The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-18
EVADING THE LAW
Close Watch Kept Upon
Smugglers.
dREsHAM's- NEW TREATY
Expected to Bring Flood of
Chinese.
dREsHAM's NEW TREATY
PERHAPS HE is NOT DISCREET.
Supervising Special Agent crowIey's
Report Will Give No Comfort
to the Administration.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE annual re-
port of Supervising Special Agent j. c..
Crowley has been submitted to the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, and shows, as a
partial result of the work of the special
agents, that 135 suits were brought, invOly-
ing over S141, 900 in value, for violation of
the revenue laws. There were $50 seiz-
ures, to the value of more than SIZE, ZOO,
and the amount recovered on account of
fines, penalties, increased duties resulting
from differentiation or errors Of classifi-
cation discovered, exceed 1928 600. The
expenses of collecting the revenue was re-
duced nearly 100000 OF the reports made
by special agents, which amount was
largely in excess of the cost of maintain:
ing the force of agents during the last
fiscal year.
=. Referring to the trials at Portland during
the summer and fall of 1898 Mr.. Crowley
states that in all about forty persons were
indicted for conspiracy to illegally import
Chinese laborers and TO smuggle opium.
He states that the fact was established
that more than 1900 Chinese Iaborers and
COO pounds of opium had been Struggled
: into Portland, Or, from British Columbia
in period of less than seventeen months,
and that seven of the principal smugglers
pleaded guilty and three others were con-
victed.
:. The supervising agent reports that Chi
nese laundrymen who desire to leave the
United States and to return invest small
sums in business as dealers in Chinese
groceries or other merchandise, thereby
establishing a claim to consideration as
merchants. AS result of this pIact &c
much difficulty was experienced during
the last year in enforcing the law relating
to the exclusion of Chinese, of whom 6S40
made application for admission and of
that NUM- her 1241 were rejected. while 1196
laborers were permitted to pass in transit
through the country, their destination in
most cases being Havana.
Mr.. Crowley is of the opinion that the
treaty lately entered into with China,
which provides for the return to this coun-
try of Chinese laborers. will, if ratified,
greatly increase the work of special off,
GERS, as it is certain that the number of
applicants for admission will exceed that
of any year since the passage of the first
exclusion law of 1882.
In speaking of the force of special agents
in Europe, he states that in one instance
suit has been instituted for the recovery
of $4,000. and in another for $50, 900, the
Information in both cases being conclusive
and furnished by the agents abroad. A
seizure of $4,000 worth of jewelry by one
of the officers of the special force is cited
as one of the most important recommen-
dations made by the supervising special
agent.
: In his reference to the reorganization of
the customs service he argues the aboli-
tio2 Of many of the ports where the ex-
peDse of maintenance greatly exceeds the
receipts, and suggests a plan whereby all
necessary facilities for the docking of yes
sells and the transaction of business may
be furnished without the present expense.
Mr.. Crowley recommends the abolition of
bonds given by importers of merchan-
disc wbich@is entered for warehousing or
transportation. in bonds, for the reason
that the goods in either case are protected
by the bonds of the warehousemen or the
common carriers.
In speaking of the Territory of Alaska
the supervising agent expresses the opinion
that laws similar to those provided for the
government of other Territories should be
enacted for Alaska.