The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-12-13

the free iist AMI thu changes from
specific To ad vsloYeui rates OF
duties. The frat VIII, fear, prove
ah. olutely destructive III Important
industries, white, as to
the second change, alI experience
has shown 1t Is productive 81 frauds
and undervaluations. The law Of
1890 endeavored to correct irregu.
lafities in the collection Of custom
duties-the proposed bill only ag.
gravates them.
The first Morrison bill might
have been termed leap in the
dark; the new Wilson bill is a reck-
less leap into dangers illuminated
by indisputable testimonial and
the experience of a generation.
The ad valorem feature of the bill
ought to defeat the entire measure.
In framing the bill of 1890 the COM
mittee introduced, wherever posi-
bic, specific duties. This system is
based upon quantity, the other
upon value, difficult of ascertain
ment, resting on the judgment Of
experts. all the time Offering a
bride to differentiation; the other
rests upon quantity, fixed and well
known the world over, all deter
minable and always uniform. The
ad valorem system applied to our
wooden industry, so an English
newspaper recently said, would
close mp half the mills in the Unit
ed States. The vice of this system
of ad valOrem rates was ably set
forth by the late Secretary Man
ming in words which l am afraid
the present. committee have not
read, or at any rate have not heed.
ed. l quote the following para
graph that the readers Of The Press
may see what Democratic Secre-
tary of the Treasury during Mr..
Cleveland's first administration
thought of the corner stone, as it
were of the Wilson bill:
Whatever successful cOntrivanc-
es are in operation today to evade
the revenue by false invoices or by
undervaluations, or by any other
means, under an ad valOrem
system, will not cease even II the
ad valOrem rates shall have been
largely reduced. They are incOn'
te-tably, they are even VIGOROUSLY
inherent In that system. One ad'
vantage, and perhaps the chief ad'
vantage, Of specific over III I'D
valorem system Is the fact that
under the former, duties are levied
by Il positive test, which can be ap
piled by our officers while the mer
chandise is in possession of the
government, and according to {
standard which is altogether
national and domestic. But under
an ad valorem system the foreign
value of imports to which the az
valorem rate is TO be applied mus
be gathered in places many thou
sand miles away, and under cir
cumstances most unfavorable t,
the administration of justice"
THE FREE LIST.
The American wool grower Is tC
be the first victim. Every natiol
should produce its own clothing
as well as its food. This nation
can do both if the Democratic part.
will let it alone. 1t can produc,
both food and clothing for tn
masses better, cheaper and NOR,
satisfactorily than any other ma
ton in the world. The Wilson bill
proposes to secure lower cost il
clothing, first;by fleeing the farm
err; second, by cutting down tn
wages of our skilled and unskillet
labor below the foreign STANDARD
and as the Bradford news prper re
Gently said, by closing mp half thu
mills in the United States. TIL
proposition will simply deprive on
people Of employment and the OPP
portunity to earn money will
which to feed and clothe their fam
lilies and educate their children.
Woo.oa the free list, in my Opin
ion is a deadly assault upon a grea
agricultural interest, while the pre-
, posed ad valorem but of only 4
per cent. upon wooden fabric vii
fall with terrible severity npon On
600 operatives engaged woole
manufacturing and their depend
ents numbering, all told, probabl
from $50 600 persons.
wANTON BLOW LABOR.
Why put coal on the free list
No, interest save some large Cana
dian corporations is pressing it. N
national necessity is demanding i