Morris tribune., 1893-02-08
4 MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.
President Harrison Explains the Sub
iect Of Consular Sealing.

President Harrison Explains the Sub
ject Of Consular Sealing.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 3.-Pre sident Har-
rison has sent to congress his reply to
the resolution Of Representative Hit
relative to the transportation of i'm
ported merchandise from one port
to another Of the United States on
Canadian territory. The resolution
asks whether or not the interests of the
United States do not require that cars
carving such merchandise while in
III Canadian territory should not be in
the custody and under the surveillance
Of IN inspector of the United States
customs department. the expense
thereof to be paid by the carrier trans
porting the merchandise. The presi-
dents reply. after reviewing the ques-
ton at length, gives his conclusions as
follows:
First-That article % OF tie treaty of Wash
ington has been abr01atcd.
SecOnd-That even if this article were in
force there is no law in force to execute it.
ThiTd-Th&t when in force the treaty i'm
posed no obligation upon the United States to
use the concessions as to transit made by Can
ada and no limitation upon the powers of the
United States III dealing with merchandise i'm
ported for the use II our citizens through
Canadian ports, or passing from one place in
the United St.itCS to another through Canada,
upon the eI1iyal of such merchandise at our
border.
Fourth-Tl:at, therefore, treaty or no treaty,
the question Of scaling cars containing such
merchandise, and the treatment of such sealed
cars when they crcss our border, is and always
las Eeen one TO be settled by our laws accord
ing to our convenience and our interests
may see them.
FiftIl-Th&t the law authorizing the sealing
Of cars in Canada containing foreign merchan-
disc imported from contiguous country does
not apply to merchandise imported by our own
pcGpi from countries not contiguous and car
ried into Canada for delivery to such owners.
Sixth--That the law did not contemplate
the PAS age of sealed cars tozany place not a
port, nor the delivery of such cars to the owner
or cOnsisnee to be opened by him without the
supervision Of revenue officer.
Scventh-That such practice is inconsist-
ent with the safety of the revenue.
The statutes relating TO the transportation
of merchandise between the United States and
the British possessions should be the subject
of revision. The treasury regulations have
given to these laws a construction and scope
that do not think was contemplated by con-
grcss 4 policy adapted to the new conditions
growing in part out of the construction of the
Canadian Pacific railroad should be declared
ard the business placed upon basis more just
to cur people and to our transportation compa-
MES. If we continue the policy of supervising
rates and requiring that they shall be reason
able upon the railroads of the United States
we cannot in fairness at the same time give
these unusual facilities for competition to
Canadian roads that are free to pursue the
practices as to cut rates and favored rates, that
we condemn and punish if practiced by our
own railroads.
transmit herewith the correspondence be-
IL 6 IL,
tarney general upon some phases of this
question.