undervaiuation, 47 percent. Estt- excepted. How, then, can smuggling and | mated annual loss on duties On this Single class of the much more extended ana injumous goods, $5,007,190 40, crime, the importation of goods by false Total of other worsted stuffs exported in five vasues and false weight and measurement, be pre- mont! vented? Only by the imposition of penalties 80 | 28,442,72! severe that they will make the hazard of the busi- yards. ‘Total declared value to the United States, ness more than commensurate with the profits. Now $5,073,375 28; to otner countries, $18,038,050 80. the profits on the undervaluation of a single cargo Average per yard to the United States, 18 cents may be hundreds of thousands, while smuggling. | to other countries, 314, cents. Diference, or an- must ol necessity be of very much less value at the | dervaiuation, $5 per cent. single venture, Therefore the importation at | LINENS. undervaiuation, and by faise weights and meas- | Exports in one year to the United State ures, i8 much more dangerous to the revenue 70,234,347 yards; total declared valu vhan any possible Srangaine, Yet the committee | $10,507,790 04. Average invoice value, 14.9 cen seem to have directed ail their energies to reliev- | per yard. Exports same year to France, Prussia ing trom penalties jrauds by undervaiuations and | and Spain, 7,404,154 yards; total declared value, cheating by false invoices, whereby the greatest $1,646,214 72, Average invoice value, 24.8 cents Wrongs and injuries are miicted upon the govern- | per yard. Ditference, or undervaination in hnens ment, and to have given their atiention to the | sent to the United States, 43 per cent. prevention of smuggling. which, oi necessity, , LINEN YARNS. Must be comparatively Wnocuous and in much |; Tota) exported in one year, 34,082,479 pounds; to smaller amounts, | the United States, 1,247.457 pounds; other coun- THB ‘CHRISTIAN’? MERCHANT, 82,756,022 pounds. Total declared value to ‘The smuggler must hide in nooks and inlets, and | the Unitea ptates, 24 cents per pound; to ether bring in is goods by stealth under cover of dark- countries, 35 cents per und, Undervaiuation om ness. Of necessity they are jew and of little cost. | Yarns sent to the Uniter States, 32 per cent, ‘The fraudulent importer, by a false valuation, | LINEN DAMASK AND DIAPER, brings in bis gooas by the cargo, in 3,000ton steam- | Exported wo ali countries in one year, 1,307,077 ers plying weekly between New York and Ltver- | yards: to the United States, 1,267,390 yards; other pool, and passes them through by a brived officer | Countries, 129,687 ys Total deciared value to @t under valuation ima perjured invoice of acon- | the United States, $413,311 60; to other countries, federate partner house in Europe, cheats the peo- | $56,081 08. Average per yard to the United States, le of the United States out of millions, thereby | 32 cents; to other countries, 43 cents. Undervalu- Becomes a “merchant prince,” and covers his sins, | ation, 26 per cent perhaps, by building churches or other ostenta- | The andervaluation in the exports of carpets tious acts of advertising benevolence which from the looms of Kidderminster, Halifax, &c., is bring trade to his house; at the same enormous. In bags , jJeather, gloves, percussion time he lulls the suspicions and blinds the vigilance | caps, &c., the same ratio of undervaluation ia ms tne honest SELON ORIN Lily pow cae he Be: | Pena an aaTeMn rae mast does with all article! Heve that such @ benevolent, rich and prayin, pr ve merchant can oe gettiug the means lor nds ry are | he whole needle trade of Redditch and vicinity ties by defrauding the revenue, cheating the peo- | is carried on ona similar basis, It is like other pie out of a million of dollars and giving a thou- | branches of our foreign trade, eutirely in the sand in charity, that he may not Le suspected of | hands of the foreign manufacirer and¥ his resi- the fraud’ I Bove to convince the House before [ | dent agent or partner here, thus delving deteo- get through that this is no fancy picture. Yet trom | ton and exposure except by the greatest skill, this class of detrauders of the revenue the bill of | stimulated by the higuest rewards. Certain it us! the comuiittee takes away almost every safecuard, | that all articles of foreign manu‘actare and im- and relieves substantially bl ge | penalty, | portation shipped ta the United States are in Penalties, however severe, will be oi no value | quality and cost far better than the average shipped a8 a preventive unless itis known that they will | to other counrries, and theretore the average rate be enforced. What does the experience of all time | of invoicing should be much bizher for the United and of all peoples teach usas to the detection or | States, whereas, as we have seen, it 1s vastly lower. crime where there 1s great interest to cover it up? This fact, theretore, clearly demonstrates such un- ‘This truth, that under such circumstances crime | dervaluation is done for the sole purpose of de- is only tobe found out and thwarted by an equal frauding our revenues. interest im the discoverer and pursuer, and | COTTON Goons. the only safety to the revenue of the couutry isin | To show the accuracy of the conclusion it ts the belief of the traudulcnt importer that he is | only necessary to turn to articles which pay purely liabie to be pursued by men whose intellects are | specific dutiex. By thetr undervaluation nothing sharpened and whose energies are spurred by | ig to be gained. Take, for example, coiton goods. $6,299,174 yards; to the United States, 8 yards; other countries, 56,856,449 { trie: an equal interest to discover .tne fraud | Total of heavy printed cotton exported in the with that which has impelled him to do | same year ag above trom Great Britain, 715,659,642 the wrong. It is replied to this that it is to | yards; to the United States, 27 to | 384,430 yards; be presumed merchants are all honest; that itis | other countries, 688,175,212 yard Total declared not to be assumed that they deiraud the revenue; | yaiue to the United States, $3,268,229 92; to other that as to them all this machinery is useless, all | countries, $72,224,682 20. Average per yard to the the pains and penalties simply vexatious, and United States, 11% cents; to other countries, 10% have their only appiication to injure the innocent — cents. Total of light cotton goods exported same importer who may happen to have made mistakes. year, 141,604,328 yards; to the United States, The committee, however, have again forgotten to | 924.688 yards; other countries, 132,279,640 yards, tell us that in every case Of honest mistake the ‘otal declared value to the United States, law gives instant remedy in the remission of all | ¢)/151,501 88; other countries, $18,985,843 08, Penalties, Penalties can only be inflicted on the ; Average per yard to the United States, 12 cents; merchant when the Secretary of the Treasury cau- to oyher countries, 10 cents. not be convinced that he 1s honest. An illustra- | Here it will be seen that as Soon as we approach tion, however, upon this point will give @ better | goods paying exclusively a specific auty the aver- idea of the honesty of all merchants than any | je rate of invoicing is higher to the United States reasoning. And lest I may be supposed to be pre}- than to other countrics, proving that a better Udiced I will take the tea trade of Boston. The | class of goods generaliy is sent here than to other House 18 aware that our revenue system allows | couatnes, and leading to the inevitaple conclusion the merchant to bring his goods in with- that the same difference of higher rates of invoic- out payment of duties and keep them in | ing wonld prevali in worsteds, linens, carpets, &c., bond, and in case he desires, export them without | if they also paid a specific instead of an ad valorem Payment of duties. The House will also do me the | or mixed duty. The same facts are true regarding favor to remember that up to 1870 we had not &@ | imports from other countries. THE PHBLPS-DODGE AFFAIR. The Committee on Ways and Meaus may reply to the cupidity of some “honest mercnants.” In 1867 there were exported in bond free of duty from | gnis—which wouid be the fact—that they have not Boston to certain small places im the British | nad these stutistics beiore them. Certainly not. provinces bordering on the coast of Maine—to | I; they have their report ‘oes not show it. They wit, St Stephens, St. Andrews, the Island of | nave examined only cases of individual merchaots Grana Menau, Campo Bello, Indian Island and» to find outif the laws have worked supposed nard- Johu’s River—6,738 packages, containing | ships, and not the case o! the peopie, tosee how they, 838,308 pounds of tea. But in the latter part of | gre defrauded, The committee put iorward most 1867 one of these “pestiferous informers,” upon , prominently of all, 2s example of the hardship of