The Colfax chronicle., 1904-06-25
CAN'T BRING IN TOBACCO.
Women Must Use Cigars and Cigar
cites Themselves or Pay
Duty on Them.

By the ruling or the treasury depart
ment received in the Office of the col
lector of customs here passengers on
steamers from Cuba or elsewhere, for
that matter, will no longer be permitted
to bring into the country free of duty
the so cigars or 300 cigarettes heretofore
allowed under the customs regulations,
unless the passengers are smokers of
the weed.
But how the customs officers who meet
the ships and examine the passengers
are to ascertain the required fact In
doubtful instances is a problem, the So
luton of which promises to tax their
ingenuity considerably, says a New
Orleans report. Probably they will pro-
ceed by the most direct method and COM
pei the subject to stand before them and
consume Havana of more or less
strength. and judge by the resultant
presence or absence of evidences of nau-
sea as to whether he is really addicted to
the weed.
But alas. it has long been the prac-
tice of ladies aboard ships returning
from Cuba to find great fun in assisting
their husbands or male friends in bring
ing in an extra supply of smoKables by
declaring that the SO cigars, or 300 Gig
arettes allowable to person, and in
their possession. were for their own con-
sumption. What dismay will, therefore,
be occasioned the fair smuggler should
the customs Official apply the test of hav-
ing them stand upon the wharf and take
dozen whiffs from a long, dark Ha-
vana.
In the making of his customs regula-
tions, however, Uncle Sam is no respect
er of the sexes. and the following letter
from the secretary of the treasury, dated
March 2. to the collector of customs
at.New Orleans, lays down the rules that
will be rigidly enforced in the future:
The department is in receipt of your
letter of the 25th ult in relation to a
package of so cigars brought from Cuba
in the baggage of lady passenger per
Louisiana on the 9th inst.
You state that in the examination
OF the baggage on the wharf it was held
that the provisions in article GIL of the
customs regulation of 1889. that so
cigars or less may be delivered free OF
duty, must be considered in connection
with the previous sentence in the same
article-namely, any cigars in excess
OF 90. and not over 1,0O0 in the possess
sion OF passenger, and evidently for his
bona fide personal consumption, may
be delivered to him on payment of fine
equal to the duty and internal revenue
tax. You state further that 1t is the
practice of your Office to allow each
smoker among the passengers to bring
with him tnot to have some one else
bring for him) so cigars for his own
use, and to receive the same without pay-
ment of duty; that the passengers who
are not smokers are not allowed to de-
clare as free of duty so cigars or less
for their male friends or relatives, and
that any other construction of the regu-
Iations would enable a male passenger
to distribute among the ladies on board
as many boxes of 80 cigars each as he
could find ladies willing to help him es-
cape the government duties on his cigars
You request instructions as to wheth-
er your construction of the regulation is
correct.
Il have to inform you that your con-
struction of the regulations is correct
namely, that so cigars or less exempted |
rom duty must be for the bona fide
personal consumption of the passengers.
You will release the cigars in question
On payment of the internal revenue tAx |
and fine equal-to the duty. and the lady
lhis day has been advised to that ef-
fect."