Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1921-10-06
BAGGAGE MAY
Be SEARCHED,
SAYSCAMPBELL
Says Customs Inspectors Not
Required to Provide a
Search Warrant

custom collector hOy l.. Campbell
of San Antonio has pointed out that
a good deal of misunderstanding re-
garding activity Of the federal Off
GERS exists on the part of the general
public, together with an inclination
toward misinterpretation of the re-
Gently announced attitude of the
Washington officials that in enforc-
ing the prohibition laws they would
comply with limitations of search set
down in the fourth amendment to
the constitution.
While this amendment provides
that search shall only be made upon
taking out of a warrant. the collector
stated this applies to home premises
only, and handbags, trunks and other
baggage enroute 10 trains or at sta
tion platforms are subject to investi-
CATION without 4 search warrant with
i'm the discretion of the customs of
ficerS.
At the same time, the Inspector de
clared. the duties of the customs serv-
ice are primarily To enforce the Gust
oms laws and not the prohibition law
or the Volstead act. Seizures Of H.
qucr or other commodities intro
duced into the United States in vio-
lation of the customs laws are merely
incidental 10 enforcement Of those
laws, he added.
An interview with Dir. Campbell
to this purport was published in y
San Antonio paper Sunday. copies
Of which have been mailed TO. all
border officers Of the customs serv-
ice. His statement in full follows:
"Smugglers Of narcotics, liquor or
other merchandise must not be mis-
led. The customs service is not Civ
ing attention to the enforcement Of
the VoIstead act. Our operations are
directed to the enforcement Of the
customs laws only, and we have not
in the past, nor il il our intention in
the future, to show any disrespect for
the provisions OF the 4th amendment
to the Constitution.
1.-The law under which customs de-
partment officials operate il the
same today as yesterday, or last
year, and the right Of search without
search warrant by customs officials
of vehicles of any description on the
highways or on trains, in fact any
where, except the home, is clear and
concise, and is upheld by the various
competent district attorneys who have
been asked to interpret the law. II
should be noted that customs officials
are not devoting their time exclu
sively to the apprehension Of liquor
smugglers, but TO narcotics and other
merchandise introduced into the
United States contrary TO law. The
seizure Of liquor is merely incidental
to the general enforcement of the
laws against smuggling.
while smuggling i being dcrs
now, there are fewer men engaged
in the business than some time
ago, and there will be less. for there
will be no interruption in the vigor-
Gus enforcement Of the law by Gust
ON c/icia's. And violators should
not harbor the idea that they have
any rights today that they did not
have last week or last year
1.-THE public generally, passivcly.
at least, approves of the proper ard
fair enforcement Of the laws. and as
the use of narcotics is unquestionabiy
increasing at an Alarming rate, every
citizen should lend his active assist
ance TO customs officials who are
specially entrusted with the task of
preventing the illegal introduction
Of narcotics into the United States.