whom the very Vials of wrath of the chair- | the law upon honest men, the case of Phelps, man of the committee were poured out—an | podge & Co., making the case of that firm the im.ormer, alded by a special agent of the — yroundwork for all their recommended legislation ; Treasury, went down East along the line dividing , gna in thelr report and in the debate which Jol- us from the province of New Branswick and com- | jowed, and which for days members ol the commit- menced a series of suits and seizures which the , jee had substantially to themselves, no one has bill of the committee now iorbids, especially |. uttered a word of aiimudversion upon Phelps, selzures.o! books and papers; and the consequence | podge & Vo. No harsh language {s used; all that Was that the next year, 1868, at the same ports, ig yeserved jor the officer who brought their pleaded. only 1,794 packages of tea, amounting to 85.964 guitt to light, In the conse of the evidence, as pounds, or one-quarter as many, were sent then . taken before the committee, there seems to be a irom Boston to be smuggled back into the United | studied and careful atvempt that that firm shall | States. Does not this conclusively ve the | appear to the country as honest ana in- necessity for the use of the injormer the pen- | jyured merchants, who ad, by the devices of alty of a moiety given to him to induce hum to act jor the government, so that he may be willing to be vituperated by the learned chairman of the the officers of the government, been robbea of @ very large sum of money. Ali the lawyers and chairmen of boards of trade, and there were committee in the jollowing choice language :— many, made it the groundwork of their attacks ‘An odious, despised being from whom everybody | upon the revenue laws. It went orth as the sak oy SD as 9 plsoe wi eserves Ye Gquomaocieey | cheval de bataille of those who desired to take of ‘who has his accursed employment.” “a vile, festering, | 1 es. event frauds “a nitresceric uutormicr,” “who takes the wages of sin and | Ail eective Densities to Peeve Ot Gas pera: stated by Mr. Dodge, the senior partner, whose | taking partin a debate which might call for a , ' viected of defrauding the revenue by a jury, uniess because it now permits me to cali the attention of | + thousand pounds of tea to ha! imposed duties, generally ad valorem, on 3,211 ar- | | payment of the imposts upon them; while we have | | ticles of importation of every possible description, and in the value of cach of Winch every custom: omcer would be required to be skilled and expert, in addition to his assured honesty, in order ¢o an accurate collection of the tmposed duties. And, In addition, experience shows that he would have to ; be stil! more expert as a detective in discovering | and thwartng the many devices by which the just | dues of the country are evaded and the revenues | delranded by the skilled, experi and unscrupulous | importer. It has been said, and retterated, “Why cannot the revenue officers collect all the revenues? If | they are honest and do tueir duty, what necessity W have informers ana detectives? The answer is & | plain one:—The more honest the ofMcer, \he more | Unsuspecting of trand und the more easily de- ceived; and you cannot get men for $1,500@ year who are learned in the whole circle of buman | Knowledge as applied to the many thousand articies | of use, necessity and luxury which are imported and taxed by @ nation comprising every variety of climate and every grade of necessity and loxury 1n its inhabitants, surrounded by a customs line, over which importations may pe le without the ayment of duties uni prevented by the cus- ys oficers, 0} more thag 12000 miles, to say ‘ i i | | | | | the Court sentences the criminal? In all this most Who would not require at least one-half of ail testimony as a Witness occupied longer time than the penalties he could get to have such billige: | any Othey witness save ote, and to make oom for gate throwu at him in the lace of the country? | whom the representative of the National Buard of (Laughter.) Did it ever occur to tite chair- mage gave way, are these. (Let us premise by that the “honest merchant” must have com- 4qo'°f Ss rhe ALR ne shodegahmnet by mitted w crime before anybody could tell of that Tuithine the’ frauds, were ment Woe by ea crime? that the “honest merchant’ must be con- committee.) Phelps, Dodge & Co. & firm ars’ standing, who had imported ve- 300,000,000 and $400,000,000 worth