National Republican., 1875-07-03
Smuggling and Morals.

tfr0m the New YORK Methodist
We last week made some suggestions on
this subject, coming to these conclusions 1st.
1t is the duty of all in oversight to lessen as
much as possible the temptations to dis
honesty; it is especially the duty of govern
ment. ID. Duties maintained at rates above
what is called 'the smuggling point" directly
foster dishonesty, and raise up class Of men
who thrive on violating the laws. Sd. Snug
glers, 1t is admitted, are so successful in
evading duties as to practically control some
lines of goods.
1t is, perhaps, as well that we should add
our hearty assent to.the Wesleyan doctrine,
that it is sin to smuggle and take part with
smugglers. If we can say q word that will
help the authorities toward enforcing laws
made for them by Congress, we shall be glad
to speak quickly and strongly. But the snug
gler is no part of our audience; we have no
fear that our readers will in any way sii their
trade, unless their trade is effectively legalized
by law. And rates that are practically found
to promote smuggling seem to US to have in
the community the effect Of law. When the
law forhids the inevitable, it seems to US to
strengthen rather than weaken it.
The real remedies Of smuggling are two-fold.
LIST. To fix the duties at such rates that they
can be collected. ID. To collect them, and
this seems to Us to imply considerable changes
in our methods-in one word to imply civil
service reforms. The Presidents effort to re-
form the civil service is one of the most enlight
ened acts of our recent political history. The
wonderful being known as the American poll
tieian defeated that righteous and enlightened
effort. Our difficulty is the direct result of the
ascendancy of unframed men in legislation,
and the unframed man has insisted upon duties
too high to be collected, and upon employing
his servants in the collection of the duties.
From the clutches of this system we see no
present escape; evil men will wax worse and
worse. The business of smuggling will be
more successful, and the strait Of honest deal
ers more painful, next year than 1t is this.
What We really need to do is to get 8 COM
mon sense system of doing business, to induce
the Congressman to recognize the laws OF ma
ture and the interests of public morals. The
road we are on leads to ruin. 1t becomes
every day more dangerous for an honest man
to trade in imported goods. 1t cannot be bet
ter until there is a radical reform. We have
here nothing to do with protection and free
trade. So far as our special interest Is con-
cerned, we consider only the duty of the Gov
ernnent to maintain such rates as It can col
lect, and no higher rates. We might put the
matter more simply and say: Collect your
duties. You have undertaken to set up and
keep gate; kept. By keeping It you will
give honest merchants q chance to live. II
you fail to keep 1t, If you virtually say, eve
cannot keep #, the rogues slip past US and
carry their goods with them,p we seriously
doubt the power OF honest merchants 70 rem
der you any effectual assistance. Pursuing
goods after they have been landed, repaekea
and shipped TO inland cities, and requiring
every holder to prove that duties have been
paid, may be Congress mans law, but It is mot
constitutional law. - i,-'5,