The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-08
A MYTHICAL YARN.

To THE EDITOR: The Tssegrapks clipping this
morning from the New YORK World contains a
story telling how poor Irishmaa YVES imposed
upon By the Mckinley bill and the customs de-
partment 1t is claimed that one Samuel D.
Frew had his mother il Ireland make him six
pairs OF wooden socks, and the government OF
the United States had the audacity TO charge
him 81. 20 duty, while he claimed that only LIS
was due under the old tariff law. and having
been informed that congress saw tit to revise its
tariff laws and adopt the Mckinley bill, he be-
came indignant, damned Mckinley TO the de-
light of the entire Democracy and told the gov
eminent that il can kerp the socks.
would like the World aud Telegraph to tell us
what moral we are 10 draw from the story, in
all sincerity, one who is not admirer OF
excessive high duties, and at the same time is
opposed to free trade. Since neither the World
or Telegraph will claim the apparently manufac-
tured story story to have been published as
news stem, the story is doubtless intended as
an example, or as an instructive editorial, the
question naturally presents itself what is one TO
learn from it? Ii il were published in a protec-
ton paper one would naturally conclude that
the intention OF the story is to teach Us that If
Samuel ID. Frew. who came here six years ago,
liked the climate and the people, but did not
Ike the socks that the people "who lived in the
climate that he so much liked as 10 make il his
home" wear, he still had the choice left to
either pay duty on the socks that his mother or
sister or sweetheart made for him ana sent here,
or he could cease to like the people and the eli
mate, ''sinee in six years he has not yet learned
20 like the socks they wear" and go back where
he came from.
But finding the story in Democratic paper,
one is at loss to know what moral to draw
from it. Every now and again the Telegrdph
furnishes us with story clipped from some
Eastern paper endeavoring to convince us of
the injustice of the American tariff. Not long
since we were asked 10 have sympathy with an
English dude who bought his clothing in London
and had TO pay S55duty on two tailor made suits.
Today we are asked 10 cry over the misfortune
OF an imaginary Irishman who after living here
six years, has not We. learned to like American
hose "that are now receiving preference in the
markets of the world over the make of any
other countries and still Insists in his childish
ways of wearing socks that mother made for
him. Pretty soon We will be asked to have SYM
pathy with the German who, rushing to import
his Limburger cheese or his long-stemmed pipe,
has TO pay duty On them. And then we will
be asked to intervene In behalf of the Italian
who would prefer to import his stiletto free of
duty; and surely we ought TO aid the Austrains
TO import the beautifully carved meerschaum
pipe that mis- country makes SO many of; and
certainly we ought to allow the Frenchmen to
import anything he likes from La Belle France
Truly, if We had kept on taking the advice
that the Democratic party was always ready to
give W. freely, where would we be today? There
would be no United States, no industries to be
proud OF, in fact nothing but delusion, or we
would today have II country similar to the one
Dean Swift pictures to in "GuIliver's Tray
els" where theory contests for everything, prac-
ticability for nothing.
But thanks TO the All-wise we have always re-
iected the free trade theory and wisely adopted
practical protection to American industries and
have not the least hesitancy to predict that we
will in the future continue TO protect home in
dustries in spite of the bitter complaints of the
mythical Samuel u. Frew. NJ. H. COON