of goods, and bad paid the Uaired States governmens 4 jutics’ af v= remarkable ebullition of vituperation the learned , WOre tun Siete oe ages wil aay Ie chairman finds no word of objurgation or charac- | with perfect confidence that our good name and terization of the dishonest, -perjured, iraudwlent, | our integrity were never assailed in these mai smuggling importer, because of whose crimes | years until it was assalied by the government,’? aione the “pestiferous informer” can exist. meaning the charge, made by a special agent of Al who would not rather be the “merchant | the ‘treasury, Of falge valuation in December, 18° prince” who delrauds bis goannas and cheats wr, Dodge again reiterates that statement:—“tho the people and ts alse to bis country and his God | arst knowiedge or hint in forty odd years of busi- alike, to be pee and be lauded therefor by the qegs that I have had with the government, that [ Committee of Ways and Means, rather than the | was accused of any dereliction of duty, was when, citizen Who informs the government of his crimes | sitting at the ard of one of our iarge tn order that they may be hindered, stayed and | ingtitutions, I received a note irom my punished? To stamp the fact that all Unis import: | partner asking me to come to the Qus:‘om ton of tea in bond from Boston—for I do not take | houge” (in December, 1872); that thereupon be into the account the other ports of the United | went, and found his firm accused of having im States—to this province was entirely for the pur- many invoices for five yeats—whicn Was ax (ar ag pose of being smuggled back into the United she government could go back, on account of the States vy the “honest merchants,” I call attention — gratute of limitations—sworn toas a false valuation, to the fact that in 1870 tue duty was taken off of | for the purpose of defrauding the revenus; and tea, and in 1873, with all the increase o! popula- — rhar the books and papers ol the firm touching tion, there was sent from Boston to the Same port those importations would be seized if not volun- only twenty-eight packages of tea, amounting to tarily produced to the officer. Thereupon, yield- 1,766 pounds, in, I find, 1,738 packages containing ing to the necessity, lis books and papers ‘were 338,000 pounds, whep it could be smuggled with produced, and (rom those books and papets the profit, the duty in the provinces being the same Special agent of the Treasury made up an account, all the while; the duty having changed in this t, OF $260,000, Dut siterward coming up to the conntry alone. The table T send to the Cle! enurmous sum of $271,000, the amount of articles desk will show this better than I have stated it. | in the invoices in which “stmple mistakes’? SMUGGLING VS. HONESTY. only, as Mr. Dodge now declares, had been STATEMENT OF THE TRA EXPORTED IN BOND TO BRITIAR ~=made in stating tier Value, by which PROVINCES DURING THE YeARS 1867 aND 1868 Pao tu the government had jost duties to the amount of PORT OF HORT | some $1,600 only. But Phelps, Dodge & Co., feur- he confesses his guilt, before the informer can get @ quarter of the penalties of tne crime to which 2 \Berore the In-| aner the Suit. | Ai? Diy W ing that these ‘simple mistakes” would hold them To New former. ") Taken Of.* | guilty in a court, and being “subject to a system Brunswick. ie i ee | Of terrorism’ which they could not withstand, in Paes A vibe | order to save themselves ‘fom the oppressions of Phyn.\ be. | Phy is |Payn] dow | the government officials, in entire consciousness of St Stephen: | 2s 128,494) ree) (ens — | Mtegrity and innocence of all intended or actual St. Andrew: 24) 10,055) 10} so} sts), «Ss SM Wong. after they bad taken counsel of four most Grand Menan.| 40] 2,624) 33) 2.015) 1 53 | eminent Jawyers, and after reflecting upon the BO) Bene) eet sates ame) gee eh ce — | subject tor more than six Weeks, made an offer of eee ane Be 16 fr 3} Pye q yg compromise of penalties fur the crime of Stdohn’s Rive] “19a soso] "es 8.405] importation by {false invoices, which they: anatase macasienagnen | osmasms | aneeate oman} confessea in whiting they had done, an Totals .| 6,738] 338,808] 1,794] 85,953] 28] 1,766 + patd thia very great sui of money into the freasu- oe as penalty. This is the statement, tu brief, ae r. Dodge puts tt forward in connection with we | record. He admits that the house or bg te its | & Co. has had for many years a branch house im Liverpool—Phelps, James & Co.