The herald., 1893-08-06
OPIUM AND CHINESE SMUGGLING.

The smuggling OF opium into the
United States has reached point at
which the question very seriously arises
whether it would not be we'll to take eff
the very heavy duty which makes this
kind OF crime go tempting and go diff
cult OF repression. The fact appears to
be that the revenue service on this
coast seems to be 80 saturated with cor
ruption that little or no respect 10 paid
to the customs laws. Nearly every ves-
sci that arrives from China has smug-
gled opium slowed away in her. The
petty officers and hands on board nearly
all earn more from the opium they
smuggle than their legitimate wages.
Once in q while the revenue officers
make seizure. But for one tael OF the
drug that is seized dozens are success
fully smuggled through. Tho profit is
60 great that the rule of addition,
division and silence" is in many cases
successfully carried out with the customs
officials.
Just now the great mass OF smuggled
opium gets into the country through
British Columbia. The Chinese steam
ers bring it there in immense quantities,
and it is landed at points along Puget
sound by regular feet OF small craft
engaged in the smuggling trade. There
must be immense profit in this neiarious
business. The opium traffic is supple
mented with the importation Of contra
band Chinese, who are landed wherever
there is the least chance of discovery.
At the rate OF $50 per head for any coo1ie
successfully landed, and So or "a pound
for all the opium that runs the gauzy
gauntlet OF the revenue service, we may
imagine how great the temptation is to
take risks. But. if all the scandalous
stories that are now being brought out
about the corruption of the revenue
officials OF Portland and the Sound, are
only partly true, the risk run in SNUG
Cling Chinese and opium into the coun-
try is not alarmingly great. Either the
revenue service ought to be strictly en-
forced or the duty on opium ought to be
80 reduced that there would be no profit
in smuggling it. The way to enforce
the revenue laws is to secure honest
officials. These can be had. There is
no lack of honest men who would be
glad to enter the customs service and do
their full duty.
The custom house OF New York has
become nest of corruption since the
Mckinley tariff has made it such an OBJ
ject to evade the payment of duties.
Special government detectives have
been amongst the tidewaiters of the
customs OF that port and they have
made some preliminary reports to the
treasury department nat have incul-
pated officials in very high places as
we'll az very low. These include the
illicit landing of excluded Mongolians
in great numbers on false certificates
furnished the contrabands by their Chi
nese receivers in collision, it is believed,
with come OF the high officials. This
part OF the investigation will afford q
great deal OF sensational matter when II
is made public.
OOhGly rEoACH nhu hhkAoh koON'
which under the Mckinley bill ought tc
pay very high rate of duty, are Snug
gled through in great quantities in
trunks presumed to contain the un-
dutiable apparel of passengers. Here
collusion with the examiners and in
epectors comes in, and the revenues are
defrauded and honest importers placed
at disadvantage. Precious stones ano
jewelry, and all that class of importa-
tions. escape duty with the aid of dis
honest revenue officials. Indeed the
New York custom house is considered
the center OF more corruption than ex
lists in all the other custom houses in
the United States put together.