The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1904-08-06
UNCLE SANS CIGARS.
Plight of Man Who Tried to Get
the Best of the Customs.

| Among the men, cigars and cigar
cites cause much trouble. The ryEu-
| lationS permit person to bring in
| for his own consumption fifty cigars
| or three hundred cigarettes, the rUl-
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.
Nine times out Of ten the traveller At
once wants to make it a personal mat
ter with the inspector, and acts as
if he thought thrashing the Official
would get his cigars in free. Then
he cOO,s down a little and offers 10
pay the duty on all over tifty 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
onGeavOrs 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
goes away breathing fire, AMI mad
with desire for vengeance.
A man came in from Havana re-
Gently with box of cigars cut of
which he had smoked fifteen. There
were cighty-fve left TIE Inspector
who examined his baggage told him
he could have only fifty. Tho man
declared that 1t was an outrage, and
intimated that he believed it to be
perDetrated for the inspectors per
SOnal amusement.
"Whp gets the rest?" he demanded.
"They are seized for the govern
ment, was the reply.
Theraupon it was evident to the
man that the outrage was for the
benefit as we'll as the amusement Of
the Inspector.
81 don't suppose you smokc?" he
sneered.
mot on duty" suavely replied the
inspector.
"Well, you won't smoke these off
duty" cried the man, and began to
break them up.
Hold on" said the inspector. you
mustn't do that"
"Why not?" demanded the man.
"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
ly.
"Not my cigars, hch? Well. they
hadn't been brought in yet."
"Oh, yes, they had they were con-
slderably inside the Tree mile limit
when you had them on tie pier
A little argument cooled him eff.
and he finally said:
"Well, III take my fifty, and you
can have the rest"
"You haven't got fifty now," said
the official.
Haven't got fifty?' he screamed.
"Id like to know why | haven't. You
said all along l could have fifty
"Yes, but you broke them up
Il didn't do any such thing.
broke up the extra thirty-five.''
"Oh, no; those are Uncle Sans.
YCu were breaking UP your own. But
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.-fT0m
"Hlde and Seek With the Customs
IN tho Century,