Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-05-10
'MEXIGO'S FREE Zone"
WHAT IT Is. WHERE IT Is AND IT'S
EVIL EFFECTS.

The Difficulty of Curing Texans Ad-
dictcd to tho Use of Cheap Snug
Eied Goods-They Arc to BE Pro-
tectiontzed Into Paying Mckinley
Prices.
There is n bad set OF cheap mon
dwelling in Texas along the Valley of
the Rio Grande. Not only are they
willing and anxious to get their food
and clothing as cheaply as possible
which spirit is condemned by all good
and patriotic protectionists but they
are ready to speculate by selling cheap
goods struggled over the river from
the Mexican side It is even basely
asserted by some that these Texans, in
their greed for gain, sometimes forget
their patriotism md assist the "Grea-
sers" in smuggling goods into this
country. 1t is taken for granted that
the "Greasers" have no patriotism and
are willing to risk being caught in
their attempts to make few dollars
by smuggling cheap goods into Texas.
What has made the inhabitants Of
the Rio Grande Valley so very, very
bad? 1t is tho "freo zone" What is
this free zone?" 1t is narrow strip
of lnnd, nowhere more than twelve
miles wide, extending along the Mexi-
can frontier from the Gulf of Mexico
to the Gulf of California. For certain
reasons-chief OF which was tho diff
Guilty of preventing smuggling Mexico
established this "free zone" and re.
mits duties paid upon foreign goods
received within it's borders. As it
costs more to transport goods from
available Mexican ports to this zone
than to transport them across tho
United States from the Gulf or
Atlantic ports, and rs under tho law
of 1886 goods could be transported in
bond across tho United States without
tho payment of duties, largo quanti-
ties of goods have reached this zone
from United States ports.
Since the establishment of this FREQ
zone Mexico has had no trouble with
smugRlers on her Immediate border.
She hae, however, had difficulty in
quoting the clamor of the rest of her
citizens for as cheap goods as are con-
ferred upon the favored residents of
this zone. 10 still these jealous de-
sires to become "cheap men" by eat
ing and wearing cheap goods, Mexico
has several times threatened to treat
all of her citizens impartially-not by
removing oil duties, butby abolishing
tho free zone. She has been deferred
only by the threats of her spoiled
children, in this free zone, to revolt
and to make oil manner of trouble if
they were deprived OF their special
privilege of enjoying cheap goods.
These favored citizens were not, how
ever, satisfied to enjoy their cheap
goods alone. They evinced willing
ness for certain considerations to
share these cheap goods with their
neighbors across the Rio Grande-
where, owing to heavy duties not paid
by foreigners, goodswere much higher.
Tho Texans-be it said to their shame
-were only too ready to tempt tho
"Grensers' by Offering them good
bargains for their smuggled goods.
In spite of oil of the special treasury
agents that tho United States could
place along the Mexican border tho
smuggling of goods back into the
United States has become n leading
industry in the free zone. AT last
Uncle Sam has found way to get
square with these tclrenp and nasty"
trading "Grensers, and to consider
able extent to prevent them from de-
prnving the tasts OF Texans who are
becoming accustomed to the use Of
cheap struggled goods.
Our Inst Congress passed resolu-
tion authorizing the Secretary of the
Treasury to stop the transportation
across this country, in bond, of goods,
wares and Merchandise going to the
free zone. If this move does not stop
the little game of the Free Zoneites it
will certainly cause them not q little
trouble and increase the cost of goods
to them. This will tend to prevent
smuggling into Texas. The Texans,
however, have become so addicted to
the use of cheap goods that it may
take some time to cnre them and to so
fur Americanize and protectionize
them that they will hato the sight of
cheap foreign goods and would not
use struggled goods at any price
This ideal patriotic state of mind is
attained by but few followers of Nc
Kinley. These never use foreign
goods and are free from the tempta-
lions of cheap prices. They prefer to
pay two prices for everything.
BYRON w. HoLT.