Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1899-07-06

described as a criminal at all, except in
the opinion of officers who have become
testy and cynical by long observation
OF course, I don't mean to say that men
do not smuggle goods by means Of their
personal baggage when returning from
abroad, but really the most cheerful,
matter-of-fact, yet ingenious, smuggler
IS q woman, and the medium of hereva
sion OF the law is not the schooner or a
sloop, but q trunk. If it is big Sara
toga trunk, so much the better. The
owner of the trunk or trunks may be
the most conscientious person in the
United States, and she may be pune
tilious in all matters of ethical obsery-
ance which go to make up everyday
living in the city Of New York and other
respectable communities, but she.
doesn't mind bribing customs inspec-
tor with five dollars for the purpose of
having her new Paris gowns passed
duty free. Respectable women have
been arrested for that sort Of thing be-
fore now, although that is not aeon
mon mon occurrence, and they have invari-
ably been shocked and even indignant
that the law should call such things by
offensive names.
Il have no doubt that the government
still loses many thousands Of dollars d
year on account of dishonest entries.
Of goods in passengers baggage. The
matter has recently been revived by the
Ipreferring of charges against NUM-
lber OF inspectors at the port Of New
York by Collector Bidwell. A man who
was collector at the port Of New York
not many administration ago told me
that the public, even the treasury de-
partment, does not realize the difficult
ties to be contended with III regard to
passengers baggage at that port. He
said to me:
N OF long ago most respectable and
well -to-do lady of my acquaintance in
| New ork came to my office and said
that she had just returned from abroad.
/ Then she stated the business that called
bert omy Office. She had while
in Europe number of expensive gowns
and some gloves and lace. The total
value of the goods was perhaps 81, 800.
Then she remarked in the most matter
of-fact way that she Supposed the
dresses and things could be brought in
without any charges, . and asked me.
If / would not do her the favor of look
ing personally after her baggage. I
had had less experience than have had
since, and / was thund erstruck. AS
soon as i got over the state Of ratt1es
into which she had thrown me man
aged to say that was bound very
strictly by the law and that could not
l.oblige her. Well, she was in huff,
though her good breeding caused her
to show it simply by rather cool
good-morning and an air Of having
been disobliged by some one who ought
to oblige her. She has never recovered
from that interview, as I judge by her
manner when I occasionally meet her
now, and neither have ], but our points
Of view in the matter are apparently
as far apart as ever +. 81
Now, this woman would have offered
a customs inspector five or ten dol
lars if she hadn't happened to know
the collector as personal acquaint-
ance, and the act wouldn't have trou-
bled her conscience a bit more. The
crusade against the dishonest customs
inspectors is now on in earnest, but
the abuses are a hard matter to deal
with. The inspectors get only four dol
lars a day !, and there is q lot Of 4tempta
ton for them, and besides, some Of
these inspectors, together with many
other citizens, believe it is all right to
cheat the govern r a - Z. Sun.