The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-15
WELL NORM sMuGGLERs.

When the tariff has been the issue
before the country those in favor Of
its reform have used as an argument
that it bore heavily on the poor. That
at bears heavily upon the poor there
lis no doubt. But this was to take a
Eone-sided view of the question, always
la danger in politics.
Trite as the remark is, there are
two sides to every question, yet few
ever SO think Now there are two
sides to this tariff question. It bears
heavily upon the rich, but they receive
no sympathy, no voice is raised in their
behalf.
The rich being those who should
have control of the government, ac-
cording to Hamilton, must have the
interests Of the country at heart. The
cream of the cream of this class in the
United States are undoubtedly the
Four Hundred Of New York. They are
par excellence the rich and the well
born, and should be the well bred. Yet
this same Four Hundred are much
stirred UP over the fact that some of
the leading lights in the social world
have been found to be snlugglers high
toned srnugglers of course, not the
smugglers. Of popular imagination or
the dime novel.
This smuggling is done by ladies
mostly. They bring in dresses of for
eign make many Of them Worth
gowns. S part of their own wardrobe
when in reality they are for friends.
That they do this there is no doubt, for
Ward McAllister says they do; and he
is the lord chamberlin of the -Four
Hundred, and it his particular duty to
know such things. Nc. says that prom
inent people whom he knows have done
it for years. Some of them do it as
regular thing, he says. Good way to
pay expenses of the trip, don't you
know" he significantly asks. That is
to say that by evading the customs
dues, by swearing falsely and defraud-
ing the government. they are enabled
to pay the expenses Of a summer
abroad.
McAllisters whole talk is filed with
insinuations and innuendoes. He says
that things can be bought on the other
side So much cheaper and that the Gus
tom house officers are very liberal He
does not sanction these affairs and
sees very clearly that they are wrong.
Yes, it's undoubtedly very wrong to
evade the duty when it exists, but the
temptation IS very great. The system
is absurdly loose, and most people take
chances in signing the declaration that
they have nothing dutiable in their
possession. It's considered legitimate
prevarication, don't you know? 1t is
wrong, of course, and ought to be cor
rected. The only way to correct it is
TO make an example of somebody Usu-
ally the rich escape and the poor devil
catches it, but things have changed re-
Gently. See the point?''
That is the way the tariff operates
exactly: The rich and the we'll born"
escape it, while the poor and the lowly
have to bear its burdens.
In part palliation of these methods
McAllister says millionaires have as
hard a time to get along as any one
else. Their wants are so greet. I'm
derstand?" After such a declaration
from such an authority who can say
that the tariff does not bear heavily
upon the rich? They need compassion
and should have it.
Those of the rich who resort to the
despicable methods above described, in
order to avoid the payment of tariff
duties, are only worthy of the condem-
nation and contempt of all decent peo-
pie.