The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-11
RIVER AT s A. N.
Danger Gauge Cha
A P1NcHED M,KINLEYITE.

We have read nothing of late years
with so keen a sense of enjoyment as
we have the dolorous wall, the pro-
Ionged lamentations of George W..
Smalley, now the New York CORE
spondent of the London Times, over
and about the provision of the Dingley
act that lays tribute on the apparel
of returning tourists where the value
exceeds $780, We derive the greater
pleasure from the tribulations of this
gentleman because of the fact that,
while he was the London correspondent
of the New York Tribune and since his
return to this country, he has been
of the strictest of the sect known in
its latest development as nlcKinley-
ties. He has lest no opportunity to
bepraise the benef1cence of protection
and to defic.e tie ignorant, destructive
free traders. But enough of this by
way of introduction to those Of our
readers who are not acquainted with
this gentleman, whom the Evening
Let US hear and enjoy his jeremiad.
When the news of the Dingley wear
ing apparel provision reached Europe,
Americans there were first incredu-
lous. then alarmed, then indignant.
Many of them could not be-
lieve that the purchases they
had made on the faith of the law as
1t stood were to be confscated in whole
or in part by a clause struggled into
the tariff act during their absence.
The annoyance, the novel regu-
lations, the intolerable delays, the vex-
atious formalities, and the enormous
ransom finally eXtorted from innocent
travellers with a moderate amount of
wearing apparel and other personal
effects-all these became familiar, and
the more that was heard Of them the
mere Odious they were seen to be.
The best Americans, the most
American Americans, were those who
felt most deeply and spoke most
strongly. The frontier of the
United States had suddenly become
like the frontier of Uganda in Central
Africa. The Americans who crossed it
bad to pay blaclKmail to its rulers as
the price of admission to it's soil.
There are tariffs and custom
houses abroad, but it is only in New
York that they are the instruments of
legalized brigandage. know
CT ladies who were made i'll from ap-
prehension of what they had to I'M
dergo cat our custom house,"
The foreign fellow passengers of our
pinched protectionist poked fun at their
American fellows. " I always suppos-
ed said one, that protection was an
American policy framed, rightly or
wrongly in the interest of Americans
and against foreigners. But now 1 find
that the American suffers and the for
eiSner escapes It was true The for
eigner was free to land with all the
Wearing apparel and personal effects Of
CWery kind for his own use, free of all
duty. He had only to say he was not
fore him. But avow yourself a citizen
Of the United States and you instantly
became a victim Of this new inquisi-
ton. The Americans looked black as
they reflected on this discrimination
against them and perceived that pro-
lection now meant protection to the
foreigner and persecution to the Amer
lean"
We would like to give the whole of
this hcart-rendipg lamentation for the
enjoyment of our readers of the faith
Democratic and the enlightenment of
those CT the faith paternal, but space
f0rbiGs. We doubt if Mr.. Smalley will
ever hereafter do aught but scott at
the dogma, that "the foreigner pays
the tax" CT accept it as an economic
truth that cheap things" should be
saved from being nasty by the i'm
position &C smart money at the Gus
toms. As we have said this feature
that thus gives this protactionist such
keen Anguish, IS as logical q provision
ae there is i'll the whole bill, and