The Opelousas courier., 1904-07-23
uNcLE SANS CIGARS.
Plight Of a Man Who Tried to Get
the Best of the Customs.

the BeSt OF the CUSTOMS
Among the men, cigars and cigar
cites cause much trouble. The regu-
lations permit a person to bring in
for his W consumption fifty cigars
OF three hundred cigarettes, the ful-
ing of the department being that for
customs purposes fifty cigars equal
that many cigarettes. Travellers are
always arriving who do not know the
regulations or who try to evade them.
once wants to make it a personal mat
ter with the inspector, and acts as
il he thought thrashing the official
would get his cigars in free. Then
he cools down a little and offers to
pay the duty on all over fifty and take
them all. There he strikes a new
cause of rage. The smallest number
Of cigars that can be imported is
three thousand. All under that and
over fifty are seized. The inspector
endeavors to explain that he did not
make the law, and is responsible only
for it's execution as he finds it; but
that seldom works, and the traveller
gNes away breathing fire, and mad
with desire for vengeance.
A man came in from Havana re-
Gently with a box of cigars out of
which he had smoked fifteen. There
we're e~ighty-ive left. The inspector
who examined his baggage told him
he could have only fifty. The man
declared that it vas an outrage, and
intimated that he believed it to be
perpetrated for the inspectors per-
sonal amusement.
who gets the rest?" he demanded.
"They are seized for the govern
ment, was the reply.
Thereupon it vas evident to the
man that the outISge was for the
benefit as well as the amusement of
the inspector.
Il don't suppose you smoker" he
sneered.
mot on duty" suavely replied the
inspector.
WO1ls yOu WOu T. O1AOhS tACoC OA
duty" cried the man, and began to
break them up.
Hold on" said the inspector, you
mustn't do that"
why not?" demanded the nan
"They are my cigars"
mo, they are not" replied the in
spector," they belong to the govern
ment."
No words could fit the situation, and
the man went away. A little later
he charged into the Office of the law
division, prepared to tear down the
| Custom House. He wanted to know,
and he wanted his information quick
~.
mot my cigars. heb? Well. they
hadn't been brought in yet"
"Oh, yes, they had they were con-
slderably inside the tIree mile limit
when you had them on the pier"
A little argument cooled him eff,
and he finally said:
"Well, I'll take my fifty, and you
can have the rest"
"You haven't got fifty now" said
the official.
Haven't got ffty?" he screamed.
I'D like to know why haven't. You
said all along I could have fifty"
Eyes, but you broke them up"
II didn't do any such thing. l
broke up the extra thirty-fve."
ooh, no; those are Uncle Sans.
You were breaking up your own. But
I don't think you destroyed them all.
There are about fifteen still left for
YOU"
And he had to do the best he could
to seem content with fifteen. All of
which shows again how foolish it is
to kick against the pricks. Most men
do it, however, and sometimes they
beat Uncle Sam out of his cigars.
There have been instances where men
SO situated pitched the whole supply
overheard in their rage.-From
Hide and Seek With the Customs
in the Century.