Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-07-13
Chinese Smuggling.
Sensational Charges Against the Ver-
mont Customs Service.

/
mont Customs Service.
The New York World has been publish
ing series of sensational articles giving
an alleged exposure of gross and extensive
frauds which are practced in smuggling
Cinnamon from Canada into the United
States, by way of Vermont ports of entry
at Burlington and RichfOrd. The passage
of the Chinese exclusion law was intended
to prevent the admission of Chinese la
borers into the United States, but the law
admits merchants who have been engaged
in business and have gone away, to come
back on proper proof of identity. All that
is required, therefore, for Chinaman to
get in is to have papers which show that
he is a merchant doing business in the
United States. 1t is charged by the World
that such papers are a regular article of
traffic and can be procured in New York
at a cost of S25. There are two or three
firms in New York, and double that mum.
Der in Boston, who make a regular bust
ness, by well-known fraudulent methods,
of smuggling in Cinnamon from their rem
devious in Montreal, and the business is
carried on to such an extent that the law
is laughed at by the shrewd Chinese.
The charges of the World are, in short,
that either through collusion or 10y grossly
lax methods, the Burlington custom house
officials permit this business to be done.
Each Chinese thus smuggled into the
country represents about 5000 in fees
which get into various pockets, and the
total amount is figured up to very large
sum of money. Last May a World re-
porter, who was detailed for the work, got
into the confidence of the smugglers and
investigated this alleged underground rail
road work.
Men who are well acquainted with the
administration of the custom house at
Burlington, express their positive convic-
tion that the charges against Collector
| Smalley and his deputies and subordinates
are without just foundation. The law,
they say, is undoubtedly successfully evad-
! ed in many instances, but it is believed to
be as strictly administered in Vermont as
| at any other point on the frontier. The
Canadian Pacific railroad, which brings
Chinese from Vancouver by the hundred,
has turned the whole tide of this mmigra-
tion down through Vermont, and this fact
! is believed to have caused the scandal.
Last Thursday a Chinese inspector from
| New York appeared at Collector Smalley's
Office with an order from Secretary Car
Isle directing that all books, documents
and papers, on which Chinese have been
admitted since 1892 be turned over to him,
and a stormy scene is described as having
ensued.
1t is announced that an investigation
will be made by the treasury department.
Several arrests have been made in New
York of both Chinese and Americans who
have been engaged in the smuggling opera
tions. Col. Smalley, who is now in Wash
ington to confer with Secretary Carlisle,
said to a World reporter, while on his way,
that while he believed there was basis of
truth in the statements made, the extent Of
the irregularities was a revelation to him.
A Washington despatch quotes him as say
ing that he assumes responsibility for
whatever blame attaches in the matter.
The World continues its alleged exposure
by saying that according to the records in
Collector Smalley's office more than eleven
hundred Cinnamon have been admitted in
to the United States from Montreal during
the nine months ending June IL. Since
April BAG have come in, or IFS month.
This is simply through the one port OF
Richford, Vt. The admissions through
Rouses's Point and Plattsburg, n. Y, and
St. Albans, VT, are much less in number
these places not being considered by the
Cinnamon easy points of entry. 1t is
charged that large number of Chinese
have been admitted on the claim that they
were partners at various smugglers places
on Harrison avenue, Boston. The tota
number of such cases in the past five
months is said to have been 239, simply for
this Harrison avenue contingent. "At the
regular price of S160 per head, the World
adds, "the sum of S37, 920 was paid by
these Cinnamon for bogus papers to get in
to the United States, assuming the entire
lot to be without the necessary papers. II
actually cost on an average $50 to get uI
the papers and land the Cinnamon in New
York or Boston, including all fees and
presents to officials. On this basis there
was profit to the smugglers for the above
239 Cinnamon of about $4,000"