Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-02-03
HIT GETS A REPLY
The President Tackles the Cana
dian Railway Problem.
AS RELATED TO FOREIGN IMPORTS.

A Short Message Which Reaches the Con-
clusion That the Dominion Roads Have
an Advantage That They shouldn't
Howell L. jackson, a Democrat, Named
to Succeed 'Lamar-cIeveiand Alleged
To Be Pushing the Repeal of the Sher-
man Silver Law-National Capital Mis-
cellany.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3-President Harri-
son yesterday sent to congress his reply to
the resolution of Representative Hit relat-
ing to the regulations governing the trans
portation of imported merchandise from
one port of the United States to another
over Canadian territory The resolution
asks whether or not the interests of the
United States do not require that cars car
rying such merchandise while in Canadian
territory should be in the custody and I'M
der the surveillance Of an inspector of the
United States customs department., the
expense thereof to be paid by the carrier
transporting the merchandise
No>Treaty Obligation in the Case.
It should be known, he says, before new
legislation is proposed, whether we are
under any obligation from article 20 of the
treaty of Washington. The attorney gen
eral has given the opinion that article 20
has been abrogated, and the president says
that the questions suggested in the resolu-
ton are wholly within the power of con-
gress regardless of the said article. If in
force, that article does not affect the ques-
ton. ut would beno infraction either of
the letter or of the spirit of the treaty if we
should stop, unload and carefully inspect
every vehicle arriving at our border with
such merchandise Nor, on the other hand,
would Canada violate her obligations I'M
der the treaty by like treatment of mer-
chandise imported through the port of New
York on its arrival in Canada
One Practice Not Authorized.
He quotes the law governing the ship
ment of goods over Canadian soil to United
States ports and that governing merchan-
disc imported into this country from any
contiguous" foreign country and then
states that the practice of transporting from
por in the Dominion of Canada mer-
chandise under seal from Japan and China,
the only examination required in crossing
our border being an inspection of the seals,
and says that this is not authorized by
law, as China and Japan are not "contig-
nous countries. The practice makes
Canadian ports favored ports of entry for
merchandise, but the detentions under the
system are less than when the goods are
landed at United States port.
Another Question Considered.
Of the transportation of merchandise
from one port in the United States over
Canadian territory to another part of the
United States he says that such traffic is
authorized by law, but the intent of the
law that such merchandise be delivered at
port" of the United States is not carried
out, as the sealed cars are delivered at
placesnot "poTts" and turned over to the
consignee without an officer being present
at the time of delivery to said consignee.
The president says that the question is, are
the regulations such as to provide proper
safeguards against frauds, or are they such
as to make fraud easy to those who have
the disposition to commit it?p
The Inspection Not Adequate.
The president says that the inspection as
now performed is mot adequate protection
against the surreptitious introduction into
the cars, ,shile on foreign territory, of
dutiable articles. 1t will be seen by the
letter of the secretary of the treasury that
grain, the product of the United States, is
now largely transported in American
vessels to Canadian lake ports, and after
being there placed in elevators is sent out
in cars sealed by agents of the treasury. I
do not find any statute authorizing this
practice"