New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-13
zoxAL1BRE,

cial circles. Years ago the MEXICAN gov
eminent discovered that it could collect
no revenue on the Rio Grande, because of
the organized band Of smugglers that ~
tested the border from the mouth of the
Rio Grande to Eagle Pass. Immense
fortunes were made by defrauding the
Mexican customhouses of the legitimate
revenue which ought to have been col
lected from the immense importations Of
foreign goods into that country. Large
numbers of pack mules were used to con-.
duct the goods. They were loaded with
packages of merchandise at obscure
places in Texas, near the frontier, from
whence they were driven to the Rio
Grande, crossed over. and then rushed
into the interior of Mexico through
mountain trails. TheNnovements of the
smugglers were sudden and silent, taking
on their loads at some retired hacienda in
Texas, and then pushing away to Mexico
| by circuitous and secret routes. They
usually unloaded at some obscure
hacienda, near Monterey, from whence
the goods were distributed, in small lots,
to the merchants in the interior, The
Mexican authorities kept up a mounted
guard all along the frontier, desperate
encounters som etimes occurred between
these revenue policemen and the contra
bandistas. Smuggling was hazardous
and exciting business, but it paid good
wages, and the sharpest men on the
frontier were engaged in the employment.
They were hired at SO much, generally,
their reward being conditioned on how
safely and speedily they delivered pack
ages from the house in Texas to its branch
house in Mexico. These men were trusty
and brave, having no interest in the
goods, sometimes amounting to sixty
thousand worth Of silks and jewelry, but
to deliver them safely for the price they
had agreed upon. When it would have
been to their benefit to collide with the
revenue officials, and to deliver the goods
for half the fines, they kept their faith
always, and often at the expense of their
lives.
AS the Mexican authorities could not
arrest this illegal and disastrous traffic
which was connived at by our revenue
officers, they either had to abandon the
idea of collecting any revenue on the Rio
Grande or invent remedy against the
bad faith of the American officials. This
bad faith on our part consisted in allow
ing bonded goods to be accounted for by
forged or improper certificates of their
expectation. AS for instance, the house
of Tamava or Trevino might import
large consignment of goods from Europe,
putting them in the bonded warehouses.
They had the right to recover from our
customhouse the duty they had paid when
they could show that these goods had
been exported to a foreign country.
Under this regulation, their pre-
partitions being fully made to run
a consignment into Mexico over the con-
traband route they applied to the ware
house agent for whatever goods they
wanted, shipped them on their mule train.
crossed the river into Mexico and came
back with certificate that the goods had
been exported to foreign country. On
this certificate, about which very little
care was taken, they were credited with so
much of the consignment as having left
the country. Sometimes, perhaps, these
very goods were found in the United
States, the smugglers having taken the
wrong direction, or possibly the Mexican
police drove them back. 1t was never re-
ported that they paid our own tariff, if by
any stress of weather goods which
ought to have been smuggled into Mexico
were illegally directed into the United
States.
Mexico, to arrest the evil, established
what is called the iona LiJre. Matamoras
was declared free port. Goods were
allowed to be imported into that city free
of duty, but were charged full tariff rates
on going out Of town. This was wise
commercial action. 1t is a pity that we
have never been able to invent blessing
of equal magnitude. Foreign capital at
once relieved Mexican merchants of the.
necessity of going to Europe 10 buy
goods Immense houses were established
in Matamoras, at which goods were sold
in large or small quantities at European
prices, freight and charges added. The
merchant in Monerey, Saltillo or else
where in the interior, could enter Mata-
moras and purchase his regular supplies
at slight advance on the Eu-
ropean prices. But when he I'M
dertook to take them out of Matamoras
he had to'pay the Mexican tariff The
Mexican Customhouse could watch the
town of Matamoras, and its police could
arrest any team that did not have clear
ance from the officer at Matamoras The
matter of the Mexican revenues was thus
securely arranged, and in addition, con-
siderable town was built up. As this is
all Mexican matter, what is our quarrel
with the measure. 1t is true our frontier
does not do grand smuggling business
nor do our contrabandistas earn such pen
sions as they used to do; but then we have
the satisfaction of knowing that all this
operates in favor of our neighbor and her
honest revenues, and we should be salts
fed to forego our own rascality in favor of
the good of our poor sister republic.
As to the pleas that goods are SNUG
gled out of the IONA Libre into the United