A Few More Beauties Of Tariff Legislation

A few weeks ftgo, a hip arrived ii Hoson, with a í'ull cargo of merehandise, nd a set of oopper-sheeting i'or tho puroso of covering the bottoin of the vesael n place of the wornout coppera with vhieii she had made the last trip. Tho aptiün Wiinted to put thi! veSSel iut; Iry dock, talco the copper out of tho inidu oi the shit), hiro a dozen Boston chunics, and let t!nm nail it uu the outLde, and then Bailout of port again wilh i cargo of Yankee notion?. But when the captain oame to take tlio coppor out ot tlie hold, tho custoni-houso otüeers jounced down uponhim and aoouaeS Mm )f BmixggliBg; nul demanded that he ihould pay 4fi peí cent. duty in gold on ,hia copper, which hu was Luuporting into :ha country to the great detriment oi' American industry and American labor. The captain argued that lic was not iiujorting this coppor at uil, that he was only taking it from one part ui' the ship md nailing it on to another, and that, 'ar from interfering with Amerioan labor, ie was, on tho contrary, ánxious to emjloy American labor to do it, tor the very reason that Americana aro supposed to understand coppering of vessels botter than ai. y otlier pcople. Uut the law does not look on it in that light. Hy nniit pay the duty on tho coppr. But, the captain argued, I will import this oopper in bond - that the law allows - and will export it agaúi when I get my return cargo on board. Truo, says the customliousu oflicers, that the law does allow ; but it you export tlie coppi r again, you must give good and substantial bonds that you wilt furnish evidence that you have landed tho copper at the foreign port to which you are going. " But in tho name of comraon sense," ftnally exclaims the captain "do you expêct that, aftor paying your workmen to put this COpper on the bottom of my ship, I am going to have it all torn olf again, in order to have it landed, aa required by your idiotie la ws? No, sir' I am not toch a fooi as you take me to be I" And the irate Dutchinan raised his anchor, tuiued the pooij of his ship and his ownbaokoo Bunker itill, and made all haste to llalifax, where he had the copper put on his ship without auy such preposteróos Law and still more preposterous interpretations of thi.'in. Moral: The Boston dry-dock owner lost a job. The Boston ship-carpenters lost another job. Tho vessel lost two weeks' time in going to Halifax and bark again. The captain and his agent both lost their tempers - as who wouldn't ander the eireumstimros 'i - and all fbr what ? - All in order that a combination of about two dozen men, onder tho false pretens of protectinr American indostry and Becurintr emi)lovnient to Amuvican labor. may continue to charge the people of Aniorioii 24 cents a pound for the COpp il that tboy usc, instead of 15 or 1 cente, which ia all that it is worth, and which is the price at which it would be funiishei were it not for tho tariff of 43 per cent. in gold. A Maiiid ship ownor and builder furuishes a good match to the foregoing il lustration. Under the lovely little clause in our tarifF which compcls tho American ship-owner to pay óü per cent. import duty on tho valuc of any repairs thé vessol may have had put on hor in a foreign porti it does uot pay for American vt eóine home. This Maine ship-builder, one ot' the best-known and responsible men in Bristol, says he has one ship out that he has not seen fbreight yeats, and hopes ho may not sec hor for eight yeai-s inoro ; that under the present ridioulous t irilf, and tho outrageous tonnage duea and the excessive port charges collectod evei-ywhore, it is ruinóos to bring a vesselinto aa Amerioan port for repairs; that hehas all his repairs done abroad, and supposea ho will soon havo to liave liis ships ouilt thoro too. Moral: Tho lovely xystem of Protoction to American labor drives indnstry and commerce away froin our ghores, impoveriahea us, enrichea others at our txpense, and makos us ridiculous iu the eyos of other nations. Wliv il'ni'f. American shi p-building