The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-04-02
4 RECKLESS ABUSE OF LEG
ISLATION.

As an indication of public sentiment
in regard to the extraordinary methods
OF legislation now being practiced by
the House of Representative we pub
lish the following from the Philadelphia;
Times, an independent journal:
'In all the history of tariff legisla
ton there has never been anything
quite so reckless as the manner in
which the Dingley bill, itself the most
reckless tariff ever framed, has been
rushed through the House. The bill
had not been even read in its entirety
and not more than one-eighth Of it had
been subjected to even the form of con.
sideration, if that can be called con.
sideration that excludes the right OF
amendment. 1t was simply forced
through the House on the authority OF
the committee and the Speaker, with
the sole excuse that it did not matter
what the House did. as the actual work
of perfecting taritfmus be performed
by the Senate.
"Yet even this extraordinary pro
ceeding is commonplace by comparison
with the additional clause incorporated
or the committees motion, providing
that whatever duties may be finally
agree upon and imposed by the bill
thus started on its passage, shall take
effect from to-day. 1t is not concciv
able that the Senate will agree to such
a clause as this and it is reasonably
certain that the courts would not sus-
tain it. 1t is unlikely that Mr.. Gros-
venor himself believes in the possibility
of such retroactive legislation. 1t is
nothing more than Il threat held up
over the commerce of the country, to
suspend importations until the com
plction of the new tariff.
'.The section provides that all arti-
cles which shall be imported between
April lst and the date of the passage
of the act shall he subject to the duties
charged in this act, and these duties
are made lien on such articles
wherever and in whatsoever hands
found. OF course. the words shall
be imported should read shall have
been as this clause cannot become a
law before the rest of the act of which
it forms Il part, and the use of the fu-
ture tense cannot make it any the less
retroactive | 'aislation. The goods are
imported under the existing laws, it is
proposed that some time hence, prob
ably in June or July, Congress will
change these laws, date back the change
to April lst and sue the holders of the
goods for the excess of the new duties
During the discussion of tariff
changes, importers will necessarily take
some risks. Where they believe that
duties will be increased, they will
hasten their importation, and thus
swell the present revenues, leaving
less to be imported under the new tar
iii. That is an ordinary business OPP
GRAFTON. But no one can safely import
goods without knowing the duties to
which they are subject, and if it were
believed that this retroactive clause
could be enforced, it's effect must be to
stop entirely the Importation Of any
dutiable goods. For not only would
it be impossible to estimate their cost;
it would be impossible to dispose of
them, except by giving security to the
purchaser to indemnify him against
their seizure, and such confusion would
be introduced into all business as would
" stuoOiueCiS l'tidi ~ LliIS.
"lf this threat is expected to be eff
fective, it is the most reckless abuse of
Legislative powers yet attempted. If
it is not believed in. but is mere bluff.
it is more reckless still. 1t is perfect
ly understood that many of the most
important tariff schedules in which
changes arc proposed cannot be agreed
upon and the bill finally enacted for
weeks or months to come. and Mr..
Dinglcy and Mr. Grosvenor want in
the meantime to hold up the country s
trade, not merely by uncertainty of
the future, but by uncertainty even OF
present prices While the knowledge
that no such unconstitutional enact
ment could be maintained will deprive
the intended threat Of much power tor
mischief. yet its passage III the House,
by a full party majority, gives most
alarming idea of the reckless and igno-
rant lawlessncss of this extraordinary
Congress-
Greece is to be coerced by the pow
prS They soon IatarmiunI ~ tha,-