Customs Inspector Targets Smuggling Rings
A federal investigation into the movement of opium and undocumented laborers reveals widespread document forgery in the Pacific Northwest.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
An investigation into the Chinese smuggling business at Portland and on Puget Sound has been conducted by C. A. Noyes, a special inspector from San Francisco. Noyes, tasked by the treasury department, reported that the illegal importation of Chinese individuals and opium had become a significant issue. He detailed that forged merchants' certificates were a common method of evasion, noting, 'a prominent Chinese merchant of Portland will call a hackdriver... and say: This Chinaman is my partner and wants to go over.' Noyes found that prominent local names were being forged onto these documents to bypass government restrictions. Despite his efforts to seize opium and detain those with fraudulent papers, the smuggling routes remained active, connecting British Columbia to Portland and Seattle.
“The government intends to stoohee illegal importation of Chinese and opium at Portland and on Puget sound.”
This article reflects the exclusionary and racist policies of the late 19th century. The systematic targeting of Chinese merchants and laborers by federal authorities illustrates the state-sponsored discrimination that shaped the history of the Puget Sound region.
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