The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-07-25
. PROTEST. MADE
AGAINST DUTY
ART
Detroit Museum Launches Cam
paign to Eliminate Senate
- .a.,.. Amendment
MEANS TAX ON CULTURE,
DECLARES BURROUGHS
Saws Nothing Should BE Done
To Hamper Stimulus Provided
BY Old World Artists

Members of congress from Michigan
soon will be bombarded with protests
against the duty OF % per cent On
works Of art which has been placeo
In the Underwood bill in the senate
,n,a.s thu plans of Detroit art men
20 astray. The bill As II pasSeu '"'
house puts all works OF arr on '"'
tree list. The FIRST shot IN iAe -"o'ii
,.rdmept WAS a resolution adopted .!
the board OF trustees OF 'ne re-
Museum OF Art in thelr ineeu"e 20
day afternoon, and peu'ioh ~.
the ways and means commute
house. c,,.1o "a
Following up this action. Clyue -
purroghs, acting director OF 'ne NJ"
eum will devote his energies u"ii"s
the next few days to impresslhs "p
the different art societies 'hu''iu"I'
artists and other persons o. N"e
especially interested in aH tue Heoo
sity of immediate action on Ineli paa
hoth i'm the way OF persona pro'esl
and in resolutions similar TO those VI
I thu trustees of the museum
.sThe proposed duty Is more hain.
fl than that OF the Payne-AldrlcI
law which is only 10 per cent upon
works az art not more than 70 years
did while this proposal would make
n az per cent on those not more IMAM
20 wears old" said Director burroughs
T to The Times.
"Surely the duty is NOT meant Tor
protection, for the artists don want
il. That would be the last thing tneE
would ask for. They want all the
inspiration they can get from the arr
, of the old world. They need the pres
ence not only of the works OF the Ola
masters, but OF contemporary artists
as we'll
perhaps the senators argue that
they are taxing the Injuries OF the
wealthy collectors. but If so they are
mistaken. II this amendment carries
II will be a tax upon culture, not upon
Injuries; tax upon the necessities
: OF esthetie education. For even
though works OF art are brought into
the country by private collectors they
. 60 to the public either by being plac-
, ed permanently in museums or
Z through various exhibits.
I Look at the example OF the Morgan
4 collection. which was kept out so
! long till the passage Of the Payne
! Aldrich law 1t is generally recog-
! nized that the showing OF this great
\ gallery was AN unparalleled stimulus
} to the study of art in the United
States. The adoption of the proposed
: amendment would be a lamentable
Z step backward in artistic education,
! for which We as a nation SO much
. need the most favorable conditions
. possible
The tax on art placed in the tariff
bill by the senate is meeting deter
mined opposition from all the art cen
ters of the country as well as that Of
Detroit, according TO Mr.. Burroughs
. The press OF the east also has
: taken up the cause of free art" said
the local director. Among the New
. York papers which have Endorsed II
editorially are the Sun, the World. the
Herald and the Times"
The incentive for the action taken
by the trustees of the Detroit museum
as well as for the launching of cam
paign along the same line came from
William c. Weber, one of the trus-
tees who is out OF the city and so
was unable TO attend the meeting.
( rector Burroughs. Monday. which
reads. In part. as follows:
Detroit ought 10 begin an ener.
getic campaign demanding abso-
lutte freedom from all tariff du-
( ties for all art in the new tariff
bill by sending petition ad.
dressed to President Wilson and
both houses or congress. Our
Art Museum trustees, all Detroit
artists. all art societies. newpa.
pers, architects and lithograph
companies, also our museum board
should at once open correspond.
ence with art museums and 40.
cieties in all big cities 10 induce
them also 10 join Detroit in such
whirlwind campaign now while
this subject il before congress as
this is the physiological moment
for action.
Mr. Weber also offered TO paw the
expenses OF such campaign in ne
z trntt ~ Nv