Newport weekly independent., 1903-03-20

1 eminent authorities upon the habits of mussels, that they can no longer be found in beds at that season of the year in this climate and thus all work must be done at disadvantage and with less profit to the clammer. l The extension of the closed season to July first was not made at the re- quest of parties interested in the pro- lection of the mussel but solely upon the demand of the planter for his gain and at equal sacrifice upon the part of the day laborer. The record breaking crop of the last year was made with out legislative help to the farmer and that very crop was planted at a time when the people of this section had become wild oyer new industry, which offered speculative chances of great gain in the finding of a pearl. 1 Who will contend that the price of labor became exorbitant, yet a meas ure has been placed upon the statutes, that will eliminate competition for the services of the day laborer for a cer- tain period by restraining him from engaging in one of the industries that naturally demand his time at that 1 season.
 In the spring and early summer of last year, the craze for pearling was at it's height. The highest number of people ever engaged in the work were at that time plying this industry, yet ! where is the field that lay idle for the season by reason of inability to secure l labor for the planting and tending of the crop? Where is the farmer, who 1 will assert that his profits were ex- 1 hausted by the unreasonable price of l labor? And yet we find upon the statutes of Arkansas a recent instance of class legislation, directed against the vast majority of her citizens, who are interested rather in the dearness of labor than it's cheapness
 AS to the new measure, objection is 1 made to the following section:
 Third. Putting a license for shell
  I for bonafide citizens of the state, | above fourteen years of age, and $25 per annum for non residents; that no female be charged 8 license; that $1 1 per ton be taxed on all shells shipped | from the state.
 The need of requiring license is not very apparent and before dissenting, | we would prefer first to hear an ar gument sustaining the provision. But | why not license the farmer, the stock raiser and every other industry? | Would it not be just as unreasonable and uncalled for? But passing this point, the most important provision of l the article is found in the last clause. | imposing tax of $1 per ton on shells shipped out of the state.
 The encouragement of home fac tories meets with popular favor and to exempt from taxation those manu- featuring buttons is generally ap- proved, but the provision named is short sighted if this be the aim of the author. Like all other tariffs, it be- comes tax, that eventually falls up- on the clammer, when he first dis poses of his shells. Owing to the small number of home factories, the | foreign buyer controls the price and the little fellows would be content | with existing prices and willing to ac- cept the shaving of $1 per ton ac- corded them under this preferment of the law. Dr. Myers surely does not 1 intend to place this additional tax upon every ton of shells taken from the river by the poor pearler, whose l livelihood is not so lucrative, as to | be thus curtailed.
 But putting aside argument as to it's salience, we would dispute it's consti- l tutionality and cite for authority Ar ticle I, Section TX, Clause of the fed eral constitution: "No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state."
 Again Section X, Clause 2, ''No state shall without the consent of the Con- gress lay any duties on imports or exports, except what may be abso- lutely necessary for executing it's in- spection laws and all such laws shall be subject to the revision 1 and control of congress-"
 1 Dr. Myers bill should evidently be revised to make it worthy of the pa hper upon which it is written.