New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-05-29
LATEST NEWS FROM ALL POINTS
A MILLION KEvENUE KECEIPTs
ANTHONY SENATE PRESIDENT Pro TEN
Smuggling on the Mexican Border
DEFECT IN THE FRENCH CABLE
1t Ceased Working Yesterday
Eight Hundred Passengers for Europe
EXODUS FROM NEW YORK YESTERDAY
FENIANS KILLED and WOUNDED FRIDAY
DEATH OF NJ Ks. SENATOR WILSON
DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MARKETS
Eight Hundred Passengers for Europe
EXODUS FROM NEW YORK YESTERDAY
FENIANS KILLED and WOUNDED FRIDAY
DEATH OF MKs. SENATOR WILSON
DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MARKETS
WASHINGTON.

Senote-PenslOns to Surviving Sol
diers and sailors Of the War OF
1s12-BiIl to Reduce Internal Rev.
enue Taxes-smugyling on the Aox-
lean HOrder-RepOrt OF Senator Pot
terson.
WASHINGTON, May 2S.-Internal revenue
receipts to-day nearly 81, 600, 600.
MIR. Anthony, of Rhode Island, has been
chosen President of the Senate pro tenn.
Senate.-The bill to prevent any municipal
employe acting as a registration officer,
passed with an amendment prohibiting any
candidate for Office from serving as Judge,
or commissioner of elections.
House-A general bill was passed granting
pension to the surviving soldiers and sailors
of the war of 1872, with an amendment, in
Guiding widows who had married before
the close of the war.
A bill to reduce internal taxes was taken
up, and an amendment was added that no
national bank should be compelled to act
as depository Of public funds longer than
they may elect.
After disposing of several paragraphs, the
House adjourned until Tuesday.
Senator Patterson has made a report to
accompany Senate bill No. 783 from the
Committee on Retrenchment, to whom was
referred the said bill "to repeal all existing
laws authorizing the transportation and ex.
portation of gooes, wares and merchandise
III
waters, and for other purposes
The report says the object of the bill is to
protect, SO far as it can be done Dy legisla-
ton on our part, the revenue of the United
States, and the interests of our frontier bor
dering on the Rio GraIde, from the losses
and injuries resulting from the facilities for
smuggling afforded by the laws which it is
proposed to repeal and by the existence of
the coma hbre. or free belt, on the Mexican
side of the Rio Grande.
Prior to 1858 the American towns enjoyed
greater commercial advantages, and were
much more thrifty and pOpulOus than their
Mexican neighbors on the opposite side of
the river By the act of August, 1852, the
transportation to Mexico of goods in bond
was permitted by certain routes specified in
| the act and by such others as the Secretary
of the Navy might prescribe. This enabled
American merchants to store large quanti-
ties of goods in our bonded warehouses un-
til favorable opportunity arrived to with
draw the IN for consumption, Or Tor eXpOrta.
ton in bond to Mexico. 1t is simply an
i'm possibility to prevent smuggling on such
line as that formed by the Rio Grande,
so long as a sufficient inducement to snug
gle exists. And doubtless, at that
time, there was considerable smuggling from
| the American side of the river. to the detri-
ment OF the revenue of Mexico, and the le-
gitimate commerce Of her merchants, who
were unable to compete successfully with
those whose goods had paid only the lower
rate of duty then required at the American
ports, or having been exported from the
United States in bond, and smuggled into
Mexico, had escaped payment of duties to
either nation. On the tweney-eghth of
December, 1851 the Legislature of the State
| of Tamaulipas passed anact creating the
| coma libre, which was promulgated March
| II. 1858, by decree of Remon Guerra, then
| Provisional Governor of Tamaulipas.
The immense amount of smuggling on
the Rio Grande, and the necessity for the
repeal of our laws authorizing the exporta-
ton of goods in bond to Mexico, are mainly
| in consequence of this act. The purpose
of this act was evidently to build up the
Mexican towns at the expense Of their
| American neighbors, which was to be &C.
complished by furnishing to smugglers for
| hundreds of miles, along frontier that Is
impossible to guard, a safe and convenient
place of deposit for goods which they re-
ceived, free of duty, until a convenient op-
portunity should occur to smuggle them
into the United States The inevitable re.
suit was the destruction of the commerce
and prosperity of the American towns, and
great frauds, estimated at from S2,0OO,000 to
Sc, 100000 per annum, on the revenue of the
United States.
The general government of Mexico hesi-
tated to approve an act so hostile to the ln-
terests of a friendly nation, and 1t was not
until July 80, 1861, when Texas was in the
possession of the so.called Confederate
States, to whom the zonG Ebre would be OF
great advantage, tha: it received the sane
ton of President JuareZ. During the war
the towns of the zond ibre furnished free
ports of entry for the Confederates, through
| which they exported their cotton, and re-
ceived in return large supplies OF aims and
other munitions of war. The Mexican gov
ernment, while protesting friendship fol
the United States, sympathized with the
rebels, and aided them by 0ery means
in tbeir power. 1t modA91 its Gus
toms regulations so as to facilitate
the expectation of cotton and the re-
turn of war material, and while the Con
federate ports were blockaded by oul
cruisers, permitted merchandise and MUM
tions OF war. imported into the zond llbre, to
be transferred to the Confederacy at one
fourth the rate of duty required on the
same articles when shipped to other coun
tries, or even taken to other places IN Mexi-
CO. Under the guise OF friendship and neu-
trality the Mexican government did us more
harm during the late war than it could have
done if openly hostile, for in that case we
could have easily blockaded the mouth 0,
the Rio Grande. and have completely cut on
thai great source of Confederate supplies.
Since the close of the war the zOnG hbre has
served as g base from which smuggling
into the United States can be safely
carried on. The American towns have
l 6ecayed. and the Mexican towns have flour
ished in proportion; so that instead OF being
in q .sreally ruinous state" and liable to be
.sentirely depopulated by emigration to the
; neighboring country" as they were In lo58
! they contained in 1868 population more
than three times as large as that OF theil
American neighbors, that ten years before
were threatening to absorb them. Homes
merchants, unable to compete. with th'
smugglers, have been compelled to abandon
the country, or to engage in Illicit trade
themselves; and the whole communit.
on both sides of the river has become s.
thoroughly demoraized that smuggling
generally considered a legitimate and hon
orabe business.
[ The desperate characters whom this con
dition OF things has attracted or createc
plunder private citizens, as we'll as deirau
!, the Government, and frequently mat RAID
: into Texas and drive large herds OF cattl
: acrose the river into Mexico. 1t Is estimate
by vellinformed men, that the loss by thes
raids Is sometimes as high as two hundre