—which was sub- stantially the same in interest as the house {a New | York, beg ee of the same Phelps and the same James as the house in New York. To exciude all conclusion that this Mr. James of this firm in Liv- erpool dia any wrong, Mr. Dodge tells us that Mr. : nee salen omnes whe bid and rae abel on s id fraudulent invoices of hi; where, for over forty years, he has been the resident Soe mersbandiee: of have therefore been at soe partner, sustaining the character of a high minded, re- “ the House some accu. *Pect ong! rchant, and for @ number of pains to get for the ase Of year the oldest American merchant ta ingland rate data founded upon statistics, which may be his nam *ynonym of honesty and uprightness, an. verified by anybody who will take the same pains shedding a lustre on his own country end American that I have done, apd which cannot be successiuily , merchants; fied by the honors conferred ‘abroad, ONE THIRD OF THE REVENUE NOT COLLECTED. — | ° ey ae Upon these I make this startling announcement , {estign had ever arisen as to the vast shipments made tothe House and the cowatry, that the United | qay in Decembdet rt ine * So there was no profit in smuggiing across the 8 into the United Stat Costow Hovar, Boston, Oounecron’s Oreicx, March 80, 1974. nen din Ge ML statement was compiled from the rec t ce. HeCOTaS ND MNS ONCE: Wy, A. SIMMONS, Collector Bat this exporting in bond of a few hundred civilized islands, as + Thave said vetore, is but a bagatelle in comparison with the: amount’ of frauds committed upon the | to the house in New York. On entering his oilice one 1872, found the following despaten, States does not receive more than two- the newspapers :— Logg kas eg ba Mat pate m4 janes i} Nr Bogan koe! onpele cee te at Sree on which ad valorem utes are mm poser D in whole or im part, so that to-day no | Perna Neged irauds on the revenue to the amonat of OU. more than sixty-seven per cent of our revenues 7 are collected, owing to this class of frauds added | pa rt wal ‘Sap. me bres Sroctenae Aig? ¢ to the others of which Ihave been speaking; or, | ku Aim; gor has he ever entirely recovered. He felt in other rds, if we could collect our revenues pA creda, Geater to Site ag Sete enee ber a lo" in a m ‘ q Soo ee eS OOO OO at eho tat | ment on whieh Ne had depended tor protection. Ne bad Ve! Me A AN I oor ne et, The na” | passed his three-score amd ten until then with an an uonal debt, imposing no greater burdens on the | Piemished character, ami’ felt that, at least, be had ® people than now, because all these revenues of right todemand that he snould be ‘ considered innocent which the country ts defrauded are charged to the | tii proved guilty.” Can a iaw liable to produce such ree consumer as if paid by the merchant, so that by | sults be just? these enormous frauds the country is donbiy the | OLD TRICKS TO CHEAT THR REVENUE. loser, first, In its revenue, and, second, by thecon- | If this account of Mr. Dodge 18 1n the main true— sumer paying it to the fraudulent merchant, gen- | nay, if its found to be true in aay substantial erally an importer who has a branch o! his mer- | portion; if his firm had maintained always a name cantile house tn this country and in the country | for integrity and honesty of dealing with the v= from which his goods come. ernment; ms statement avout Mr. James be true 1 would not dare, sir, Ww make this very Start- | that “in all this time not & question had ever ling, , Wonder{ul and almost incredible state- | arisen ag to the vast shipments to the house ment as to tuese frauds of undervaluation and | In New York,” then I agree “that @ law liable to false Invoices were | not fortified by proof, which |; produce such results not only ts anjust” and 1 bring to the attention of the House, premiasing | shonid de repealed, but that it is the duty of the only to say 80 great are the frauds with all possi- | United States government to condignly punish the bie penalties, seizure of books and moieties to in- | oificers who have done 80 gross a Wrong to such formers, and all the safeguards that the expert- | nonoratie men, and not only to repay ence of the custom house oMcers of England and | them the money that bas been ex- this bathed has ena@bied us to throw around she sorted from them, but to give them revenues of the United States, which jeguards | a very large sum as sume slight A gon for the and penalties ana bindrauces to fraud: e by the unquaiified wrong ana umbeard of inary WishoRs