Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1897-04-07
Congressman Gum.

Captain Gum made short but
able speech in the House on the
Dingley tariff bill. His closing re-
marks, which we give below, shows
that his heart still beats with SYM
pathy for the western miners and
the down-trodden people generally.
He said.
"This bill provides that when
foreign lead ore enters the United
States in bond, the duties shall be
paid on the estimated value of the
ore. There is an effort made to as
say it now, but that is to be changed
and an accommodating official will
admit it for lump sum. After it
arrives at the smelling establish
ment it is assayed, and the act says
that the entry duties shall be liqui-
dated thereon. This is very am
biguous expression-but it means
anything, it is that the duty which
has been paid will be returned.
There is no protection against fraud;
on the contrary, it invites it. In
stead OF designating bill $40 as a
bill Ito provide revenue for the gov
eminent, and to encourage the in
dustries of the United States" it
should be known as bill to pro-
mote fraud, encourage deception,
and develop hypocrisy. Section %
of the bill enables the secretary of
the treasury to designate any smelt-
ing plant bonded warehouse, and
section "a provides that when sim
ported materials on which duties
have been paid are used in the man
ufacture of articles manufactured or
produced in the United States, there
shall be allowed on the expectation
of such articles a drawback equal in
amount to the duties paid on the
materials used, less 1 per cent. of
such duties" Let us see what this
bill does. 1t gives the smelters free
foreign lead for fuxing and other
purposes, displacing American lead /;
it gives manufacturers free lead for
all manufactured articles designed
for export, displacing American
lead again; it opens a thousand av-
enues to fraud, all injurious to the
American lead miner.
With these facts before us, of
what value is this bill from pro-
tective or revenue standpoint? 1t
1t is fraud on the miners and a
cheat on the government For days
gentlemen have stood on this floor
and shouted for revenue, and pre-
sent a measure on the lead question
that will prevent the collection of
revenue. If we turn next to i'm
ported articles of lead manufacture,
we find that they pay a duty of 2
cents a pound. This is for the BEN
eft of the manufacturer. In this
case there is no bonded warehouse
foolishness; the duty must be paid.
In these two items, lead ore and
manufactured lead, can be seen the
controlling motive of this bill, and
it is indicative of the policy of the
Republican party. The lead miner,
the poor man, is promised a protec-
ton of l cent pound, which is col
lected only in rare instances. The
manufactures, the capitalist, gets 2
cents a pound, and it is always col
lected. The party of which | am
an humble member has ever main
tanned that under present financial
conditions tariff would not bring
prosperity to US. That was our po-
sition under the Mckinley act; we
were right. That has been our po-
sition under the Wilson bill; again
we were right. And it is our posi-
ton with reference to this bill. But
if we are to have a tariff, let 1T be
framed on lines that will be just to
all our citizens. Let it be as bene6-
cent in its provisions toward the
lowliest in the land as it is to the
mightiest millionaire" Loud APP
plause.