The daily gazette., 1874-12-01
Fashionable S,aitraliad Aaaitl.

From the Nsao Y6rk World a
II the Collector of New York sees
flt not to require formal entry, then,
under the law, it Is the business Of his
inspectors to decide what articles in
the luggage of passenger Ought not
to be exempted from dnty." This de-
cision necessarily implies and requires
an examination, and this examination
the Commissioner of Customs says is
not properly made in large proportion
of cases. He intimates that this in
quiry is disposed of by the mere as
severation Of the passenger. After an
examination of official statistics upon
the subject, he comes to the conclusion
that 257, $40 trunks have been impro-
perly admitted free of duty and he
makes an estimate of the valuation
thereof, which, if correct, shows that
the Government has lost an enormous
sum to which it was entitled. Never
theless, the Commissioner of Customs
publishes to the world that "people
of wealth who should cheerfully bear
their just proportion of the national
Indebtedness" do, in this country, in.
dulge in an "incipient form of Snug
Cling" and 'take pleasure trips abroad
which are made pecunisrily profitable
by this fashionable infraction of the
revenue. He advises more stringent
Legislation, and law limiting the value
of free" luggage to reasonable sum.
This is terrible charge which the
Commissioner of Customs makes
against those he calls rich and fashion
able travellers. For our own part, we
wish the Government and Custom
House would, for one season, enforce
the tariff law in respect to passengers
luggage with absolute and technical
precision, so that no traveller could
bring in, free of duty, any article OF
wearing apparel which Is new and not
in actual use," and that mo personal
effects" of any kind or description, not
even toy for ones children, could be
imported free of duty unless it had
been honestly in use by the person
bringing it before leaving the foreign
country. Our motive for desiring such
an execution of the law is that the
rich and fashionable part of our coun-
| try men and women might visibly feel
what our existing Republican party
tariff means. Under it dress costing
$500 in Paris, which has never been
worn and not in actual use, ought to
pay duty of $120 in gold. All silk
goods should pay 60 per centum ad-
valorem; kid gloves, DO per centum ad-
valorem; cotton goods, from 80 to 20
| per centum ad valorem; boots and
shoes, 35 per centum ad valorem; ar
ticles of linen Gncluding pocket hand
kerchiefs, etc.), 40 per centum ad va
loren; silk bonnets, 60 per centum
ad valorem, and ready-made woollen
clothing for men, rate from 40 per
cent. upward) which no man but a
Custom House expert can estimate. If
every gentleman and lady, old and
young, arriving in the United States,
were compelled for one season to feel,
visibly and sensibly, in their own
pockets and purses, the annoyance and
pecuniary weight of these rates of duty
levied by the Republican party for the
benefit of monopolist manufacturers in
this country; free trade would receive
an impetus which would bear down all
opposition. But, practically, neither
| the Republican party nor the Secretary
OF the Treasury nor the collectors OF
customs dare enforce the provisions of
law in respect TO passengers luggage
upon the persons arriving even in one
steamer. 10 do so would create con
dition Of public opinion that neither
the Republican party nor the tariff
makers could Withstand for day