Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-29
Plans to Stop Smuggling Goods Into
This Country.
70 FAvoRITES ARE TO BE PLAYED
Same Treatment to Be Accorded Mil
honaire and Pauper.
ALL CROOKED employees MUST GO
Time Has Passed when a Piece of
Money VIII Admit Diamonds and
other Articles Subject to
nutv.

Duty.
NEW YORK, Aug B-(Special Tele-
gram.) )-Seated beneath a Nile green chrome
Of Colonel Theodore Roosevelt done In
three-quarter length size and of heroic pro-
portions. William Loeb jr collector OF the
port OF New York said today that we are
in the midst of the greatest shakeup in the
history of the United States customs de-
partment. And IL corroboration were nee
essary, one might point to the Incident of
Friday morning when the steamship Maur-
etania just in from England. was searched
from hold to bridge by the customs sleuths
while fair women wept and m llionaiIe tour
lists gnashed their teeth in rage
Collector Loeb has literally taken the bull
by the horns. The easy old days of super
ficial surveys and baggage merely glanced
at are gone. Men of wealth and power,
American magnates of millions and pull;
fair women of rich and powerful families
are all treated alike. Their luggage and
effects get the same treatment these days
as is accorded to the third cabin chap
whose goods and chattels are done up in
oilcloth and tied with a rope.
Mr.. Loeb, the pupil of Roosevelt and the
buffer between nature fakirs and molly
coddles and the former national executive
was prevailed upon to tell something about
the crusade which is under way to make
returning tourists be honest-even in their
dealings with Uncle Sam.
Last year Mr.. Loeb saved the United
States government $12Oo0OOO. and the fig
ures this year will exceed those of last.
Looking for n ShakeuD.
We'll" he began, the problem wasn't so
difficult as 1t might appear at first glance.
All that was necessary was to make, not
only the public, but my subordinates, feel
that was sincere in my efforts to better
conditions-that is, to make people pay
money they rightfully owe the government.
I'VE are in the midst of the greatest
shakeup in the history of the United
States customs service. More employees
have been dismissed. since took charge
than in all the entire history of the service.
| Il had to make everybody feel that had
| the determination and the will not to be
! derlected from my purpose. OF course,
nothing could have been accomplished un-
less 1 had first got the men under me in
sympathy with my methods. Having Sc
cured their confidence-and let me empha-
size that-the rest was easy. They soon
realized that l would back up to the limit
|
They next lost the fear of the old days
that they might get into trouble and en-
danger their positions il they reported lr-
regularities on the part of people who had
at their command influence-either political
or financial And any subordinate was
made to feel at once that If he failed to dc
his duty he would be summariy dealt with
and no sort of influence would avail tc
save him.
"Of course 1 am constantly impressing
upon the men that will not tolerate in the
service the acceptance of gratuities. as the
taking of money in any form by customs
officials is not consistent with their sworn
oath to protect the revenues OF the govern
ment.
ats short step from the tip to the
bribe!
MY Investigations showed that there
had always been immense frauds at this
port that had their beginning in the til
for working overtime, the tip for expedi.
ting the work, the tip for relaxing the
customs regulations in various ways Ii
must be borne In mind that 1t is not only
on the passenger docks that we have tC
look for attempted frauds but all alonl
the $50 miles OF water front of this por
OF New York.
Just then a secretary stepped In anC
handed a slip of paper to Mr.. Loeb oil
which were several pencilled names.
"Why, here is an example of just wha
was saying, remarked the collector Will
smile. Outside is a committee of mel
in the precious stone business They ar,
doing all they can to cooperate with m,
TO stop smuggling In their trade. We havt
the figures concerning the importation o
precious stones. They show that the i'm
portation OF diamonds, pearls and othe
precious stones has greatly increased IL
the last year. Really this is not so; /
is merely that we are getting a record o
stones that we never knew Of before be
cause they were smuggled."
Mr.. Loeb told of the days when a pas
senger with pull could have a &c
chalked on his trunks and get them through
without being opened The times whei
leaving a $40 bill In the top OF the trunl
saved any further payment are likewls
ended. So are the days of smugglini
goods over by steamship employees to b.
brought ashore a couple of days late
without let or hlndrance.
the steamship companies realize now,
explained Mr Loeb, that big fine mus
be paid by them and not by their employees
II anything comes in which is not on theii
manifest"