Though I disapprove as heartily as you of the recent tariff
laws, I think it the duty of every honest man to declare
fully the value of articles subject to the same, as he can
only avoid doing so by perjuring himself. I did so when I
returned from Europe, with the exception of a few trifles,
which, if examined, would have involved the putting about
the contents of my trunk to the injury of my property. I
hope that you will use your influence to have the present
tariff laws changed. I hope this less on account of economic
ignorance which they display than because of the terrible
demoralizations which they have powerfully aided to bring
about.
The Shadow of the Great Hereafter.
From Pleasant Lake, North Dakota, came a registered letter which contained
ten dollars. An accompanying note was evidently in the handwriting of a
very old man. He added the pathetic postscript:
"There is a lot more due in the near future. All of us become honest as
we near the Great Hereafter. I need only sign my name as 'Conscience.'"
Collectors of customs throughout the United States, and particularly along
the Canadian border, frequently receive sums of money sent to them
anonymously, with the request that they be forwarded to the Conscience
Fund at Washington. Some of these officials state that passengers,
including fashionably dressed women, come hurriedly into the office of the
collector, nervously hand in sums of money to relieve their conscience,
and depart without any explanation other than at some previous time they
have smuggled goods into the country.
The largest sum, briefly referred to above, was for fourteen thousand two
hundred and twenty-five dollars and fifteen cents. It was sent to the
Conscience Fund by the Rev. Prebendary Bariff, Vicar of St. Giles' Church,
Cripplegate, London, who explained that the sum was entrusted to him by a
person who declined to disclose his identity, but who said that he had
come into the possession of that amount by defrauding the United States
government.
Some of the penitents confess to odd offenses. A Chicago man sent one
dollar to the Conscience Fund with the statement that years before he had
taken a small apple-tree from the government orchard at Fort Sheridan, and
that he now wished to make compensation for it. A few weeks ago Secretary
Shaw received a letter from the West, stating that many years before the
writer had stolen two sheets and a pillow-case from an Indian school. This
penitent also sent one dollar to cover the value of the stolen goods.
Five Cents From Kansas.
During the administration of the late President McKinley, a Kansas man
sent five cents to the United States Treasury to be added to the
Conscience Fund. His note said:
Enclosed find five cents which I wish to refund, as I used a
canceled stamp when it took three cents to send a letter.
One who wishes to lead a Christian life.
Whether large or small, the sums sent to the Conscience Fund no doubt take
a great load from the spirit of the repentant ones. The following letter
received by the President of the United States is typical of many. It was
written by a woman, and reads:
Enclosed please find three dollars, the amount of which I
did not defraud the government of, but only a few small
coins, but I will send more to give peace to my tortured
conscience. The act was committed in childhood. Remorse has
taken hold of me, and I cannot rest. Who but God, my
Heavenly Father, has made me do this? Oh, that I may feel
that I am forgiven, for God, my Heavenly Father, knows I
would not do such a thing now. Forgive me for withholding my
name. If I were face to face with you, I would not hesitate
to tell you, but I have other reasons. Pray for me, too. May
God bless you and yours. Please do not publish this. But,
still, how am I ever to find out that you received it? I
trust the Lord will take care of it.