The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-20
O N KICK? NOT MUCH!
TOURIsTS PAY AVOTh
WITH OHEERFULNESS.
No Attcmpt 70 Rvnde tho view DinEiey ~
when the 90. Louie Arrived nnd No Co v
,,.ip,s Made Against CutoHs Inspectors
Reu,,,po Coumeuts Upoa the New Law.

Nc AtfNmnf to EvnuS tho ~
when the 81. Louie Arrived nnd No Co -
,,.,rts Made Against Cutoms Inspectors =
Fem,rtno Comments Upon the New law
somebodv has been misreprosenting tho
American women who have returned from
Europe since the Dingley law established 800
as tho maximum value Of articles purchased
abroad which could be brought In free OF duty.
The impression has gone abroad that women
are very much opposed to that clause, ana mat
every time O big steamer comes In tho customs
officials catch particular FITS from them. This
is not true. II you don't believe IL go down to
tho pier some day when one Of the big ocean
liners comes In.
The American line steamer st. Louis, which
tied up at her pier on Friday afternoon. brought
$50 passeng.xs. The first and second cabins
were Allied 10 tr1etr utmost capacity, the first
cabin Messengers numbering nearly 400. Most
Of them were Amerit ans, the larger part being
women. All tho aft Gnoon tho pier was
crowded with tho impatient friends OF those on
board. Wont she ever co NE In slBht' asked
a stunning looking girl. TAXA 'B out her "atch
for at least the seventeenth time In nan houi.
"If you think this is a slow bust. eSs, 1ust wait
until she gets here and these impeachment "
tom House officers begin to examine tne oas'
gage" said another woman.
YES volunteered q black-eyed girI scat
ing herself on n truck, my Aunt .hate calno
over on n French line steamer last "eeA anu
she said 1t was jus: outrageous tho Nay inc
officials treated her things. They dump C al
her clothing on tho floor and left her TIN uss
in q perfect muss and she had to put than
back, mind you. But she said she was thank.
full TO get them examined at all. she had TO
wait 80 long to get an inspector detailed TO look
after her luggage and then there was another
tremendous wait for an appraiser TO TX tho
value on her dutiable stuff, and what do you
think the horrid thing did. after she did get
himi Made her pay S5.40 on S25 worth OF
truck, just gim-cracks, you know, that she
brought home for her nieces. And that wasn't
all If you please; she had to stand in limo for
an unconscionable time before she could pay
the duty and she was so crazy o gethome, too"
She would probably have ratified on indef-
nitely but q man lifted up his stentorian voice
and yelled:
There she is!"..
Immediately there was q sound of flying
feet over the floor. Everybody made for the
windows at the end OF the pier and a general
mix.up Of the friends Of first and second cabin
passengers followed.
Sixty.ave inspectors had been detailed to
meet the st. Louis, and they were mono too
many. A big sign swings in the middle Of the
pier saying, Passengers will find their bag
kdSO uuueE lno III VI lnClI hHno oA lo
pier" Pretty soon the crowd began to break
up into groups. alphabetically, and hundreds
OF truckmen began to hustle out bags, baskets,
bicycles, trunks, bundles, boxes, and what not,
in.pee eas " Snd appra ahsar f HsHpe to p WoFE im ane
diately. husIling IKE ants in sprinstime.
won nsf, seattSs herself on her ss9t Trunk. "a lot q
rich people We're aboard, so L guess we can maze
e eP oef n theSn 10 have Ss h tSip,y Sht or H foftg tfun Ks
apiece TO be examined, and, OF course, theirs
will be attended % first"
y course they won't show itch people any
favors when it comes 10 examining their bag.
baggage OF the second.cabin passengers IS BE-
ing inspestedf Some OF them 'Ge leaving the
And you are very much mist. ken in think
Ing that rich people are goins. to make a kick
about msn paying ~ the e. Legal duty" o,en'sf psor =
are afraid OF cur law. and they ART Mt going TO
monkey with it. l can tell you. l was talking
aud they all agreed thai very few people had
tried to evade the law in the last two, months"
a. an sh ih hs5e yH!! e came S sp' 'A H. '' fra uk wG issaa:
locked. Go right through. That's a new silk
aTed for. and ! have $50 worth d Q her new
worth, bu, tt Ss'Ia.Dbb afn!kns sSsms Tha, We are
only allowed 500 worth OF stun. What Is thait
1t wouldn't buy a decent ACE Aandkercl iof.'
The inspector went through Eer run I care
sented its contents. Then lie went thru gn her
bASs. the appraiser diI his WORK. anu they
er. and two daughters. The PARTY had a lot OF
dutiable things. and the father. who Was "a
Western sound-Gnoney man, said that he was
darncd free traders
Three southern kris were among the pa isen-
gers. and had about fifteen TRUNKS among hem
Indeed. we will" answered the second.
and laid in as sappiyf" asked the third. ""TIteeTni
never go there any more-that IS, for shop ping
pmTpos es u say Dc dent you think that new tosHAiiI
Il wonder il it's true that the inspe, tors
spect," began The first again.
No." answered the second. I've been rcAnd
ems aud dozens OF trunks and bags. and
haven't seen a single Inspector do the firs;
neitRer have | heard a Single woman rick
about Ss;{ut the ne GRprsissmsnt liked on her good goo l
side were bosh ana nonsense"
say, girls" exclaimed the third. corning
back from an, Investigating touI, III we had
a lot OF things in. We were see SO TO put ali
our dutiabic things together. Tic inspectors
trays and take your word as n rule. They
INSPECT wafh a lick and = promise: write their
trunk. and that settles the natter. Here
comes one TO US now, and soon til. three We're
trying to Fet tho oftistal ia,eresn,d in their
Say" Whispered one woman eassenser to
another, chuckling g~leetully, IF Gis Govern
mcnt knew what it was about II would have
women inspectors. OF course, the 70 are about
q dozen al the Custom House and three or four
are detailed 10 meet every ship, but they are
tGureheads. Their business is TO eNamine the
women suspected of smuggling thing in on their
persons, and precious little they have 10 do.
One OF the officers told NE that hey didn't
suspect n passenger on this ship and that they
found that the majority OF people were an
sengers even more 50 than the INST. But
what ] was going to say is this: The provision
In the act of July 81. 1897, regarding the free
entry. OF wearing apparel and pers oual OF.
fects of persons arriving in this country, talks
about articles necessary and appropriate for
the wear and use OF such persons VIII you
tell me what a man knows about what arti.
Giles are necessary and approp riate Tor the
wear and use OF u womanl Why, We could
fool them to death, but We couldn't fool u smart
woman. The Govern mont would coin money
II it had a lot OF active women inspectors. u
course | don't want TO fool EN- but u hun
dred dollar maximum y actually niggardly,
II think it is just right" nswered her com.