Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-19
Secretary Macveagh Warns
Customs Appraisers.
REMARKS CAUSE SURPRISE
Declares Not an Honest Line of I'm.
portation Comes to This Country.
NOT PROTECTING SMUGGLERs
Denies Department Interfered in
Course Of Justice Concern
ing Convicted Firm.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, November lS.-Secretary
of the. Treasury Macveagh i'm an ad.
dress today to the customs appraisers
assembled here from all parts Of the
United States made the startling &C.
cusation that there was not an honest
line Of importations coming into the
country.
The effect of the statement comin-
from the head of the Treasury Depart
ment. created sensation among the
appraisers. several of whom accepted
the remarks Of Mr.. Macveagh as a d.
rect charge of incompetency or dis
honesty and are said to be talking OF
resigning
THE Treasury Department has been
searching in vain to find a single line
of merchandise that is free from the
faint of fraud" said the Secretary
This condition must be remeded, and
the responsibility rests with you men.
mo matter who the importer may be,
every invoice of goods coming into this
country must be examined with extra
ordinary scrutiny. There must be no ex-
ceptions.
THE department of customs has been
under investigation for many months
and many improvements have been in
augurated. but the frauds have not been
stopped / repeat there is not line Of
merchandise being imported that is not
in some way tainted
Warning by Macveagh.
The officials Of the customs service at
large are believed TO have been assem-
bled here for the express purpose Of re-
ceiving the warning that Secretary Mac
Veagh gave them. Among them are:
j. d. Pringle. Pittsburgh: J. C. VIII
mer, Baltimore: w. p. Luck, New Or
leans; N. G. Grant, Cleveland; E. W.
Gardner. Providence: A. l.. Sharp, FL
Paso; A. s. Howard. Hartford: i. ]. Ro-
senthal. Galveston; A. w. Pendleton, Los
Angeles.
Not one Of these men could be Undue
ed to discuss Secretary MacVeagh's
statement. 1t was further learned that
dinner will be given for the benefit
OF the appraisers Monday night at the
Republican Club at which Collector
Loeb Is expected to go into which lines
Of merchandise in which the greatest
frauds are charged.
During the day Secretary Macveagh
also announced that he was heartily
in accord with the efforts OF United
States Attorney Wise to get jail sem
fences for all .smugglers. Referring to
criticism made by Mr.. Wise on the light
a.
the federal judges in New York, he
said. through Assistant Secretary Of the
Treasury James r. Curtis:
.,.e Department Not Responsible.
"My attention has been called to
the criticism caused by light sentences
of smugglers and it Is suggested that
II the Treasury Department was re-
sponsible for the release OF members
Of a certain firm Of importers convict
ed Of undervaluations and smuggling
1t was hoped that the department
would not interfere with the course
Of justice hereafter for any reason
whatever.
1.-The statement Is wholly without
foundation. The Treasury Department
is in accord with United States Attor-
ney Wise and IL the cases referred to
anonymously are those against the Du-
veen Brothers 1t is proper to say that
the receipt Of $1.1S0.000 by the Treasury
Department from this firm in settlement
Of their civil liabilities was made upon
the express understanding that the GRIM
inal prosecution would proceed. There
was no suggestion that leniency was to
be shown because OF the receipt Of the
money in settlement of the civil cases"