The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-10-13
HE LOVED AMERICAN LABOR.

Thomas Lee is the head of the Phila-
delphia firm of wool merchants, Thomas
Lee & Co. He is, Furthermore, rank
and pronounced Republican, and
rabid protectionIst. He hates Demo
cratic free traders" as he does traitors,
and is in the habit of saying publicly
that American laborers will starve,
American mills close and American in
dustries go to decay if the protective
tariff shall be taken off. Much as Mr..
Lee loves American labor, and deeply
as ne is interested in building up Amer
lean industries. he is not above encour-
aging foreign wool growers With his
trade. He purchases wool wherever he
can get it cheapest, and doesn't stop to
INQUIRE if it comes from American sheep.
Mr.. Lee was married little while ago,
and his wedding tour included visit
to Canada, where he combined bust
nesses with pleasure by purchasing 80
bales of wool because he could get
it at much less price than the Alneri-
Mr.. Lee also purchased something else,
anc ordered it carefully enclosed in the
wool bales, so as to escape the
vigilant eyes of the customs officers.
In plain words, he undertook little
quiet smuggling, and would have sue
ceeded admirably had not some real
friend of American labor given the
officials a hint of what was going on.
The Philadelphia Record best tells this
part of the story:
1t was decided to investigate Mr.. Lees
wool Special Agent Marcus Hanlon and
Special inspectors Thornton and O'N1el
went to the Noble Street freight station OF
the Reading Railroad, the consignment hay
ing come by way OF the Lehlgn Valley Kali
road. and ordered the bales sent to the ap-
praiser's offices on Second Street. Upon
their arrival there the thickly matted wool
was ripped up and down; in the center OF
three of the bales, carefully wrapped up IN
paper. were found three pairs OF line
canadian Atwood blankets. There never
was a clearer case of smuggling ana the
customs officials, knowing Mr.. Lees hlgh
standing as a protectionlst and his deep
interest in keeping out forelgn maze goous'
were amazed by their discovery
IT nav be stated as an interesting In
cident in this connection. that on the
dav of the exposure Mr.. Lee WAS TO have
taken part in meeting of Republican
basiness men. The call for the meet
ing was signed Oy him, and it set forth
that the meeting would "speak out in
unmistakab.e tones in favor of the
American system of protection" and
show plainly that "the business and
industrial interests of the whole
country are threatened with disaster
and ruin by tariff legislation as advo-
Gated by President Cleveland's las,
annual message and endorsed by the
late Democratic national convention
OF course Mr.. Lee did not attend the
meeting, there being some modesty il
his make up.
1t would be very proper thing t.
make an example of MIR. Thomas Lee
tits hardly enough to expose the hum
ing: he should be punished. Thu
blankets were worth SIS pair and thu
duty on them was So cents a pounC
and 80 per cent. ad valorem; thus i
Mr.. Lee had been successful IN his
attempt to beat the government h
would ta7e saved few dollars. Blu
he wasn't successful, and has laid him
salt liable to imprisonment for two
wears. fine of IS, 000 and the forfeiture
of the consignment, valued at $4,000
Can anybody find in this case an!
palliating circumstances? Can any
body say why this friend of American
labor should not be punished to tn
full extent of the law?