New-York tribune., 1897-08-31
PROTESTS AGAINST TARIFF DUTIES.
THE APPRAISERS HEAR ARGUMENTS AS TO THE
EXACT TIME THE DINGLEY LAW
rOOK FFFET

THE APPRAISERS HEAR ARGUMENTS AS TO THE
EXACT TIME THE pINGIEY LAW
TOOK EFFECT
The Board Of United States General Appraisers
gave 4 hearing at No. 12S Bleecker-st yesterday on
number OF protests against the ruling Of the Treas
ury Department regarding the date OF erect OF inc
Dingley Tariff law. H. NJ Somervic presided ana
Colonel j. 3. Wilkinson. jr.. and Charles H. Ham.
other members Of the Board. were present W. J.
Gibson and W. A. Donaldson represented tho Treas
ury Department. while q score OF lawyers represent
ing protesting merchants were in attendance
number OF the cases were submitted without areu-
ment and decision will be given at an early date
The question under dispute was whether the Dill
went into effect at midnight on July g. as held D!
the Government or when the President seheo IT,
shortly after p m. Saturday. July "a. as held 10y
the merchants The first case taken Up was that OF
Stoddard. Hesserick 4 Richards OF Boston j. T.
Tucker OF Boston. presented the argument OF Inc
firm The steamship Sy.vana. he said. arrived al
Boston on July "A with LBS bales OF wooi conslEheu
to S;oddard. Hesserck & Richards. He said that
the vessel docked and the cargo entered at the
Custom House before 10 a m Yet the Government
Mr. Tucker said. Insisted collecting duty wnen
the wool should have come in free AS to when'he
President signed the bill! he said that all the evi-
dence showed that it signed until four min
ues after oc.ock-tha; H.. after the close or Dusi-
July a.
Mr.. Tucker held that the Board should take Judi
cla notice Of the time when the act signed. ana
that duty should not be charged until after the act
had been signed. He contended that the bll diI not
60 into effect until /, passed. and this was when
IL signed. 49, .
Mr.. Tucker spent much time in an effort to
show that II the law into effect at midnight
on July % it was retroactive, and was therefore
unconstitutional
Mr. Gibson said that he would object to the tes-
tmony the exact time when the bill was
signed though he would try to have the tlme Pu, u
the record. He said that he was not ready 70
argue the then. but would do so Later ne
told Mr.. Tucker. however. that the Government
would recognize any fractional part OF dhy.
The next protest heard was that CT II. +. Dyer
e. Co.. who represented by Stephen ti CiaTke'
He showed by r. G. Goodwin, a CUSTOM mouse
apples from the Bahamas on July u lie s.iid
duties paid Under the old law the duty on pine
i: Is % per cent. - :, ,h
protests OF A. Hrsch 4 CO.. who brought III 4
Quantity of fancy flowers ana feathers from iall9
and of Lasker Ber0steir. who impoItcc spUQHtsv
About eighty other cases wer" submitted "lthV",
argument. and the Board Will be READY TO sNe
decision in days. The cases that we're aiSutu
however will De kept open until MI Gibson can
ascertain whether not the Treasury lepar,ih'u
will allow the exact TIM uhat 1't9i'
Dent Mckinley signed the Tariff bl 10 90 on tn'
record II il. does. the cases will De cIosSi' II @ no.
counsel for the protesting merchants WIZ De- i"'-
mitted to put in evidence on This pom.