The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1891-11-20
BRINGING IN OPIUM
Sorry State of Affairs Along
the Northern Boundary.
REPORT OF THE SPECIAL AGENT.
Seventy Thousand Pounds Struggled Into
This Country in One Year,

This Country in One Year,
Not Enough omcers to stop the Illicit
Traffic Chinese Crossing the border by
Thousands cunning of the Canadian
Government ID Decisions OF the Courts
which Practically Defeat the Chinese
Restriction Acts.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20. "A. X Tingle,
supervising spe oisl agent Of the Treas
ury Department, in his annual report to
the Secretary of the Treasury, says on
the subject Of opium smuggling;
zone Of the serious questions con-
fronting the department in the exercise
of its function of collecting the revenue
is the great diff Guilty under the present
conditions in enforcing the laws against
smugglers who make the Dominion of
Canada the base of their operations.
"There are but four collecti on districts
upon the northern frontier between the
Lake of the Woods and the Pacific Ocean,
a distance of about LOO miles, each
district embracing large territory
The number OF officers upon this line
of frontier does not exceed 20, and the
present customs appropriation will not
admit of any material increase Of this
force.
although these officers are active and
vlgilant, making frequent captures OF
smuggled goods, it is apparent that
their efforts TO prevent smuggling are
in large degree futile A similar con
dition of affairs exists upon the long
boundary line between the United
States and Mexico ttt
''The district of PugeU Sound, com
prising many islands within few miles
of British territory and long line of
water front, furnishes facilities for
smuggling and the clandestine intro
duction OF Chinese, against which the
customs officers have vainly coutended.
The revenue steamer on that station,
under its present energetic com mmander,
has done good work in checking SNUG
Cling, but this vessel is unfit, on ac-
count of her size and want of speed, to
render efficient service. 1t is believed
that it will be necessary to employ a
number of speedy steam launches to
patrol the waters of Puget Sound in or
der to break up the Illicit traffic.
81 am reliably informed that during
the last year 1875, 600 pounds of crude
opium were imported at Victoria, max
ing about 70, 900 pounds of the prepared
article for smoking purposes, and that
nearly every pound of it was smuggled
into the United States. 1t is more
profitable to take the risk OF an occa
sional capture and confiscation than to
pay the duty Of $12 per pound, which is
prohi ibitive of Legitimate impOrtations
and is the essential basis of the SNUG
| glers' profit.
But the smuggling of opium is not
| the only alarming consequence follow
ing the opening up of the railways
through Manitoba and British Colum bia.
The various acts of Congress having for
their object the exclusion of Chinese
| laborers from the United States are
| practically nullified by the clandestine
| introduction of Chinese coming direct
| from China through the Dominion of
| Canada. The steamers of the Canadian
Pacific Railroad Company land Chinese
at Vancouver by thousands. The Can
adian government collects a head tax of
500 upon each Chinese person and gives a
| certificate which enables him to return ia
Canada without payment a second time,
should he be detected in entering the
United States"
1.-THE law provides that any Chinese
person found unlawfully within the
United States shall be caused to be re.
moved therefrom to the country whence
he came, at the cost of the United
States. after being brought before some
justice, judge or commissioner OF 4
court OF the United States, and found tC
be one not entitled to remain in the
United States Inasmuch as nine to enthi
of the Cinnamon caught within our linei
near the Canadian border come direG
from China, although they, enter by way
of Canada, they have been treated, 81
far as this department is concerned, an(
in accordance with the views of the At
torney- General, as liable to deportation
to China AS the country whence the!
came.
"The act of September 13, 1885, whicl
by its terms would seem to be operativ
until the exchange of ratifications Of tn
then pending treaty between the United
States and China (Which was never rati
; fed contains certain provisions for al
appeal from the decision of the commits
sioner in these cases to the courts. Sue
appeals have been entertained by tn
courts, and in several cases they hav
given the statute another constructio
from that of the head of this depart
ment and of the Attorney General b
I deciding that Canada, and not China
Z was the country whence these Chiname
Z came, within the meaning of the Law
The effect of this is that Chinese person
once returned TO Canada again enter th
country, and repeated instances of tn
. kind have occurred Thus the object
: the Chinese restriction acts is pract
| callV defaated