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William Wilson warranted a full-page illustration in Harper’s Weekly in 1888, thanks to his involvement in debates over free trade and protectionism. Fights about trade-related taxes had existed since the early days of the American republic and reached a peak in the late 19th century. The 1888 Mills Bill proposed by Wilson and fellow Representative Roger Mills unsuccessfully tried to reform and reduce the high and complex tariff rates.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “William L. Wilson, of West Virginia, Democratic Member of the Ways and Means Committee,” https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2008/2008-001-002/ (June 25, 2022)
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