San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-10-24

would be absurd to say that the val
ues Of lead and silver at Laredo or at
any other port on the Rio Grande,
should be the standards of the values
of these metals for the nation"
This would-be congressman or max
or of laws, cites us to Art. 1905, U. s.
Rev. Stat. which "absurd" statute
reads:
"When an ad valorem rate of duty
Is imposed on any imported merchan-
disc, or when the duty imposed shall
be regulated by, or directed to be
levied or based upon the value of the
square yard, or of any specified guam
THY or parcel of such merchandise,
the collector within whose district the
same shall be imported or entered
shall cause the actual market value,
or wholesale price thereof, at the
period of the expectation to the Uni
ted States, in the principal markets of
the country from which the same has
been imported, to be appraised, and
such appraised value shall be consid-
cred the value upon which duty shall
be assessed"
. With all due Difference to
Mr.. Headen, the law maker,
we submit that in the case
of ores composed of silver and
lead the question of duty is decided
by the preponderance of value of the
silver or of the lead, and the cab
surd" statute above quoted says;
"when the duty imposed shall be
regulated by the value of the
square yard or of any specific quanti-
ty or parcel OF such merchandise
Now the question is, are these ores
known as silver ores or lead ores? If
silver, they are free; if lead, they pay
q duty of 1-2 cents per pound How
is this determined? The "absurd"
statute above quoted says: "The COL
lector \ shall cause the actual mar
ket value, or wholesale price thereof,
at the period of the expectation of
the United States, in the principal
markets of the country from which
the same has been imported, to be ap-
praised, and such appraised value
shall be considered the value &C., &c.
This may seem absurd" to law
maker as Mr.. Headen, would be, but
to subordinate executive officer as
Mr.. Headen really is, the word Sab
surd, applied to a law he is sworn to
execute comes with ill grace from
him.
But since Mr.. Headen's letter was
written, the secretary of the treasury
has again spoken, and this time to
some purpose, for with all the data
furnished by the officious would-be
law makers on the Rio Grandmother
before him he adheres to the former
rulings of the department to the effect
that where the silver predominates in
value, the ore will be classed as silver
ore and will come in free. Under the
law above quoted and under this de-
cision of the secretary, any ore con-
tanning silver and lead, coming from
Mexico, would be classed as silver ore
if properly invoiced, and proof is CIV
en- that the silver was of greater value
than the lead III Mexico.
Mr.. Headen takes UNI bragg at GER
tain structures made by Col. Il. D.
Wilson, where he said:
Sin order to show more plainly, if
possible, that at least one man has
failed to do his duty according to the
above law, 1 wish to state that the
deputy collector at Laredo has said
he will not consider any data of any
kind, from any source, tending to es-
tablish correct and fair market
value for silver and lead in Mexico.
eff this Is not high-handed, arbi-
trary and unwarrantable, then fail
to comprehend the meaning of these
teIms.N
Now VIM. Headen is the deputy
collector of customs at Laredo and
has about as much discretion in the
matter as tooth in cog wheel in a
piece of machinery, and if he did
make use of any such Language as
Mr.. Wilson attributes to him, "high-
handed, arbitrary and unwarranta-
ble," are terms altogether too mild to
fit the case.
1t is specimen of cheek that would
be sublime were it not so ridiculous.
If Mr.. Headen will execute the law
and obey the instructions of the COL
lectOr Of customs who is advised and
instructed by the secretary of the
treasury, he will much more satisfac-
torily perform the functions of his Of
flee than he possibly can by making
such rash statements as the above,
and by writing his law-making letters
to the News. SAM JOHNSON.
The Ohio campaign goes bravely
on San for Sharp,apIo onoooho, o.o