The Wild West Gold Rush at the Border

The application of Collector Webster, strongly endorsed by Treasury Agent Morris, for an Inspector of Customs at the Skagit gold fields, near the British boundary, was promptly rejected by Secretary Sherman, with the remark, in substance, that the Department had determined not to increase the expenses of this collection district any further at present. The business men of Victoria are contributing thousands of dollars to opening a thoroughfare and in directing trade and travel between that city and the mines in this Territory, for the purpose of competing with our citizens for the trade of the 5,000 or 10,000 miners who will be employed there within the next ninety days. The Department allows an Inspector to each of the ports of Neah Bay, Whatcom, San Juan, Seattle and Tacoma, in addition to the two or three on duty at Port Townsend; and yet the communication across the line between British Columbia and the mines on the American side, where no Inspector is allowed, will be ten to one as compared with the communication between the British possessions and any of the places above named. With no revenue officer to guard the British passage into the American mines, a glorious field for smuggling will be opened to enterprise. It cannot reasonably be expected that the miners will organize themselves into vigilance committees to restrain the sale of cheap clothing, mining tools, wines, liquors, cigars, etc., upon which no duties are paid; and being in daily communication with all the settlements upon the Sound, the opportunities will be ample for supplying their friends with smuggled goods without much risk. This will be pretty hard on our merchants who have to pay from 25 to 75 per cent duty upon the articles which the British trader can run into the mines free of duty, with that much advantage in his favor, and a corresponding loss to the revenues of the country, through the great financier, John Sherman.