Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-07-08

unnecessary but Inc eVident-and, he felt bound to
say, the very audabe-inention of the honorable Sc
Dator from New Hampshire is to obtain by means of
these bills, and pay into the Treasury the revenue of
The country, which IL feared the laws cannot
secure the collection Of
And if The OF The Executive as EXPRESSED in
his veto message, he (Nr. E.) understood them.
be correct, the Government can and will collect the
revenue authorized by the Compromise act under er
sng laws; therefore, these bills are unnecessary if
these views, however, are not ccrrect-and from the
asty perusa he had given the he was inclined
to think they not al least be understood them
there would be obvious necessity for some additional
legislation and he doubted exceedingly whether TINT
additional legislation could under The plain meaning Of
inc Constitution, originate anywhere but in the other
House This was point which required some deI,be.
raton and tor the proper examination Of which il was
desirable time should be given until Tomorrow morn
''ig, 1t leas for it would be obvious that if The bs
could moi originate in the Senate would be unnec,s
sary TO ntrod"ee them and if they are so limited in
'her otlect as TO be of avail in the collection of re
venue, ihe'r introduction is equally unnecessary So
that, 1t may b., whether the ground that The re-
venue can be collected without thea 6r thai il can on
ly be by them, and by virtue of them alone. collect
able they are equally liable 10 objection. There is
however, doubt-an uncertainty; and lint s n sto,s
of things which, he ready TO admit ought moi FIR
moment 10 exist. 1t is state Of things which ought
not to continue ourand. twenty hours if il can ba
helped for by that continuation the whole revenue of
the country may be thrown litigation the national
resources and industry may be deranged and effects
produced OF the worst consequences lie was desirous
by act of legislation, check the dancer before
It went any further. II particularly unfortunate that
such state Of things should exist and he felt confident
time would he lost by Congress in APPLYING whatever
remedy was in its power But that remedy he thought
would have 10 he originated in the other branch OF The
National Legislature, where the Constitution saws all
measures Tor raising revenue must originate.
The honorable Senator from New Hampshire saws he
has carefully framed these bills so as not 10 trench IN
on The question of Distribution the land bill will 90
on in full force, the if no such bills were pass
ed If so no objection could be against them on that
score and the question of entertaining them would
turn upon the right TO originate them here, whether
anything more than now existed could be effected even
II It was proper to entertain them. lie would not how
ever, offer any impeachment 10 their introduction
Mr.. ALLEN said he believed the d, sign of The honor.
able Senator from New Hampshire was to settle the
question whether there were at this tme any revenue
laws in force in this country The opinion had been
expressed that law, by which the duties on impo,ts
could be collected, would be III existence after the 0h
day of June just past. The mere expression of this
opinion, he (alr Az believed would have the effect
nnquestionaby, of putting every dollar Of the revenue
to be derived from the customs, after this date, into H.
legation. The importing merchants would not be will.
ing TO pay over the duties under law the validity of
which was disputed by those who had the best opporu
NIFTY OF knowing what the meaning Of the law really
was. 1t was perfectly apparent, therefore, that Con-
gress did not take action the subject and place
the question beyond doubt, they should have no du-
lies accrnng under any existing law after this date.
senator COnnPcti-
cut, he thought, were deserving of some reply The
Senator had spoken about the responsibility arising
from this unfortunate state of thngs-unfortunate as
every Senator admitted that they wcre-in which the
country was at present placed If that responsibility
rested not on that side Of the House, certainly did not
on this. The reason why there now no revenue
laws, according to the argument OF honorable Senators
opposite, was, that question had arisen between Con-
gress and the Executive about the distribution of tho
public lands; and that upon this question, the reye-
nue. bill fell eless to the ground. This side OF the
House had no tears TO shed the prostraon of the
Distribution act, any more than they had over the
Bank bills, which had been vetoed long ago Nor had
the gentlemen opposite, any TO complain of
them; for they well knew that long before the present
Administration came into power, the Democratic side
OF the Senate had uniformly been opposed 10 dsribu.
ton, as they had been to the banks They had not
changed their poston-they mad incurred no rcspon-
sibIhy for this state Of thngs-they had opposed no
us obstacles TO the statutory legislation Of The coun.
try. If were true, minated on the other side
and he (Alr A. wns not going TO dispute t-that there
were now no laws by which The Government could de-
rive one dollar from customs, he had only TO saw that
the Government was in most deporable condition
condition more deplorable than was ever brought
about IN any country, in period Of profound peace
They were told that they could not obtain loan-that
the credit OF the country exhausted-hat its Trea-
sury notes were at Depreciation and going down day
by day. They were told, not that the incoming reve.
nue. was insufficient 10 support the Government, but
that they had no revenue-that they actually
then, to all inents and purposes aground stranded
wrecked sheer hulk This The condition of the
Government al this noment-Gteen months after its
administration had passed from The Democratic party
under whom only it had ever ourlsled and vegctated
The responsible party had been in power for fifteen
monthssince the 4th hlarch, 1871; and Congress- the
law making power of this Republic, had been in ses-
sion for ten months and fourteen days of that time
With triumphant and intelligent majority in both
Houses, and with President Of their choce-now.
fhev
TOLD this floor the sad and melancholy story, that
while the character and credit OF The Government
exhausted there is no law by which dollar can be
brought into the public Treasury whilst the expenses
of the Government, so far IRON being diminished
daily augmenting. While this state Of things was ad-
mted all hands to be exceedingly deplorable, ard
while Senators the other side enGcavored 10 fix this
sort of negative responsibility them, aud say that
their side Of the chamber not notwithstanding
clearly 10 imply that the Democratic party
sponsblc-i: became necessary that they should stand
up, and by stating what really the facts, to
exonerae themselves from the mputation What,
he would ask, the immediate cause Of there
being revenue bill The session of Con-
gress; or-to 30 back in the order Of time in
which these events tnok place-the present majority
in Congress and the President assumed, by the voice
Of the people, the powers of government the 4ih of
March, 1871 On the 18th day of March proclamation
issued for the call Of an extraordinary session Ga the
3st of Moy Congress met in obedience 10 the CALL and
on the 7h day of June, the eighth day Of the session.
the journal Showed these resolutions:
Mr. A. then read from the journal certain resolutions
introduced by Mr. Clay declaratory of the purposes
for which Congress had assembled and particularzing
the passing Of revenue bill as the important,
The resolutions which he had just read formed the
authority by which the business of the extra session was
shaped and directed, and one of them pointed express
ly 10 The important matter of Since the pre-
sentiment OF that resolution, Congress had been
sion ten months and seven days; and yet gentlemen
had not had opportunity of originating reve-
nue. law by which they might have avoided the fright
full calamity which had fallen upon them.
One Of the points which had been settled and deter
mined at the Extra Session was tina, the distribution Of
the proceeds OF the Public Lands shond cease when
ever it became necessary that the duties on imports
should exceed 30 per- cent. This was subject deter