Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1888-11-02
DOES THE MILLS BILL PUT
COAL AND IRON ORES on
THE FREE LIST.

1t has not been The custom of the
News during this campaign to ell
gage in refutation of the very many
puerile charges made against the
honesty of purpose of the Demo
cratic party. AS many Of them
sprang from ignorance as from
viciousness, and it would have been
reflection upon the intelligence of
the community to have pointed out
their fallacy.
But there is a paper now in circula.
ton touching the matter of coal and
iron ores that warrants attention be-
cause of the character and intelli.
gence of its author. Capt Bowen
is reported to have stated, in answer
to the question us to whether or not,
under the Mills bill, coal and iron
ores would be exempt from duty,
that liesdid' not know. This answer
was accepted without question us
to his good faith, He, however,
writes to Mr.. H. Wickham, president
of the Southwest Virginia Improve
ment Company. requesting his views
upon the question. Mr.. Wickham
answers at length, averring That the
said duty is removed, and Capt
Bowen has tho paper published and
distributed throughout the District
If Mr.. Wickh,m were The average
partisan politician his paper would
not call for notice. 1t is because he
IS known to be II man of business n
man largely interested along with us
in the development of our section, Il
man who would not willfully misstatc
fact for party gnin, II man whose
honesty is not questioned, that we
refer to his letter.
III us much us IN argument would
seem to be forestalled by the follow.
ing extract from Mr. Wickham's arii-
Gle, we will have to be content with
giving the views of the two men in
America who, above all others, ought
to know, viz: MIR. Blaine, OH the one
side, whose long service in Congress
we'll qualities him to interpret the
legal import of tariff laws, and Mr..
Mills, on the other, who framed the
bill
The quotation from Mr.. Wickham
referred to is rs follows:
Il nin aware TINT it has been, and will
he, asserted by Democratic campaign ora
tors, MS well rs by the Democratic press,
of the country, that the Mills bill MS il
passed the House, leaves the duty on Coal
III q Iron Ore unmolested
1t mny be TINT many of these orators
and. writers have an honest belief in the
truth of THOR teachings, and that their sin.
ming consists not in III effort TO deceive.
but i'll the crime of failing to post them
selves ill tue doctrine which they assume
to support and disseminate. l would he
glnd to know of such n surmise being cor
rect, ms it is always pleasure for me to
assist i'll spreading the mantle of charity
over fnults which ure attributable to ig-
nornnce."
MIR. Blaine not only admits that
coal is retained on the dutiable list,
but charges that it was SO retained
for the benefit of Virginia.
In letter to Colonel Douglas. OF
Maryland, Mr.. Mills says:
dear Sir In answer to your letter
would say TINT the committee of WAYS and
means never put coal on the free list in
preparing their bill, nor did they make
any effort to do SO, either in committee or
i'll the House. No Democrat made any
such effort i'll the House that remember
and, of course, no one, Republican or Dem.
ocrnt presented it. There is no nmbiguit,
about the bill we passed on the subject OF
coal. Neither the Secretary nor any other
person can construe coal to be on the free
list. Yours truly,
ROGER Q. MILLS"
-a~6p-