The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-17
Uncle Sam, Detective Always Watch for SnuggHers

bulk in tho Treasury of tho United
States government - have been look
ing up tho fsures and find that last
year they amounted to more than
$4,000, 600. ~ That3was moro than ST.
100000 for every working day OF that
year. Indoed.y the customs is tho biRs
sest gold mine that Uncle; Sam has.
and ever since the beginning he has
relied upon 1t to pay his employees. 4
The total amount SO far received since
1883 has been something like $l1 ,000,-5
100000. and this Is equal to moro than
one-half OF all the taxes which have
over been collected for the national
government. In this statement. I In
clude tho internal revenue and all sorts
of direct taxes.
Collector Loeb tolls mo that y, 80
cent OF these customs receipts ire
nov nov coming into New York, Innd that
paying about 40 per cent. of the work nIH
ing expenses of tho government: From
this IT will bo eeen how Important
It fs that we have an honest man.nt
the head Of 1t. and that that honest
man have the nerve and ability to: col
lect what ig really due to our own
e un sci ,v Sam; believe this 70 be tho
ming tho customs as a husiness Insti-
tuition and his only requirement. OF his
empio qSs are efficiency and hones,y
Daring my talk with the collector
to-day asked him as to his work.
He replied:
. All :. have attempted to 10 is to
administer II on the plane Of honesty.
$500 euItt government, and in accordance
AVE Gse TIC am 1a Ssrs on,s did not make The
How about politics and political
appointments?'' -
Politics docs not ontcr into thiu Of
not ask him what party he belongs TO.
our promottonS arc by merit and ny
merit alone" -,
from man who holds an Office which
| In tho past has been ono OF the chIer
polltical piuins OF the President. 1t
mas been one OF the best paying CT
one most fought for. When Gsrdcid
became President IL was the appoint
ment OF the New York collector Of cts
toms which caused the break between
MIN and Conkling, and II was that
| which drove Conklins from public life
and which indirectly caused the as
| Guiteau.
Twelve Thousand Dollars We. a Million.
The collector OF customs now re-
month. or, as a whole. $4,000 a Year
| In the past he was paid a commission
OF Is per Gent, upon all compromises
| Gnu ilcs lor unocrvaluationa. Since
NJ. Loet took Office the amounts col
lectcd OF this nature have footed up
mcrc than $7.ooo,o"o. and at the old
rate his commission therefor would
amount To more than Sl.o5o.ooo
This represents w1>rderful increase.
and also the detection of many frauds
that have been gong on for years.
One was that OF the sugar trust.
where. In round numbers, about So
| 10000 worth of duties were collected
and for which one Of the investigac,ts
ernment for his exposition of the
frauds and the detection OF the Grim
! inals.
the story cf tina, fee wss published.
nan5 people have sent III information
as to other frauds. hoping to be paid
fo- aiding the government in that way.
The total fines and penalties for hftccn
years preceding Loeb's appointratnt
averaged only $4,000 per year.
INH The CuatOm House Spies.
| During my talk with tho collector.
asked him whether 1t was true that
tho New York customs collector had
an army of paid spies scattered over
Europe and Travelling back and forth
upon tho steamers across thu Atlantic.
] He replied that tho New York office
had not. but that the Treasury Depart
menL had special agents. and that they
often sent information as to purchases
abroad. which led to the detection &C
smugElers.
1 asked him whether the purchases
| OF american tIaVeletSH IN GIurppe ut0
fallen off in consequence OF the rigid
collection Of duties. He said:
, II have no figures or statistics re-
latins to that matter. but from many
of the leading merchants OF Europe
who have been accustomed to sell to
American travellers I understand that
} their business has fallen off epor-
morsIy and that some of them have
really been closed up from the de
. crease In such purchases. The probaptl-
ity Is that an enormous amount or goods
which was formerly bought ABROAD Is
now purchased at home. We Know
: that the purchases are surely much
, less than they were, and we also
, know that the duties paid are very
: much greater. In 1907 the number of
passengers VINO came In from europe
, was q little over 100000, and the du
{ ties collected were IN round numbers
Z siss,o0o. In 900 the passengers were
, only few thousand more. but the
, duties collected were moro than dou-
: bled. and in 1910. with n passenger Iiet
OF about 100000 the duties were more
than sl.7T6.0o0. This year they vii,
e probably run over S2.0o0.008. When you
, consider that we have more passengers,
and that they are buying less. you
will see in these Increased receipts the
: evidence that Uncle Sam &c, to some c5-
tent, getting his dues"
| Copyright. 1911. by Frank G. Carpen-
81 ter.)