The sun., 1891-01-08

maintenance OF peace ana order, ana tho
preservation Of the public liberties.
Smuggling In tho Northwest.
Next to the illicit importation Of China
men, probably no branch Of smuggling In
tho Puget Sound region attracts moro at
tention from customs officers than that OF
opium. Indeed the two trafflcs. those In
opium and opium smokers, work we'll to-
gether. vessel owners engaged In one often
having especial facilities for the other.
Sometimes the smuggled Mongolians have
packages Of the drug on their persons or
In their baggage. concealed by most
ingenious devices. 30 that It may be
disposed Of safely. whether the bearers
make good their entrance or are captured In
the attempt. Opium Is brought In also on
trading boats, small and large. and not only
on those that steal ashore In darkness and
fogs, but on vessels that ply openly between
British Columbia and Seattle Tacoma, and
Port Townsend. The revenue officers must
not only search passengers and crews, but
tap on planks and poke among coal bunkers.
concealed nowhere.
glance at Puget Sound, with Its islands
and inlets, and Its proximity to Victoria and
the adjoining coasts, is enough to suggest
tho facilities for smuggling which that re-
glon furnishes. It is only short trip across
for any OF the Vancouver boatmen, and In
most weather q safe one for all sorts OF
craft. Collector BRADSHAW has estimated
the smuggling OF Cinnamon to be fifty or
sixty month; and with 30 driving trade
In bulky living consignments 1t can easily
be understood that the carrying OF small
parcels OF opium may be q still busier in
dustry. And, besides the Puget Sound coast
line, there is stretch Of mostly uninhab-
tied country, billy and wooded, for scores Of
miles along the British Columbia border.
which those may try who prefer to do their
smuggling on dry land. Coolies brought
through the forests may get help from their
countrymen who have married among the
border Indians.
The high duty now put on refined opium
gives the violators Of the law good margin
OF profit. Buying it In Victoria at 81 pound,
they can count on disposing OF 1t for double
that price, at least, In American territory.
This Is stimulus to those who bring q
pound and those who risk q hundred. In the
winter there Is naturally less smuggling; /;
but In the open weather the revenue cutters
are kept busy. 1t Ia known that some sea-
SONS an average Of more than 8, 800 pounds OF
crude opium q week reaches Vancouver and
Victoria, paying the small duty there. A
score or more Of firms in those places are
engaged In refining the drug.
Where does all this opium go7 Tho be-
Lief Of Treasury officers is that eight pounds
out Of every ten are smuggled into the
United States. This is done the moro easily
from the lack Of restrictions against its sale
In British Columbia, 80 that anybody who
wishes to buy opium and double his money
by smuggling 1t finds the material ready for
the enterprise. The smuggling Is wholly or
mainly that Of the prepared drug. since 1t Is
on this that the larger duty Is levied. 1t
must also be remembered that these SNUG
Cling practices, particularly the smuggling
Of Chinese laborers, 60 on along the Mexi-
can as well as tho Canadian border. Indeed,
the number Of captures Of Cinnamon In
southern California has been specially no
tceable, although this may be because the
successful evasion Of tho law is easier In the
Puget Sound region.
The Joint committee Of Congress on I'm
migration, consisting Of Messrs. SQUIRE,
LEHLBAcH, and STUMP. which visited Puget
Sound In November. may be heard from duly
on this subject. Meanwhile On increase In
the force Of inspectors has been urged by
the customs authorities there. and certainly
an additional cutter or two to aid tho Oliver
Wolcott would not come amiss. Vessels
constructed for this service should be fast,
and their machinery and fuel should also be
euch as to give tho least possible notice Of
their presence by noise and smoke. Tho
extra expense OF these guardians Of the row
enue would perhaps be moro than made up
by tho additional amount OF their seixures.