Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-03-25
All Proyiie / for bu, Wyo nny.
A NATURAL FREE TRADER.
Lovely Woman Averss 10 Paying Customs
Duties

NEW YORK, March 1.-THE usual
spring raid upon milliners and dress
makers who arrive from Europe has
begun by Surveyor Lyon and his staff
of customs inspectors The trunks OF
n Mrs. Ward a saloon passenger on La
Bourgogne, from Havre, were sent to
the seizure room in the custom house.
They were filed with silk, woolen and
crepe gowns. No appraisement has
yet been made, but unotiicially the col.
lection was said to be worth about
81 600. Mrs. Ward did not give her
full name and she gave two addresses,
one 81. Louis, and the other Bangor,
Me. Three other seizures were made,
all from dressmalxers and milliners.
Surveyor Lyon and Deputy Collector
Phelps, who is in charge of the law
division. are averse to giving the
names OF the milliners and drcssmalkers
until smuggling is clearly established.
The surveyor and his subordinates
are keeping special lookout for Easter
iinery For n number of years they
have been bothered during Lent by
women smugglers. particularly just be.
fore the great church festival Only
those on the scene can even remotely
understand the chickering's and heart.
aches when these smugglers are de.
tccteA Deputy Surveyor Collins is in
charge of the customs inspectors. Some
of the dressnakers and milliners face
him boldly and abuse him and his sub
ordinates for their rigorous interpreta.
ton of the customs statutes. Others
collapse and appeal for mercy.
An interesting story came out in
cident TO the seizure. All the
Fifth avenue dressmakers and mil.
liners, and those in Boston and
Chicago and other cities, il was
said, Clipped freely into the cam.
paign fund of the national democratic
committee. They did this cheerfully
in the hope that Cleveland would win,
and that Mr.. Collins and his chief
subordinates would be turned out of
Office; also that the Mckinley bill
would cease TO burden them. Nobody
was so gleeful on election night as the
milliners. Since then, il is said, the
rich women in the business. not only
in New York. but in other cities, have
said they had powerful political friends
in New York and Washington who will
make things hot for Collins and his
men. The drcssmakers and milliners
declare that Mr.. Collins and his officers
have been unnecessarily harsh with
them; that many seizures were made
without warrant, and that frequently
honest women have been subjected 10
all sorts of annoyances which notoriou.
They say that Mr.. Collins and his men
have used ''finetooth combs" and seized
the smallest and most insignificant ar
ticles in their trunks, often deprivine
them OF necessary wearing apparel,
There is, of course. another side te
the story. In the words of high Gus
toms official Il In: There z.>aspa.ea
of milliners and dressmakers who
would not smuggle il they could. They
are strictly honest business women and
there is never flaw in their declan
ations, but the majority of thest
women doing business in New York,
Chicago, Boston and elsewhere
| do not say this as reflection
upon their integrity. They appear k
think that customs duties are a rob
berry, and TO consider it righteous ts
evade them IL possible. My lord, If yor
could spend u day with me on the dock
and witness the performances of som,
of these milliners and dressmakers yor
would get glimpses of new code q,
morals. Some of the women believe
they are doing no wrong in attempting
TO smuggle trunk loads of dutiabl,
gowns Others are cold-blooded smug
glers. The natural sympathy of by
ISLANDERS Is with the women and Uncl,
Sans customs officers are often looked
upon as barbarians and rascals foi
thwarting the efforts of the womer
smugglers."
Another customs officer said that the
women smugglers often did a grea;
wrong to their customers in this coun
try. The women In society order Their
gowns from the dressmakers expecting
to pay the full duties. The womer
smugglers, X they can evade the du
ties, never think of deducting tn,
amount of the bill, and make so much
additional profit. On the other hand
il they are caught the gowns of theil
customers are seized and sold at Uncl,
Sans auction. The customers orde,
their gowns for events or seasons, anj
the depravity of their dressmakers com
pels them often either to buy in tn,
gowns and pay the additional duty pu
upon all smuggled goods, or, as in
majority of cases, the horror of pub
licity over a fault In no way their owl
leads them TO abandon their gowns nj
together