Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-09-03
Knows Whereof He Speaks.
What follows is self explanatory and viii

Wn6t 1OlOWb Ii selI eXplaHdtoIy anu Will
be found of interest:
BosroN, August 80, 1894.
Bmleigh O. Company, Publishers of Ken
nebec Journal, augusta, Me.
GENTLEMEN Il have noticed in q recent
number of your valuable paper, brief no.
tice of the arrival of my lively journalistic
friend, G.. Wilfred Pearce in your city; as
he is of retiring disposition, suppose he
did not make himself known to anyone in
the city, but see by the enclosed article
from the Sun, that he took time to hit the
tariff muddlers good rap wbilstin Augusta.
1t may be news in Maine, but it is well
known in Washington, New York and Bos-
ton, that Mr.. Pearce's work on the cotton
and printed goods schedule of the new tar
iff bill, which he was engaged to do at
Washington, is one of the few good
things in it, because it enables American
makers to compete against Europe, where
as it was supposed by Wilson and others
that he would make virtually free trade
tariff on manufactures of cotton. To Mr..
Pearce the country is also indebted for the
sturdy fight made against foreign free coal !;
especially can l commend his article in
the Mail and Express Of New York-July
25th-and several powerful signed articles
in the New York Sun, in which he quoted
from Blaine, Geo. Evans, Gov. Burleigh
and other Maine men of high standing who
opposed the free entry Of foreign goods.
Mr.. Pearce is the only journalist on the
daily press who is member of the Ameri-
can Society of Civil Engineers, body Of
scientists and railway presidents and mana
gers which include amongst its Maine men,
bers the Hon. Arthur Sewall, and the Hon.
Payson Tucker. 1t is probably owing to
the influence of those gentlemen that Mr..
Pearce constantly evinces more than
friendly interest in the welfare of Maine.
I have Sirs the honor to be,
Yours respectfully,
ISRAEL WAsHBURNE MILLIKEN.
(Of Chicago Press Club.-Formerly of
Degrade, Maine.)
(The Sum- Thursday, August 80, 1894.
A complete story of the preparation of
the Wilson tariff bill by a number Of Wis
ionary enthusiasts made mad by bordering
over tones crammed full of impracticable
commercial theories spun from the brains
of men who can write in six languages, but
do not know how to do business in one,
would be exceedingly interesting, and in
due time doubt not The Sun will let in a
flood of daylight on the doings of the
men who preferred darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil. One
of the men charged with tinkering 200
articles on the customs list sent let
ter to an English writer, asking the
names of competent men to prepare a scale
of differential duties on chemicals. In due
time proper man was found in London,
but his price was considered high, so the
services of retail drug clerk we're engaged
at 25 cents an hour. The result will be, if
the bill becomes law, that the treasury
will lose $3.50 900 per annum on thirty-four
chemicals. Among the noble army of tariff
thinkers who worked on the bill which went
to the Senate were seventeen broken-down
political bummers, none of whom was ever
engaged in mercantile affairs. OF course
the duties to be laid upon crockery, glass,
toys, cloth and fancy goods were written
out by the importing merchants clerks of
New York, Boston and Chicago, and there
are no blunders or omissions upon those
schedules.
The funniest thing that was talked about
when the bill was in the incubator was told
of IAN expert who was brought to Wash
ington from a village in the Southwest, to
II
tinker the schedule relative to sugar and
manufactures thereof. He was mystihed
by the name polariscope, and visited re-
tail candy shop for the purpose of purchas-
ing one for use in experiments. Another
expert had q habit of doing his work in q
public barroom, quitting his work whenever
some one "treated the house, which in that
'cafe" i. e., a cafe is place where cafe
cannot be had was about once in fifteen
minutes. This mans works on the bill is
called "the gin-rickey schedule"
The eminent authority who made the final
revision of several important schedules is
chiefly known to fame as the only man in
Washington who can "brace up" dis
tinguished statesman, when that worthy
sees snakes in his boots. When the bill
emerged from the Senate it had been purged
of many gross errors through the expendi.
ture of almost $40 900 paid to able experts
by two senators who did not want to see
our country made laughing stock by legis-
lstors of other lands.
| G. WnFRED PEARCE.
AUGUSTA, Me-, Aug. "a.
|
Our citizens should not forget
| IL