Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-04-17
Ir WOULD SWEEP TIRE DBoh,
Thomas q. Shearman on the McKsn-
Low ADMINISTRATIVE NM.


To the Etiitor Of tho Eceatng Post
SIN, You are doing splendid work in op-
position to the Mckinley Administer
tive Tariff bill, and every word which
you soy in denunoiation OF IL ia perfectly
true. II enacted and thoroughly carried
into effect in its letter and spirit, it will
ruin the trade Of every honest importer
In New York who deals in du liable goods.
1t will make it literally impossible for ANY
one to continue in the business of inn
porting dutiabie goods who is not willing
to commit perjury daily, in person or by
deputy. For both law aud common
sense agree in defining as perjury, not
only the swearing to that which is fetse,
but also the swearing positively to that
which is not known by the deponsnt to
be true. After the Mckinley bill becomes
law, as no doubt it will in Substance, no
one can import dutisble goods without
nling an oath to q positive affirmation OF
matters of fact conoerning which 1t is
impossible that any one on this continent
eau have positive knowledge.
II IL almost impossible TO conceive
more deliberately wicked bill than this.
Corrupt in its motive and aim, II is more
thoroughly oorruptlug in is elf1ot than
any statute of modern times. Some laws,
passed in old times, in the dRya of mems
ignorance may possibly have been rs DIS
morGlizing in their actual operation, hut
probably none was ever enacted with AZ
conscious an intent to debsuoh sud de
grade the oonsciencss OF men for the
trainers OF this bill are too keen and in.
telligent not to know thGt it makes per-
jury obligatory.
Yet, In spite of ell this, am in favor
Of the passage Of the bill in its original
Unit oil ia s.,,1 4
few simple reasons:
Q.) The American people in general
are so insane on the subject OF reform by
hard swearing, so conf lent that every
wrong can be corrected by compelling
other men to swehr that it shall not exist
and yet sc ready themselves to commit
perjury by wholesale ~ order to save "A
Few dollarg from the tax-gatherer, taat
the sooner perjury Ia made COMPULSORY
instead or voluntary the sooner will tho
public conscience, now dead, be raised
again to life. Nineteen oaths out OF 20
even now taken in custom house matters
are either fal in fact or suspected by
those who take them to be false. The
ordinary oath taken by incoming rsSsep.
gers Is drawn with an obvious purpose to
entangls their condolences; and although
IL is one vhich they can take truthfully,
~ Nhuy AhAi1 thlh pFGHhfd 1DE
1t, few Of them do so. Importefs'
oaths are so drawn that few of them can
be perfectly truthful; and importers
therefore take the cath without troubling
Themselves to know what they are swear
ing tor rather, to express the exact
truth, they rarely take the oath nj all. Let
Mr. Mckinley have his own way, there
fore, and let perjury, which is now the
uuwrittan law, become the written law OF
the land.
q Since we are already under legal.
lied regime of perjury LET rs have what
ever benefits may be had from the system.
Let all honest or half. honest importers be
1riven out OF business, az Mr.. Mckinley
tesres. When all importers are rogues,
competition will reduee the profit OF
Ioguery to the average rate OF business
Penerallv;and they will iilfully eyade all
Mr.. MuKinley's devices and furnish MS
with struggled goods at moderate rates
They will make the general appraisers
Office worth 300, 900 year, and as much
more as may bs necessary to ci.cumvent
the more open brites of the Home market
Club and the Protectivetariff league.
But If any honest importer remains in
the business, We shall have to pay such
prices aa will enable them to liVs with
out bribery; and thus the profits Of the
bribers will be kept above the market
level For, in accordance with the uni
yersal law OF prices, we shall have to
pay rs much to all tho rScs of under
valUeTs as we pay to the few eonscien-
tlcus importers
When not one man of conscience 10
left, prices will be reduced by the ooa-
slant rush OF fresh raaoals into the i'm
porting trade. Moreover, since even tho
ethnpaaAb iurfNnVkara aal ,,;Ii
init daily perjury, We ought, for their
own sakes, to wish them in soms better
business.
81 Another reasen for desiring the
passage of the Mckinley bill is that MOTH
ing short OF this will convince even
revenue reforutsrs Of tho folly of similar
measures. The administrative sections
of the Mills bill, which were forced upon
MIR. Mills against his own good sense, by
the ciAmor o. the officials la the treasury
department, who deceived both Mr
Manning and Mar. Farchild, contained
some of the worst provisions Of the
Mckinley BILL raising duties outrageously
upon precisely those articles winch are
most needed by the poor, and Offering
suoh temptations to perjury ne would be
too much FOR the consolenoes of most
most men. since both 'hlRh.tariI and
importers and to Cypress the poor, |, for
ono, even il l stand alone, prefer that
such Grimes shall be perpetrated through
criminals only, and that no honest men
Bhall be permitted to remain in business
~isish offers temptations to dishonesty 30
strong as to be practically Irresistible.
a desire the enactment of both the
Mckinley bills because their effect would
be to hasten the complete and utter anc-
lltion of the Shcie protective system.
should bs heartily glad if these laws
could bo net only enacted, but also hnu-
ostly enforced; which, alas is an impos-
sibility. II that oOali be done, half tho
trade, manufactures, aud commerce OF
New York, Brooklyn, Philadalphi and
Boston w0uld come to deal III
within less than three months; for in.-
portRti0na OF all dntiabls goods would
cease, and the manufactures OF tue Al
lantio cities wonid psrlsh most in.
stantly. The only reason why mnuufac.
lures exist ut al on the Atlantic Coast u
that these cities have more ready aCeess
TO foreign materials than interior Cit
lave. In every other respect, Chicago,
Cleveland, Plttsburg, Olrcinpau, ST..
Louis. etc., have vast advantages over
New York. The customers are there;
the raw materials are there; everything
is there, IN more abundant measure than
here, except foreign materials. We have
no customelS east or north. Our mar
ufADtufen nrO prRgfichlly all sold to