The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-11-08
BOUNDARY NUISANCES.
cline Houses" That Make Trou-
BILE For Officials.

|
Foil InspectOrs-Suggest Made
with u View to Closing Up All the
cline Houses"
The fact that Zine houses" on the
boundary between Canada and the
United States have been growing in
number instead of decreasing, despite
the energetic measures of Canadian
and United States inspectors, has been
brought to the attention of officials in
Washington, and plans to do away
with the nuisance are under considera-
ton, says the New York Tribune's
| Washington correspondent. The Zine
houses" in which a rushing business is
done in smuggling goods and selling
Illicit whisky, lie especially on the
Maine and Vermont borders and are
built directly over the line, There are
about fifteen of them on the Vermont
| boundary and twenty on the line be-
tween Maine and Canada. The pro-
prietOrs have cOntrived a clever plan
by which to foil inspectors. The goods
| are stored in cupboards or shelves on
| wheels. When a lookout gives the
| signal that an officer is approaching
! from either side, Canadian or Ameri-
can, the proprietor promptly slides his
cupboard or shelves with liquor and
| merchandise over into the territory in
which the officer cannot make an ar
rest. This system has been so devel-
oped that it is said many of the houses
are equipped with apparatus by which
the shelves move with the pressing of
a button.
For fifty years the Canadian inspect
ors and United States government and
state officials in Maine and Vermont
have been struggling to put down the
Zine houses" but with little success.
| This is due to the fact that a success
| full raid can be made only by joint ac-
/ ton between the officials Of the two
governments. The officers must appear
at the 'line house" simultaneously, the
| Canadians entering from their side and
| the American inspectors mailing their
man in case he attempts to shift his
goods into their territory. The opera
ton in this way is apparently simple,
but because of the limited force of in
| spectors and the wide stretches which
they are obliged to patrol it has been
found difficult to secure joint action
and the houses still flourish. A statute
which gives American officials the
right to seize goods contained in
boundary house upon which duties
have not been paid has not been found
to cover the situation satisfactorily.
When raids have been made and the
goods seized on the ground that proper
duty was not paid the proprietors have
made contests in the courts, and the
victory has not always been for the in
spectorS.
There We're about fifteen special
agents employed by the United States
government, in addition to the regular
customs officers, to watch the bound
airy line between Canada and the
United States in the space extending
from Ogdensburg to Portland, Me.
These men are efficient as Il rule, and
their reports made to headquarters in
Washington show that they make
many seizures in the course of the
year Nevertheless, the system of con
troll has never worked satisfactorily.
Smuggling tiOurishes in spite of their
vigilance, and in the matter of reguIat
ing the ranging of cattle from Cana
dian to American territory on farms
which lie on both sides of the line it
has been impossible for the limited
force TO compel anything approximate
ing strict observance of the law.
When the wilderness along the line
becomes move thickiy settled as it is
rapidly doing. it is expected that the
troubles will multiply and the force
will je utterly inadequate 1t is now
proposed, in view Of the many perpleX-
iu.s questions which are likely to arise
in connection with enforcement of the
boundary ru.os all along the line from
the Pacific To the Atlantic coast. that
the jailel states aud Canada should
agree ~ - joint commission to deal
wlld he subject.
win 4 view u closing up the line
Aou-e =" jh, suggestion is made nat
Cuu.t.l anI lhe United States should
ueg3t.ate Il treaty nhi'h Should provide
either HAT uu l:utI>,. o( any kind should
be built directly ~ a. the boundary
hns. or else that ieutrai belt few
fea, n'j,c hogld be established which
would serve Il Il boundary zone. 1t is
proposed that in this belt no house
shouI lie built and. therefore, that u
man must have his home wholly in
Canadian o. American territory. 1t is
| proposed further that the forces Of spe-
cia agents shall be increased and that
/ they shall confer with view TO max
ing a series of raids upon every line
| house" now in existence.
Football Team of Girls.
/ Wellesley college girls are organic