The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-30
Cause for Protest.

The merchants OF Skagway. and In
deed of all of the American cities which
do business with the Canadian towns
on the Yukon. have T. decided griev-
and think they are entitled to the as
sIstance Of the authorities at Washing
ton in having II corrected. Possibly
they are asking too much when they
request TO have all bonding privileges
withdrawn from the Canadians, but
they are certainly entitled to demand
that Canadian shippers receive no
more privileges from the American au-
thorities than the Canadian authorities
grant to Americans II arbitrary and
uncalled for restrictions are placed
upon Americans who attempt to carry
on their established trade with the
Canadian towns, those restrictions be-
ing imposed for the express purpose Of
forcing the American merchants 10
cease doing business In that section, 1t
would be no other than right to meet
the imposition by such retaliatory meas
ures as are clearly within the power Of
the American ofYicials to impose.
AZ the situation stands. the customs
officials OF the American side OF the
line are. according to the complaint OF
the merchants of sSneway. extending
extraordinary aud unprecedented priv
ileges to Canadian shippers. privileges
unknown at any other American port.
while on the other hand the Canadian
officials on their side of the boundary
are imposing extraordinary and unreas-
enable restrictions upon American ship
pers. which are likewise unknown IN
any other Canadian port.
II Is the complaint OF the American
shippers that the Canadian customs Of
ficers afiix arbitrary and unreasonable
valuations upon such American goods
as pay an ad vaiorem duty, and meet
the complaint OF the shippers with the
remark that they should have bought
their goods in Vancouver instead OF an
American town. In theory OF the Ca
madam customs law, the duties 20 be
paid on American goods should be pre-
cisely the same whether they pass the
customs inspection at Vancouver or at
Lake Bennett II this construction
were placed on the statute, ~ course
the American merchant OF Skag-
/ way or OF the Puget Sound cities
! could sell American goods 70 the
towns on the Canadian Yukon as
/ cheap or more chesply than the Van.
/ conver merchant But the whole
workings or the customs service Of the
! Canadian Yukon seem to be oased upon
the principle that It's duty Is to hamper
and restrict American trade arbitrarily
for the purpose q forcing business into
/ Canadians hands
There Is such thing as being too
courteous and obuging. but the Cana
dams are not aftilS,ed that way.
An ~ the special privileges seem
- have been extended by the Of
ncals on this side oi the Nae
What Is asked OF the treasury depart
uent IS that the American on Gals per
form their duties with Some reference 60
CAnsda's attitude II arbitrary and
uuwarranted rcstrictions De placed up
On American merchants. American Of
nefalS should AZ least restrain sr~-,, ~ -
tending extraordinary and unprecedent-
ed privileges 10 Canadian merchants.
In short there should be some reciproc-
ity about the customs business on the
Alaskan border. instead o. the present
jug handle arrangement.
Gov. STEPHENS. OF Missouri. the
gentleman On whom devolves the Job
OF stopping the St Louis riotlng. may
have a ehewing-gum backbone. bus