The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-09-16
From the ". Y. Epening Post
THE PROSPECT OF BUSINESS.

We spoke the other day of the revival of business.
There is one kind If business, which, under the
law laying heavy taxes on goods brought into the
country, will probably be revived with great activity,
mean the business of the smugger and the de-
frauder of the revenue. High duties are bounty
smug2lingi high Gutes are premium offered to the
most dexlerous in cheating the custom house. The
law which lays a duty of a hundred per cent
article importe is proclamation that whoever can
introduce the goods without pa sng them thrc ugh the
custom house. pass them by trick by corrup-
ting the custom house officers shall be entitled to
reward equal to the value of the goods themselves
So liberal an offer will be TO invite adveniu-
rers. The world Of trade is not iastdous is pru-
dish in It's morality; not than half of it is com
posed OF men as vlrtuous as Cato and rigidy just
as Arisdes there is a fair proportion of men who
ready toy eld TO reasonable temptation say hum
dre,i per Their goods, in where detec
ZION is not easy, even less The case of imported
jewels proves this. This kind of goods, owing To the
great disproporon between their bulk and their value,
has been smuggl led into the country all aorg with the
greatest regularity TO any extent which the market
CURED and with the most perfect security from detec-
ton. Congress was about to 10y duty Of twenty
per cent. upon jeweTy upon which it was shown that
if they did, moi dollar of revenue would be derived
from it. What course did Congress take after this
Compounded with the smuggler, came down TO his
terms. Ifyou will entor the goods, said Congress to
the illegal troder-if you will be kind enough to n
Ter he goods and pay the duties, will content
selves with the very low impost of seven per cent.
nus, IN regard TO Jewey, the smuggiers caTr the
day ann fixed the rate OF taxation In regard 10
most other articles of mercandise, the mutual under
standing between the parties to be, that if the
trader can ouwit The Government, he shall be well
paid for it.
There is six fr example, upon which enor
nous duty il laid a duty of two dollars and half on
every pound. Silk is compact article, and Of easy
and will doubtless be smuggled in large
quantities Our vast northern frontier aud our long
and in some places almost ssIiiary sea coast afford
the most tempting opportunities, and travelling,
raicking, scheming population, furnishes The very
class take advantage oftbem. Every kind Of goods
on which the duties are high in proportion TO the
bulk will be brought into the country without pay ing
duties. We have sort Of doubt that prepa rations
are made at this momert by men wanting other en-
ploymen fond of adventure, and not scrupuIous in
obeying the laws, 10 obtain the premium snug
Cling, so literally offered by our Government.
BuI the smuggler is man Of honor, compared with
another class, no avoid the ayment of the legal du
lies by false invoices false oatbs false samples pre-,
senis 10 custom house officers, and thousand other
shifts, more or less immoral, The higher the duties
the greater the temptation To these practices for the
more is gained by them. The life ola collector Of the
customs life Of constant vigilance against the arts
of these men, At almost every step be takes he en-
counters device to pass goods through the Gus
tom house, al lower rate Of duties than that pre-
scrbed by law. The ingenuity oftrade 10 infinite in
conrIying methods Of evasion against the exacii ms
of The customs. II the collector appeals TO The ,ibu
malls, the feeling Of the uries and often Of the courts