Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-10-01
SMUGGLING THAT PAYS.
aow Cinnamon and Opium Are
Spirited Into This Country.


Smuggling is an offense of great an
t;nuity and one that many of the revo-
lutionary fathers and early settlers Of
the country, prior to the historic Boston
tea party, were wont to commit as fire.
ouently as the opportunity presented
itself, and the excessive duties made it
profitable. As late as the latter part
of the eighteenth century the SNUG
Cling of wine. liquor, tobacco and bull
lion was SO generally practiced in
Great Britain as to become kind of
"national falling" and the smuggler
was often regarded as popular hero.
The maximum penalty for bringing
into the United States dutiable articles,
with intent to defraud the revenue.
is five thousand dollars fine or two
years imprisonment, or both. in the
discretion of the court, and for aiding
and abetting the importation Of a Chi
naman one thousand dollars. or one
years imprisonment The degree OF
punishment IN offender gets depends
upon the circumstances OF the case. The
smuggler also forfeits his goods.
There is large body Of men system
atically engaged in smuggling China
men and opium on the Pnciiic coast and
the Canadian frontier. The men who
successfully engage in this business
must be peculiarly adapted to it. The
first qualification is ingenuity enough
to invent ways and means; second. dis
honesty to the degree OF dcfrauding
the government, yet with sufficient in
tegrity and honor to justify the import
ers in intrusting to their care hundreds
and sometimes thousands of dollars
worth of opium. It is popular fall
lacy that any man who is dishonest
enough and will assume the risk car
make money at smuggling. II he has
sufficient capital he can buy opium in
Canada and possibly get it across the
border, but it is practically impossible
to sell it without detection. The deal
ers in the United States will not buy it,
nor receive it, from anyone save their
trusted agents.
According to statistics there arc
about one million human beings in the
United States. principally Mongolians
addicted to the habit OF smoking
opium. 1t is prepared in Hong Kong
by . syndicate under the surveillance
of the Chinese government. Prepared
opium has the appearance OF black
molasses. It sells in China for about
seven dollars per pound. and the duty
under the present tariff law is six dol
lars per pound. Formerly the dut,
was twelve dollars per pound; 1t wa
then that the smuggler rcaped
harvest.
The methods OF smugglers are to'
numerous to relate, but suffice 1t
say that the government has to man
tain an army of detectives and spotter
to suppress them. The detectives VIII
render the most valuable service ar
those stationed at the places fror
whence the goods are imported. The
speed the parting guest and give tn
Tip" to the detectives at the object
i've point, who welcome the smuggl'
whenever the opportunity presents II
self. Conviction speedily follows a
the United States statutes place I'll
burden of proof on the smuggicr 7
show that the opium was not illegal
imported. The Detroit river is one
the most favorable points for smul
Cling on the frontier. but, thanks
the efficiency of Special Agent Woo
one of the cleverst officials in the ser
ice, it is practically broken up. III
smuggler usually crosses the river
row boat and drives by conveyan'
to some small station near Detrol
where he boards the train for Ne
York or Chicago.
The smuggling Of Cinnamon is vel
profitable, but difficult. The Chinam'
will gladly pay one hundred dolln
to be safely landed. Cinnamon we
for some time successfully import
by bringing them over in the star
rooms of sleeping cars; womans
tire and black faces have been resort
to, but the pigtail usually discloses !
Chinaman's identity. and this he ="
not part with, owing to the supers
tious belief in it as a means to get M
into q better world.-Detroit Free l're