The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-15
GOODS COMING IN BOND.
DIRECTORS CLAIM THAT THEY
CANNOT BE CLASSED AS I'M
FORTS FROM CANADA.
MIR. Carlisle and anil for Import
ers Given Until Wednesday
Next to- File Briefs.

involved in section %, of the new tariff
act. Some days ago the secretary OF
the treasury received information from
the collector of customs at Chicago
that a large invoice of teas and other
goods from Japan had been received at
that port over a Canadian railroad.
and asking whether the 10 per cent
discriminating duty provided for in
section % applied to these goods. The
question was at once referred to the
attorney general for an opinion. At
the request of the Boston & Maine
railroad company, however, the attor-
ney general decided to give a hearing
today to persons interested. Former
Secretary Carlisle appeared for the
Boston & Maine railroad, and Former
Assistant Secretary Hamlin represent
ed the Associated Board Of Trade and
Merchants Association of Boston. Mr..
Hamlin was the first speaker. The
question was, he said, whether goods
shipped from China or Japan through
Canada to the United States were I'M
portations from Canada in the meaning.
of the statute. In case of a transac-
ton, for instance, said he, of the sale of
wv 49, Ia " q llIC IioI III DOS-
ton there was no intermediary. The
transit of the goods, though they might
come in through Canada, was never in
terrupted. The goods, he insisted,
could not be fairly be said to be ex-
portationS from Canada. Mr.. Hamlin
cited a great many rulings both of the
treasury department and the DEPART
ment of justice, in support of his con-
tent1on. In the case of goods going
through United States territory in
bond, from a point in Canada to an
other point in Canada, the solicitor Of
the treasury in an exhaustive ruling
a decided that such entry of goods
did not constitute an importation with
in the meaning of the statute. He con-
tended, therefore, that, conversely,
goods coming into the United States
through Canada in transit from anoth-
er country were not expectations from
canada. The decision of the above
question, Mr.. Hamlin said, hinged upon
the construction to be placed upon the
words of he statute coming into the
United States from contiguous coun-
tries" He submitted that the words
did not apply to goods in transit. The
Century dictionary defined from" as
expressing departure" from a point.
These goods took their departure from
China or Japan, not from Canada. AS
Well, said he, might it be commended
that a mar travelling from New York
to Washington through Baltimore de
parted from Baltimore.
The goods did not appear in the
anadla reports as export from
canada, nor III our reports as imports
from Canada. He cited as an anaIos-
Gus statute the law requiring the de-
p~0rtation of Cinnamon "to the country
rom whence they came. In con-
STRUNG that statute the attorney gen
e1al had decided the words from
whence he came" meant his ultimate
country OF departure (China), unless
the Chinaman had been naturalized by
the Dominion government. 1t would
be strange, indeed, said Mr.. Hamlin,
II the country through which he came
should be considered the INT from
whence he came. And so with goods
In bond. 1t was their place of ship
mcnt, not a point en- route, which must
be considered He spoke of the con-
tract labor law as Offering another
analogy. LabOrerS unlaWfully coming
to the United States must he deported
by the carriers to the place from
whence they came" Mr.. Hanlin also
devoted some attention to the old Cape
OF Good Hope statute to show that the
object of these discriminating duties
was to compel direct trade with the
United States n eliminate the profits
OF the middleman. Mr.. Hamlin argued
that the statute rs shown by it's his
tory related only to vessels, and VEN
tured the assertion that it had been
placed in the statute at the instigation
of vessel owners. To this, however,
the attorney general demurred. saw
ing he understood that Senator Elkins
was it's author. And if vessels only
were meant, why, he asked, was con-
tlguous territory mentioned?
Mr.. Carlisle at this point INTERRUPTED
to urge that the word vessels. whether
for our ports or those of contiguous
territory, qualified the whole section. In
conclusion, Mr.. Hamlin spoke of the
vast Importance of the construction of
the statute. 1t would require an hour,
he said. for him to begin to tell of
the interests which would be affected
by an adverse ruling. And though
such a ruling might ultimately be re-
versed by the courts, the ruling itself
would do an immense amount of in
jury. The West, Northwest, North and
Northeast, he said, were Just beginning
to wake up to a recognition of the far
reaching character of this question. He
asked that those opposed to this sug-
gested taxation be given the benefit
OF any doubt.
JOScpH 1NlIIlIilS. .O1 view 1Ork, VINO is
connected with the bureau of statistics
asked to be heard and went into a
lengthy review of the subject. 1t had
been a war of the transportation inter-
estS of the United States and Canada
since 1848. Canada, he said, had de-
ported herself not only as a govern
ment, but as a railroad and canal cor
poration. To the c%raftiness Of politics
she had added the tricks of business.
She had built the Canadian Pacific
at a cost of $215, 900, 900 to divert Ameri-
can from American ships
and railroads. He confessed h did
not know how this c~ontroverted clause
had got into the statute, but he
thought it was c%unningly devised to
stop the present evil.
Mr.. Carlisle, who has been called into
the case only last night, in closing the
hearing, said that if section % did not
apply only to the vessels he agreed
with Mr.. Hamlin that the words came
into meant imported. But ne contend
ed that the whole statute related oniy
to goods imported in vessels of the
United States" The old statute did
not meet all the requirements While
it imposed the discriminating duties
on cargoes in vessels not of the United
States Except where treaty stipuia-
tons exempted them) coming directly
to the United States ports, it did not
touch goods brought in such vessels
to contiguous territory and then ship
ped to the United States. He urged
that the clause had been inserted TO
prevent just such roundabout importa-
lions, which now escaped the discrim-
mating a He quoted from Senator
Allison's explanation that the amend
ment mad no change in the existing
statute except as to UGH goods coming
into the United States from contiguous