The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-12-13

Ak1IoblO1pA ~ SAAO OeAtCCtOA
the subject ofsinuggnng, presuming it may
have some bearing upon the wants of this sec
ton of the conntry
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
p. OFFICE OF COMMISSION OF CUSTOMS,
ss'S9ss % November 22nd, 1865.
Sir: L have had great pleasure in reading,
in The. FREE Press of the 10th and 18th in-i
slant, an account of the proceedings of a meet
ing Of some OF the citizens Of Detroit, held at
the Realizing Room of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association, in relation 70 smuggling,
now so extensively carried on between the
British Provinces and the United States. 1t
is most creditable to the Christian young men,
and other citizens, who inaugurated and took
part in this, movement, that they have so clear
PERCEPTION of the crime, as well as the de-
moralizing effects, of a traffic which is, from
beginning to end, violation of the laws of
the country. aloA osai $50 20 a9aA stow q 9go29a
That man or woman who habitually violates
any one law Of the country, and resorts to de-
ception, trick and chicanery to do so, VIII soon
become callous to all moral obligations, and
may be easily induced by selfinterest, or the
prospect OF gain, to set at naught any other
law, human Or divine, !. 'si 15I 2.
So long as public opinion sanctions such vi
olations of the law, so long will those viola
tons continue, and give the lie to the oft-re-
peated boast that we are law-abiding people,
The object Of the meeting whose proceedings
have read with SO much pleasure, was, if
understand them rightly, to arouse public
opinion from its stupor and apathy in re-
gard to the evils, moral, social and financial,
growing out of the constant violations of the
revenue laws, If the leading merchants and
businessmen in all the cities and towns on
the Northern frontier and Atlantic coast
would hold similar meetings, and express the
sentiments which have gone forth from Detroit,
we should soon have such health(ul and ac-
tive public opinion in regard to this system of
defrauding the Government as well as HON
est traders, as would go far towards breaking
up illicit trade. wv i uali,s@ 81 Iiig 81 s9-i
Il *tsese9* Doc ~ = TEE " stHs - agb9t 3.as
Iscarcely need to say that the honest trader,
and citizens generally, are as much interested
in putting a. stop to smuggling as the Govern
ment,s since, whatever amount the revenue
from Customs shall fall short Of the amount
required to meet the annual expenditures Of
the Government, must be made I'D by direct
taxes upon the capital and business of the ma
ton. And 1t Is plain that If every person OBJ
tanned their foreign goods without paying du-
ties thereon, not dollar of revenue could be
derived from importations. It is clearly, there
fore, the interest and the duty Of the Ameri-
can people to set their faces against all fraud
ulent importations which injure them and en-
rich Foreigners very foreigners who,
during our terrible struggle, have done all in
their power to embaTass us while they were
getting rich at our expense ~ Z e
Let the smuggler then, foreign or American,
male or female, be looked upon as an enemy to
the country, and so treated by all honest peo-
Die and we shall soon. see trade restored to its
legitimate channels, ensuring remunerative
profits to the honest, upright and loyalmer-
chant, gg ~ asatg raa aAms.sA Far4w9J
1 am, sir, with great regard, $50
Your obedient servant,
.99N. SARGENT, Commissioner.
To N. G. Isbell, Esq, Collector, &c, 40 gHFl
Detroit, Michigan. e,ti 1sbaa g '7so5 !