The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-11
RIVER AT s A. NJ.
p1NcHEn M,k1NLEY1TE.

We have read nOLnlng OIL laIe years
with so keen a sense of enjoyment as
we have the dolorous wall, the pro-
longed 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 $100. 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
it's latest development as nIcKinley-
ties. He has lost no opportunity to
bepraise the beneficence of protection
and to deTico 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
Post used to call the TORY Squire"
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-
Iieve that the purchases they
had made on the faith of the law as
a. 70 Io cd in hn1o
or in part by a clause smuggled 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 blaclmail to its rulers as
the price of admission to its soil.
There are tariffs and custom
houses (abroaD, but it is only in New
York that they are the instruments of
legalized brigandage. know
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 II 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
eigner escapes 1t was true The for
eigner was free to land with all the
Wearing apparel and personal effects Of
CTery kind for his own use, free of all
duty. He had only to say he was not
az American, and the gates opened be-
fore him. But avoW yourself a. citizen
Of the United States and you instantly
became q 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
Jean"
We would like tc give the whole of
this hcart-rending lamentation for the
enjoyment of our readers of the faith
Democratic and the enlightenment of
those CT the faith paternal. but space
forbids. We doubt if Mr.. Smalley will
ever hereafter do aught but scott at
the dogma that "the foreigner pays
the tax" or accept it as an economic
truth that cheap things" should be
saved from being nasty" by the i'm
position oe smart money at the Gus
toms. As we have said. this feature
that thus gives this protectionist such
keen anguish. IS as logical q provision
as thece is i'll the whole bill, and