Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1864-09-17
Navigation Of Puget Sound By Foreign
Vessels.

The following letter has been received from
Collector Gum, for publication:
En-. STANDARD: Pendin. the decision. by
tn Court. of the cas-. of the British steamer
.iieraaaru, | have iorbore 10 notice items in
various newspapers. some ct which were cor
rect and som. incorrect. ! will now give a
iri.f statement of ficis.
Ever slarr Puget Sound has ben a cnllec-
ton district tor-i.n yc-s-l>. after entering al
the Custom House and drp,siting their regis
ier-. have ben allowed TO proc,-d. in ballast.
TO the mills OF 10 other places. in order To get
their outward carg,. With this they would
return 10 ih, Cu-,om-Hru,. and clear. IL
was r.cird. d ooas'r1dir,iy "a loading at the
pr, oil entry. This usage unlrr '"y preIr-
cessors was M, disturbed bv me. nor was its
LEGALITY presented for consideration. unril the
.il.JaD'ra commenced hrr trips to Olympia
aud Sirilacoon for cattle T. export to Vic
ioria.
Parties interested in the Elsa patterson
then rai--d the question. and contcaI-d that
the .ii.Fanird was violating the steamboat
law. believing tina. such wa the cas,.. the
master was fih-d TO the full amount, allowed
by the steamboat law. for every trip. which
fine was paid under protest. The owner o;
the FLEA .lHI,rsos then obtained from his
Honor the Supreme Judge, a restraining or
der tnrbidling me to clear the .Nernadra.
when loaded with cargo obtained alb VI. the
port of entry. a. hlviny violated the evrnne.
navigation and costing laws. After an abl,.
aicurnent before the Court, tie injunction To-
mains.
When the question was first raised, the fol
lowing telegram was seut to the Secretary Of
the Treasury
"Does section . Of steamboat act Of 1888
forbid a foreign steamer from seeking cargo at
places other than the port of entry T.
The following answer was received
"Forrign vessels of all kinds, except Brit
products of Canada. New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia, can load and unload only at
ports of entry"
1t will b. seen. therefore, that the Depart
meut at Washington and the Court agree as
to the law, and the usage OF the past ten years
in this district must yield. Congress alone is
competent to change the law.
l.. c. GUM. .
Collector.
Port Townsend, Sept. IA. 1864.
OFFICIAL INDIscRErIoN.-Quit ute n turmoil
was kicked up in our usually very quiet vii
lage on Tuesday last, by Collector Moore en-.
trring our trading establishments with his
posse, and Selling everything lie could find
not stamped in compliance with the new row
enue law. We are satisfied that not the
slightest disposition existed on the part of
the business men of this place to cvade the
law. 1t was only because they did not un-
derstand its requirements that they had failed
to stamp the articles seized. If, before re-
sorting to extreme measures, the Collector
had yielded a little Of his official dignity, and
explained fully to parties interested, the spe-
citic requirements of the new law, all trouble
M'd difficulty would have been avoided, and
t C interests of the Government: equally as
well protected. 1t is very true Mr.. Moore
hal published in a scmi-oficial organ OF the
1" Democracy notice of what was required
to be stamped. instead of publishing it in the
STANDARD, (thc official paper of the Govern
ment) rs he should have done. The law is
unpopular with a portion Of the people, who
are unused to the English mode of taxation or
who fail to reflect upon the urgent necessity
which demanded the enactment ofsuch a law,
and we regard it as a grave error for an officer
Of the revenue to make it more unacceptable
than it otherwise would b. by an offensive
manner of administering it.
Since the above has been placed in type.
VIC learn that Mr.. Moore has returned the ar
ticles seized, being convinced that no attempt
to evade the law existed. We commend this
act. When an officer is convinced that he
has acted hastily, he shows n commendabln
disposition if he has tho moral bravery to
acknowledge himself in error.
HoLDRooK AND TnE SANITARY Fund
We observe that the Oregon press is calling
upon Mr.. IIolbrook to publish an exhibit of
his account with the Sanitary fund. 1t op.
pears that upon comparing tho aggregate
amounts reported by Mr.. Holbrook, and the
amount the Dr.. Bellows acknowledges to have
received. n large balance stands against Mr..
II. His attention was directed to the matter
several weeks ago, and,a exhibit requested,
but no response has yet been made to the
call. A late number Of the Oregon States
man has a long article in relation to the mat.
ter, which more than in'imates that n portion
Of the money has been invested in real estate
in Portland and vicinity. Mr.. Holbrook's re-
fusal to make a statement Of his account. is
calculated to confirm the impression iha, all