The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-07-07
Collector Of the Port Loeb De-
Clares that Women Don't
Mean to SmuggIe.
PSYCHOLOGICAL QUESTION
"ARg WOMEN coNoENiTALLY
oisHoNesr OR JUST VERY Ae.
eENT.MiNoep" - sciENTi s rs
MAY De ASKED TO DETERMINE.

New York, July THE frequent dis
closure OF late Of attempts on the
part OF well.todo women travellers to
evade payment OF customs duties on
reaching this port. have raised an in.
teresting psychological question,
which Just now Is engaging the serious
attention of Collector Loeb. Bluntly
the question is this: Are women con-
CENTRALLY dishonest or just absent
minded"
In a great many OF the cases that
have been forced upon his official at
tention the collector in all probability
would be inclined to impute the fail
ure to declare as dutiable goods pur-
chased abroad TO spirit of forgetful-
ness or lack OF information on the
subject rather than a wilful design to
Great Uncle Sam out of his 1.-THE.
While this may have been the real
reason for the oversight of some OF
the offenders against the customs regu.
latlons recently brought to bay, II is
the general conviction that a majority
OF the women who have run afoul OF
the law within the last three or four
month3 had full knowledge of what
they were doing and OF the penalty
that attached thereto II detected. 1t
a. doubtful. however II they had an
adequate conception Of its seriousness.
In past years there has been
great deal OF latitude given to women
travellers. OF which quite few UNI
A. Il,
into the country jewels. and such
small things as could readily he con-
cealed about their persons. Such es-
pionayc as was maintained over them
by customs inspectors was OF a more
or less perfunctory character, the gen.
erai disposition of ofiicials being to en-
force rather the spirit than the exact
letter of the law.
That Uncle Sam has been heavy
loser by this indulgence Is apparent
from the frequently emphasized evil
dence Of moral remissness on the part
OF female passengers revealed since
Collector Loeb. instituted his rigor-
GUS Investigation of the chattels and
persons OF all homeward bound pill
grims. Accustomed as they have been
10 the leniency Of former administra-
lions. the severity of the examinations
TO which they are now subjected.
with It's usual attendant exposure. Is
upsetting the traditional composure
Of some of the countrys most digni-
FED matrons these days. They resent
the attitude Of the government and af-
feet an air Of injured innocence.
which, however. wins them little sym.
patty.
Within the last three months we
have witnessed the unusual spectacle
OF women such as Mrs. Henry Clay
Frick. wife OF the multi.millionaire
coke and steel manufacturer OF Pitts
burg. the wife OF one former governor
and some twenty others invited to Wis.
Il the law division Of the custom house
TO explain omissions In their declara-
tions. This week Mrs w. p. Saund-
crs and her niece. Miss Katherine Liv.
ingstone Baugh. both prominent mem.
hers OF the Daughters Of the Revolu
ton. had a similar experience. Each
claimed that she was not familiar
with the regulations and disclaimed
any idea OF of smuggling. They
brought In with them some trinkets
upon which the duty was $500 When
they were informed that their neglect
20 declare them would cost them a
penalty OF 5000 In addition to the duty
they protested violently. But 1t avail
cd them nothing. as Collector Loeb Ii
determined to discourage the practice
Of forgetting" to make declaration
by infiicting the full penalties pre-
scribed by law whenever he has the
opportunity.
In this way he hopes to impress or