Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-01-01
REPEAL norH oF THEN.
The Two Bad Laws Which Have Been
Spurned at the Polls.
Nav Yorlr Fvahint, pnst

OIL winch sucn tnlnbS are Salu as tne
President and the Secretary of the
Treasury say Of the two Mckinley laws,
and two tax laws the merits of which
were put distinctly in issue in Con-
gressional elections in every state and
overwhelmingly condemned by the
voters-could escape immediate repeal
Especially would it be expected that
two such bad laws could not long en-
cumber the statute book of representa-
tive government after it has been seen
that those two laws are incapable If
amendment as to the portions con
demned by the voters, inasmuch as the
condemned portions constitute the warp
and wool of each and every section.
President Harrison tells Congress that
one law violates treaty made by us
with Hawaii, and the Secretary of the
Treasury, unable to conceal the fact that
the other law disregards our consular
treaty with France, urges Congress to
forthwith amend the Customs Admins
trative law.
There are plenty of other examples of
disregard of international decency in
those two Mckinley laws, which will
soon come to the front, but it is enough
for the present that the President and
Secretary declare the laws in violation
of treaty stipulations, and that the
voters did, in effect, on the 4th of last
November command Congress to repeal
both laws.
1t is not easy to understand how of
two such laws-thus vicious and thus
condemned by the yoters-Secretar
Window could, with straight face, say
to Congress this;
The law embraces so many and such
complex interests that it is quite possible
practical test may disclose the necessity for
some notifications and corrections, but
stability and certainty in the revenue laws
are so essential to our financial and indus
trial prosperity that it earnestly hoped this
law may have a fair trial before any radi-
cal and sweeping changes shall be at
tempted. The new industries which it
was confidently expected would spring up
under its fostering care and the new home
markets which would thereby be opened
for American labor and products, will GER
tainly fail of realization if any we'll
grounded fear shall be aroused as to the
stability of the law or Of the principal Of
protection which it embodies.
"Well-grounded fear = as to
the stability of the lawr' Is there any
intelligent voter who has not such a
fear? Do the Republican leaders doubt
the purpose of majority of the voters
to cut out by the roots both the McKin-
ley laws SO soon as those laws can be
reached by the voters?
Secretary Window gave himself away
and also gave away all the authors of
the Two Mckinley laws, when he wrote
in his recent annual report:
The government has now, to greater
extent than ever before, control of the
means to determine the legal rate and
amount of duty due and collectable upon
importations.
Certainly it has! ''Government''
means, in Mr.. WINDOWS mind, the Re
publican party! The Republican leaders
devised the Mckinley Administrative
Customs Law in order to enable them
to actually "control,n without the in
prevention of merchant appraisers, or Of
courts, or of juries, ''the means to fix
dutiable values, classilcations, rates and
amounts OF customs taxes as protection
lists shall wish. Under that law, those
who would impede, or hinder importa-
tions, could have increased enormously
customs taxes under the law of 1888,
even had they failed to get the second
Mckinley law That startling fact the
country does not yet adequately appre-
ciate.
The deyiltry Of the first McKinley law
is in the sweeping away of merchant
reappraisers, who had the power to
check excessive valuations as a basis of
customs rates. That check no longer
exists. The Gichenor board is supreme.
1t can declare the dutiable value Of a hat
to be $l0O, the real worth and market
value of which in the country Of ex-
partation was only IS. There is no
power anywhere under the Mckinley
law to revise that decision. The i'm
porter must pay duty on 500, and can
be sued in court if he refuses, and an
execution levied on his property. That
is a tremendous power given by the
Mckinley law TO the crowd Of tariff
beneiiciaTies, and especially when, as in
the case Of raw wool, the rate depends
on value. Under the McKinly laws, the
Tichenor board Of appraisers can easily
increase at will, through their power
over values and classiiications, the sum
of customs taxes by 30 or 80 per cent.
1t is passing strange that there has
been in the country so little forcible cri-
tiCism Of the character Of the selections
made to fill a board exercising such ire
mendous powers. What are they to do
under the Mckinley laws? To ascer-
tain and report to the collector the duti-
able values, the classifcations, the trade
names, the component materials, and, in
fact, the rates for custom taxes. Who
are they? Would either member Of the
Tichenor board have been employed as
q European buyer by any large and sol
vent New York importing house? Has
either one of them had actual expert
| eDce in European markets either as a
buyer, seller, or a trader? What OPP
portunity has richenor had to become
familiar with the character value, and
trades name of the goods he appraises :?
Was he ever merchant or importer,
and if so, when and where? 1t would
be a safe bet that members of the
lichenor board will differ among one
another by 20 per cent on the
! foreign value of almost any
article, if they cannot sec an
invoice or bill of the article. Not
one would he accepted by a court of
law IN any state as an expert witness to
testify, as an expert, in Il private suit,
4 as TO foreign values, and for the reason
/ that not one of the board Is fresh from
+ business experience in foreign markets.
What can the Iichenor Board know
/ personally, Or in any other way than
| healsay, OF trade names in France?
i And yet that board is supreme over
4 dutable values, trade names, classitica-
I tons and rates The makers of the
/ MCKINLEY bills took very good care that
nobody should be able 10 revise or
modify the decisions Of the new board
j Nothing less than removal from office
II htf Ia llrnui,