The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-12-21
WATCaMEE ON THE WALL.


The Great vligance of Our Customs Of
fciaIs ON the Canadlan Frontier
4 curious example of how firmly he
rar1n wan is built has recently been
made public in a treasury decision from
Washington. Some citizens of Trout
River, N. Y, on the Canadian border,
wanted to take their grain across to a
Canadian mill, which was near them,
and have it ground. They submitted
the case to the customs authorities to
know whether they would be allowed to
bring back their -four without paying
duty on it. The casa was sent to the
treasury department at Washington,
and the decision rendered was that the
returning -four must pay duty.
Canadian -four is, of course, pauper
-four, and it would be unreasonable to
expect American farmers to compete
with it; and that American grown
wheat produces panper -four when
ground in a Canadian mill is truth
that none but wicked s.free traders" can
dispute.
Our customs officers on the Canadian
border deserve the highest praise for
their untiring watchfulness in protect
ing the interests of the country from
Canadian encroachments 1t is doubt
full whether the German and French
guards who patrol the boundary line be-
tween France and Germany, and occa-
sionally put bullet through the in
cautious fellow who steps over the line,
are more lynx eyed than these customs
officers Of ours who protect US from the
hostile food of cheap Canadian wheat,
barley and eggs. These officers ought
to be put ON exhibition at the Chicago
Worlds fair as our most vigilant de-
tenders from cheap foreign goods.
Some of their achievements are worthy
of record. A farmer who owned farm
partly in New York state and partly in
Canada, but living just across on the
Canada side, took it into his head to
change the position of his house little.
Without design he got the house just on
the line. The argus eyed customs Of
fcers soon discovered what a trespass
the poor Canadian was committing
against American liberty. and they
straightway informed Uncle Sam and
asked what was to be done. The de-
cision came back promptly that every
foot Of lumber in the house must pay
duty.
In northern Vermont a stream on
which Yankee has a sawmill flows
across into Canada A freshet came and
washed away quantity of the Yankees
lumber into Canada. where it was lodged.
After the freshet the enterprising saw
mill man went after his runaway lun-
Der; but, alas. the custom house men
were upon him, and he had to pay duty
on the whole lot, just as if it had been
Canadian pauper lumber.
Another Vermont man lived danger
ously near the line which divides us
from the people with whom we cannot
compete This man is farmer and his
wife keeps turkeys. OF course these tur-
keys did not know anything about a
boundary line, beyond which it was un-
lawful TO lay their eggs, and they did
not even know that they were protected
against the pauper turkeys Of Canada.
1t is therefore not at all singular that
one old turkey built her nest beyond the
forbidden line. Her sin did not find her
out until she had deposited nestful of
eggs, and was spending days and nights
upon them with fond maternal hopes
warming her breast. At last the farmer
found his cosmopolitan turkey hen and
determined TO bring her back to the land
of the free. so that her brood Of little
turkeys might see the light on sacred
American soil. When be was carrying
out this patriotic purpose the ubiquitous
custom house officers stood suddenly in
his path like 50 many angels with dam-
ing swords, and the poor fellow was ar
rested for smuggling.
Truly the customs officers who protect
us from Canada deserve medal for
vigilance Let it bear the cold, stolid
fentnrss Of Mckinley, q Chinese pig tail
Asrxzn< arAcafully from laa zrzu