The Washington times., 1894-12-29
His Decision SuSiainS the Action
of Secret Service Officials.
ADVERSE TO THE DEALERS
Printing of the Books Must Stop and
the Plates BE Destroyed.
These Albums Now in the Hands of Collectors
and Dealers Will Escape Seizure and
Observation-Disclosures Opinion Deliv-
ered-Laws Enacted By Congress Are Not
Explicit-Coin Illustrations Involved.

az have iu,t this minute finished my opin-
ion in the stamp-album seizure cases, said
Solicitor Reeve, of the Treasury, late last
evening TO a TIMES reporter 1t will be sent to
Chief Hazen. of the Secret Service, just as
soon IA it can be copied
- have partly sustained the government
in their contention. 1t is very evident that
Congress intended to fully protect the issues
of foreign stamps, but they have not been as
explicit as 1 would wish in the terms OF the
statute as 10 these stamps. not near as ex-
plicit at any rate as they are as to our own
stamps.
My opinion is very voluminous,' added
Mr. Reeve, pleasantly. "as it was necessary
to make plain some points about the law that
Congress failed to make so. / have advised
that the printing OF these stamp albums be
stopped and that the plates for the stamps be
seized and destroyed; but as to albums now
in the hands OF the publishers and OF the
dealers, I recommend that they be allowed
to dispose of the books in the usual course OF
trade.
u DO not see why the United States both
Z tfS 4h-t-it dlDul llc ISSUE % eldup GlDuuiS
containing cuts OF foreign stamps but it is
very lear that it does so. | do not know
whether we haze any treaty obligat ons that
! would bin Us TO forbid tie print NJ OF these
/ albums. l have only construed the laws as
TREY HAVE BEEN ENACTED BY CONGRESS-
In answer to the request to be allowed to
make a copy of the opinion, Mr.. Reeve said
/ that be did not like to give it 10 the public be-
I for whom it was intended, and reefred the
{ reporter 10 that official. Up to the bour of
/ the closing of the Treasury the opinion had
/ fai ed To reach the Office of the CHEF OF the
/ Secret Service, and it could not, therefore, be
obtainaed.
Mr. l. E. Fisher. Of No. 1908 Pennsylvania
avenue. one OF the dealers whose albums
were seized, when told of the Solicitors de-
cIsion: said:
Especial Agent G. O. Barker returned my
albums yesterday. but he failed 20 return
| certain packets of stamps with cuts OF the
stamps printed on the envelope IN black AMI
white Mr. Barker contended that the print
ing was in color, though what color he
! thought il was N / cannot imagine as he did
not say. He also KEEP: soma stamp cata-
! logues in which some rare and old coins are
/ illustrated, some OF them United States coins.
He claimed that the illustrations OF
THESE COINS WERE ILLEGAL.
eff such is the decision of the Solicitor OF
] the Treasury" said Mr.. C. f. Rothiuchs.
another dealer. 'the stamp album business
will not be destroyed. The publishing of the
albums will only be thrown out of the hands
! of American publishers and into the hands OF
/ English and German lirms. which illustrate
not only the stamps of Their own and
foreign countries, but also of the United
1 States which the New York and st. Louis
firms do not do. None of my albums have
vet been returned
The reporter was shown quite number oi
| stamp catalogues. albums, and periodicals by
another prominent stamp connoisseur,
who does not wish his name menti oned
through fear that some of his treasures may
be eonnscated by the authorities as contra
band. Among them we're the London Phil
atelist. Generalbuzeiger fur Phiiatelie. OF
Germany. and the Journal OF PhiiatelY. oi
/ Toronto Canada. All of these periodicals
had American as well as foreign stamps fully
| illustrated. the German ioGrnal having 6
full issue Of the CoIumrian stamps. while the
Canadian periodical had many United States
stamps reproduced in colors.
Copies of the catalogues of Stanley, Glib.
bons d Co., of London. and OF Gebrudel
Serf of Leipsic, who are said to be the prin.
cipal foreign publishers of stamp albums
were also exhibited. Both of these cata.
logues have United States as we'll as foreign
stamps illustrated. the former devoting four
pages to stamps of this country.
1t was laughingly suggested to the re-
porter that the time would perhaps soon ar
rive when we would have censor of the
press, and the stamp collector will get bis
foreign journals with whole pages erased and
looking like Russian exile story which haf
run the gauntlet OF the censor of the press IL
that country.