Morning journal and courier., 1891-10-28
TOBACCO AND CONsCIRNcE.
An American Who Suffered Panss of

Conscience in France.
 Luke Sharp in the Detroit Free Press-l
 There is one matter that has been troub- ling my conscience for long time-ever, in fact. since put my foot upon the stone wharf at Havre. Did I, or did not, smuggle into France 8 lot of tobaccoa Sometimes think did and sometimes I think did not. AS confession is good for the soul, I hereby beg to confess. There is popular legend to the effect that you may take pound of tobacco into France for your own use. This rule is so sensible and just and wise that it is wonder any body ever believes it, but 8 great many people do believe it and come to grief at the hands of the French customs officers. You are not allowed to take in pound of tobacco or any other quantity of it; you must pay duty on whatever you have, and the duty is about four times the original price of the article. This is what makes me think at times that it is perfectly cor rect to cheat the customs of France if you can. An ordinary twenty per cent. duty, or thirty per cent, or even fifty per cent. wouldn't be so bad but to pay four times what is originally paid for the tobacco, which, if bought in England, has 8 good round duty on top of that again, is little too much in every sense of the word.
 expected to be 8 week or so in Nor mandy, and therefore purchased in Lon don enough tobacco to do me during that time, all in two ounce packets. These packets I deftly concealed in the inter stices of under clothing and things of that sort, and slowed them away in my valise in such manner as not to obtrude with unnecessary insistance on the attention of any customs officer who might go through my personal effects. believe @ customs officer shonld earn his salary, so it is bet ter to give him something real to do in the detective line. When I landed in France the customs officer said to me in lovely French: "Have you anything to declare, Monsieur?"
 Now I answered him in good plain Eng fish the exact truth.
 "Yes," said, 'I have few dozen pack cts of tobacco to declare, and it is better tobacco than you have anywhere in this country. I think I have managed to con ceal it so effectively that you won't be able to find it; however, you are quite at fiber ty to try"
 Now it happened (of course wasn't e1- pected to know that) that this man did not understand English, and he apparent ly took this as protestations on my part that had nothing in the valise that was dutiable, and so he said: '1t's all right" and chalked it. Now it wasn't any part of my duty to call that mans attention to the tobacco. That's what he was paid for to attend to himself. I feel, however, 8 little conscience stricken at having so care fully concealed the packets of tobacco in the valise. That caused me good deal of trouble and ingenuity. However, l mis- calculated the amount of tobacco that would be required, and so at last had to fall back on French tobacco anyhow; there fore think that carried its punishment with it. have brought over to England half a pound of French tobacco, and whenever feel at all conscience stricken about this smuggling-if it was snug gling-I take pipeful of French tobacco and smoke it. One pipeful quells any qualms of conscience that may have. l feel, then, that man is satisfied in even murderiug a customs officer in France if he can get his tobacco through in that