Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-04

or more MateflatS, the OuIy Snall De aSSeSSeu Ut
parts may be chargeable.
These provisions, designed to illustrate a
numerous series Of ingenious devices and
subterfuges tn avoid the payment of duties,
were the outcome Of long experience, and
they have been serious impedineIts In The
way of those who have sought to defraud
the revenue. Just as the exact meaning Of
the provisions, as related to a considerable
lot of crafty tricks, has been settled BY rul-
ings Of the treasury department and by de-
cisions Ofthe courts, it is proposed to repeal
the whole section, thus opening wide the
doors of our custom houses for the success
full practice OF evasion and fraud. The his
tory of our tariff legislation is the history of
an incessant struggle to circumvent dishoE-
| s%crupulous manufacturers in foreign coun.
tries. The character Of the articles used
has changed with the nature of the proven.
tive measures; and the ingenuity of eva-
| sion seems to have almost kept pace with
the sagacity of detection. When 1t was en-
acted that every ad odtrem duty should be
assessed upon the real and true market val
ue in the country of production. and our
consuls we're required to see that the prices
in the invoices conceded with this regula.
| ton, the remedy Wal often rendered abOr.
tive by the carelessLess or the incompetent
CIV, or the corruption Of the attesting officer.
Even when, to guard against these lapses of
consular function, power was conferred
upon our appraisers, in cases of suspicion.
to go behind the invoices, and to readjust
the prices therein, so as to conform with
whatswas believed to be a just standard of
valuation, the adroitness of knavery fire,
quently became master of the situation, and
/ e,,ooAoIaN In ohoatSrn f1A YovQnl10 onmR.
times by open bribery, sometimes BY con-
fusins technicalities or pettifOgging quib-
bles. All the circuitous methods and oil
the ingenious subterfuges that rascality
could devise have been tried to avoid the
just payment of duty. To repeal the simil.
itude section under such circumstances
would be to remove obstacles out of the
path of %swindling importers and their
European accomplices; for when the dutia-
BILE articles shall have been reduced to about
500. every u~nenumerated article being ad-
mitted free, the dextrous trixsters who seek
thrift by fraudulent constructions-who
harbor in every nook and corner and pas
sage of the labyrinth of legal interpreta.
tion-will enter into an u%nexplored field of
shams, of specious devices, Of subtle arti-
fees, reaping an abundant harvest of IN.
%scrupulous bargains, from which honest
business and the public revenue must suf-
fer severely, long before official authority
shall be able to survey the unknown ground
and determine the metes and bounds of its
jurisdiction. With equal reason might a
farmer tear down a good fence thst was pre-
venting the depredations of cattle and
swine. The proposition to repeal the simil-
itude section is virtually a proposition to
strengthen fraud.
Another of the radical changes contem-
plated by the bill is the dropping of the fol.
lowing provisions from the revised stat
utes:
Sec. 2,51s. There shall be levied, collected
and paid on the importation of all raw or unman-
ufactured articles, not herein enumerated or pro.
and on ali articles Manufactured in whole or in
part, not herein enumerated or provided for. a
duty of twenty per centum ad valorem.
The repeal of this section, coupled with
the abolition of the free list. can have no
other meaning than to Increase the facility
of importing undutied merchandise, and to
hide from public view the extrems numer.
business of free trade articles that would
appear in q enumeration. Surely no
changel could be more radical than this.
Never before has such . scheme been seri-
ouslv contemplated in our tariff history.
From the first act, passed In 1889. to the
/ l00L 8cb kdo66O Ou VIC bt0tuS0 OOOA, IN no
instance has our custom legislation been
devoid of a free list. Nothing but the reck-
~lessuess Of folly would expurgate it now.
Without II many articles that are dutiable
will be manufactured in such ways ~ to es-
cape the descriptive terms of the tariff. and
then . demand will be made for free k1mis-
sion. The absence Of all similitude pro.
visions would open wide the door for the
encouragement and the triumph Of such
INSCRIPTIONS devices.
This bill, as published. is the very worst
one ever framed 10 the ways aud means
commit. Claiming to be a measure to
recuperate our industries and to promnt.
our exports of msnufacture, tits ever, thing
that h contrary To its pretended design. II,
passsEe would bring such Wholesale ruir,
and add 20 largely to public and private dis.
tress that the people, afAr . year OF expe.
Hence under It's provisions, would look
back to the present paralysis and deEre.
sion - II . inst paradise At prosperity. We
feel conf lent that NO such bill ~ this can
become . law. The next ih',tS dsys gill,