The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1891-11-10
OYER THE BORDER
Official Reports of the Influx
of Chinese.
EIGHT THOUSAND ARE COMING
Secretary of the Treasury to Make a
Special Report to Congress-

Extensive Smuggling of Opium and Du-
liable Goods-startllng Evidence from
the Montana. Customs Collector Chinese
Crossing the Border with Impunity-
Larger Appropriations Needed.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10.-The Treasury
Department is in receipt Of official re-
ports of recent date from Treasury
special agents in the Northwest, giving
testim ony of n startling nature rel ative
to the extensive smuggling Of dutiable
merchandise and opium into the United
States from Canada and British Column
bia, of evasions of the customs laws an d
of the influx into this country of large
numbers of Cinnamon.
The expose of the wholesale violations
OF the customs laws and enormous
depredations upon the revenues due to
the unprotected condition OF the Gus
toms frontier, has awakened the Treas
ury Department to the situation, Tue
reports of the special agents who have
been called upon to investigate the mat.
ter will be embodied in a special com
munication which the Secretary Of tho
Treasury will make to Congress when
he asks for an appropriation sufficient
to enable him to check the rapidly grow
ing evil of smuggling.
The United States Collector Of Gus
toms for the District of Montana, with
headquarters at Fort Benton, writes to
Secretary Foster as follows:
81 beg TO inform the department that
there is an alarming increase of arrivals
of Chinese in the adjacent foreign terri
Al
States as their ultimate objective point
The force in this district at present is
totally inadequate for their exclusion.
We were fortunate in capturing the first
considerable number who made the at
tempt to enter, but cannot count upon
circumstances favoring us always"
The Collectors reference to favorable
circumstances relates to the fact that
stroke of lightning killed the smuggler
who was guiding this band of Cinnamon
across the prairiss, and the poor Csles
tials, without guide and ignorant of
the country, walked plump into the
Collector hands, without any effort on
the part of the customs officers.
Continuing, the Collector says:
"What is requi red is large force of
mounted men stationed at intervals
along the line of the Great Northern
Railway in communication by wire
with this office. To be materially ef-
fective in enforcing the provisions of the
Chinese Exclusion act, there should be
established four new stations besides
Sweet Grass lat present the only sta
tion upon the Montana border)-namely,
one at Blackfoot, where the 18th mer-
idian crosses the railroad; one at or near
where the 111th crosses; one at Chinook,
. An Mt
between the 105th and 1O6th meridians.
At these points prominent roads or trails
cross the border and are at such dis
tance as to be Independent of each other.
"These stations should be supplied
with three mounted men, together with
a set Of harness and blackboard so that
inspectors may be enabled to carry pro-
visions and bedding for a journey of two
or more days If necessary. Upon receipt
of information of smugglers two men
should start out in whatever direction
they may be advised parties are coming.
There is very little usein one man going
alone and attempting to make a capture
on the prairie Chinese and smugglers
usually travel in companies of from two
| to five and upward, and one man cannot
| be expected to cope with a crowd. 1t
seems to be absolutely necessary to in
| tercept Chinese while on their way
across the, border in order to make case.
''This is the maximum force that
| would be required TO enforce the laws
| against Chinese in this district east OF
| the Rocky Mountains. West of the
| Rockies there is a proposition that will
| require attention very soon.
''These inspectors should be men OF
bravery, acquainted with uhe country
and the work expected of them; fearless
and competent to effect capture at all
hazards. The Chinese seem to have sud
denly found a large opening here, and il
the United States undertakes seriously
to exclude them, some such force as
have outlined must be supplied. "
Accompanying this communication
from the Collector of Customs is a lettel
from Chinese Inspector Cummings, at
tached to the Fort Benton district, wht
states that he had just returned from
Vancouver, B. c., the port of entry o
the Chinese intruders, and that h
learned while there the startling fac
that nearly 5000 Cinnamon had landed
at Vancouver since Jan l of this year
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n.-.s.,ost NUtII Eta TrIad