The New York herald., 1874-11-24
THE ROMANCE OF TRAVEL.
How tho Government IL Cheated Out OF
ol2s, ,O0O, 900 . Year.


ol2s, ,O0O, 900 . Year.
The Commissioner of Customs, Mr. Henry q
Johnson, Is an oflicial who occupies room In the
Treasury Department at Washington. and from
time TO time complies many curious and elaborate
statistical reports concerning exports and i'm
ports and many other things more or less re-
motely connected Herewith. He Is no dry stati-
clan who takes his figures as given facts, ana
adds multiplies, or subtracts win mechanical
precision and monotony. The last report OF all
the series with which Congress will shortly be
deluged where one would expect to dnd the
graces OF rhetoric and the charm OF poetic inven-
tion Is that OF the Commissioner Of Customs.
Macaulay made the barren wastes OF history bios
som like a rose tree. He threw around tue dry
record OF political events the glamour OF ro-
nance that led the fancy captive and
vivined the duness OF chronology. Follow
ing his example at . respectful distance
the Commissioner OF Customs has managed. by
force Of fervid imagination. 80 rescue from the
oblivion into which most or1cial documents fall
his annual report TO the Secretary OF the Treasury
Tor the present year. The first few figures ne pro-
duces make the reader pause and mediate sew
eral minutes. 1T is estimated" he says, "tnat
the American tourists returning from Europe our
ing the year ending June 30 1873 numbered 80 $50,
and each person brought on the average seven
-
personal luggage, not duuabie. We have thus an
aggregate or 257slO trunks filled with articles
CLAIMED as duty free, representing, on valuation
OF $500 for each trunk, the enormous sum OF
$l2s, ,905 00n." What food for renecuonl Was
ever government 50 detrauded since the dawn OF
civ .ilzatIon ana oil custom hOuseSf
HERALD reporter. Justly indignant at such
wholesale swindnng Of q paternal government,
called yesterday upon Mr.. Ogden Auditor Of tne
Custom House, ana asked him could 'sucn things
be and overcome US like summer cloud without
our special wonder"
Mr.. ogden put on his glasses, leaned back In his
chair, anu began slowly TO read and repeat these
lines OF the report gwen above. Each person
brought on tn. average seven trunks-seven evei,
and framed Itself into note OF exclamation.
"Representing,n he continued after pause, "a
valuation OF 5000 each trunk"
Then the Auditor laid down the paper, ana,
looking up at the reporter asked. "Were you ever
REPoRTER- on. yes, several times.
AUDIToR--How many trunks did you usually
REPoRTER-Sometimes one, sometimes none at
AUDIToR-would you average your trunk at any
time on valuation of $500.
REPoRTRR-Weli, yes; but had no objection to
sell it TO i1end lor So. were you ever IN Europe
yourseli, Mr. Auditor
AUDITOR-Once only.
REPoKrER-And you brought back seven trunks
worth $500 apiece
AUDIToR-One carpet bag and 81 would be
REpoRTER-What, then, does this report mean
Is 1t mere fash OF fancy on the part OF tue Com,
missioner, or Is the government really fobDeo
annually OF such vast amount.
AUDITOR (readlng)-"lt IS well KNOWN" ne
says 'tnat much OF this baggage 49, In reality, IN
tenaed to be put on the market as mercnandise.
aud III other portions OF ~ are brought over Tor
third parties who have remained At home" NOW,
there Is some truth in what he says about mer.
chandise being smuggied In occasionally through
the medium OF private trunks, but that's oaga.
the passengers returning from Europe seldom
have more to spare tnan the price OF their passage
case, paper r-colar box and an umbrella constl
tute the entire travelling stock OF the American
tourist.
AuDITOR-Decldedly. But as passenger sell
dom lands with any large stock or clean paper
collars the revenue is small IN that direction.
REpoRTER-Have you never heard OF q passen-
ger landing with seven trunks?
AUDIToR-Yes, and seventy-seven trunks; but
that's about every new moon. II every passenger
landed with seven trunks 1t would take . thou
sand custom House oficers to look after them.
The report iurtner says that law ought to be
pa .sed limiting the value TO be brought IN by any
one passenger 10 easonable sum, ana requiring
all JlceS OF baggage to be entered on the deca-
ration OF the passenger, aud the duties thereon
determined oy the proper officer, instead Of leav-
ing all TO be disposed OF by the passenger on MS
mere asseveratlon.
REPoRrER-Don'r you approve OF that sugges-
tion?
AUDIToR-No occasion for the suggestion. 1t is
so that the matter Is left to the mere assevera-
tion OF the passenger. Alter the passenger has de-
his baggage the officer makes a search. and any
thing dutiaoIe found is held ior pay ment. In the
codIying OF the customs laws IN 1870 the clause
llmitlng the amount passenger might bring into
port tree ol duty was left out by some mistake,
and now the amount Is unlimited.
REPoRTER-Don't you suppose, as most OF our
tourists travel over Europe, that seven trunks ts
small estimate OF what each one brings back
AUDIToR-Well, when Was In Europe, thought
II brought myself back I'D De doing very wel l
felt, like Caesar, that II my tnapedtmentG was con-
sumed, / should be all the easier. Men want as
few trunks as possible In travelling. Unless they
are drummers or collectors for museums and me-
nagerles they prefer Just one handy vaitse.
REPoRTER-Then we may conclude the Commits
sioner was never across TO Europe and knows
nothing about how the thing is d0ne2
AUDITOR Perhaps he thinks no American can
90 to Europe without bringing back enough ia
start q dry goods store or trunk shOpf
/, 1x,u,uu Irlat 40 Az no