Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-09-20
CoNGREss--ad Session.


r1yrvTY.sEyEN1'iI CONGREsS--"d Session.
cprFfu ny rnr Hon LEVI WOODBURY., OF N. II.
on THE TARIFF BILL, , on,
Derd in the Senate Of tie United States, Jafy 2otn'
1912
Mr. WOODBURY. addressed the senate as 'o!iow lows:
AIR President: [ ask the indulgence oil the Senate
% ,ha consideration Of few objections to the general
character of this bill, before taking up the amendments
IN detail Being of The Somm,'tee on 'hance oP
posed 10 lis passage, am requested, ny seve'a 'eus
near me- state the grounds OF 'hose
,hav NAV tbrow some light the Proprety OF adopting
or reiectinr many of the amendments those grouhGs
,re wofui: first ms the ariofn OF the tax imposed
and NEXT MS 10 the manner oi imposing 1t. i"e a''"'
proposed 10 be collected Is beIe:ed 10 De nhhecesSal
IL largo and the OF assessing II IS So une9uo
md oonressive as to be cGnyaient IN many cases, 10
an oI;on. no,ax There can BE- little doubt concern
nr either OF these positions, II The iacs are cafeuy
examined TIE sought 10 Ice raised IS Inc emor
mons one Of thirty.two millions OF dollars lhs Is 'e
gross amount, leaving twenty monS net'' ~ Is
sed 10 per cent more to The consnmef' oy
the cash dntes and still further by another lo per
cent, whenever the imports are in ,oregn vessels nor
entitled to any treaty privileges The burden on 'he
community Will thus, IN us 'n''aeS' ,o'" el'aa ~
orsros. Of cutie two dollars per head 10 every man.
woman and child Throughout the Union Ia those
quarters which manufacture East, the lax WIN oe SUE
heater in proportion; and more especially WIZ u oe
in the Atlantic States, where the people CONSUME
l,ryer hare than else where OF what Is imported from
a, rnad Indeed Sir the burden is larger than all the
o, mo, cy taxes-Sidte, county, and town c"moneu'
Tor hey are supposed MOTTO exceed ~ hey equa Two
dollars per head Ii is than double The average
eynsnses o. the General Government annually since
-, cnni,tian inclndrr even ggGSi French wars, The
last war with England, aud al our numerous inoian
wars does not lessen tins burden TO call II !arN
The collection Of duties from customs ~ TAX though
under the disguise Of "a laria, as much as coipc
lion Of revenue from any ether property laSailoh
of any kind, cnd to any extent, is also an evil,
sometimes admit necessary evil; but sun an eVli,
end instnc;vey sought to be avoided or esseneo oy
ali people IN all .ges IT Eas Justly been called the
oroat erDs0rtum OF mankind. Through 1t, all, more
or s feel and ii unequal, If too high, 1t becomes
a grievance and an oppression which, IN more cases
,lsn Tho t,v on tea befors own Revolution, and
The ,,y on sal, before the French Revolution, have
helped to ovcrwhem those who imposed II.
This is not theorismg, but great practica enqii'
~ ,m,nr home to the business and bosoms OF all IL
ia momentcus question, then, whether, IN these EN-
barrassed times, aud when State taxes are unusually
high we shall collect thirteen millions more
than il ndlspensaby necessary; and 1t IS no lees m"
.nen.ous whether we shall collect IT. as TO burden
heaviest what are necessares, rather than Injuries
and 10 pre.s most hardly labor ard lie mddiin5 m
,eres,s, rather taan property and the r'ca'
II IA believed Si- .liat the true answers 10 these
questions must show that 'h'S n''i 'eea' not 20 pas
and if some little tilac is occupied ~ attempting TO
nrove IT, the chaiImans for any delay 10 Tie
final dis pnsa will belong 10 himself cad has TRENDS
rather than 20 this SIDE of the SENATE for why mas
this bill-all important as IL ~ co'sioeieo anu ds ~
clearly is-why after tedious session oil near eigbt
,o e md infer an extra session before that OF al
most four months nore has II never reached US Tor
discussion until 10 day, Among TIE matters whieh
The IL :, distinguished chancellor Of the exchequer
uod.r the new Administration 5r. Cay,) placed on
our Journal l4th pngc) ea!iy N The extra session,
was VII cough first, Il rot exclusively, to engage
The attention of Congtess-ihe provs'on OF an ade-
ouate revenue for the Government by the imposition
OF duties Every day since, SIR, You nave nao l'"i'
hath tppc H.. n.
Tho onologv far DELAYING till this late day provs'or'
which wns deeu,ed important more thah year ago.
az to be regarded prominent reason i"r summoh"g
,ben an exirn session Of Congress nat IS the e&-
cpse in the mean time, for allowing the Treasury 10
become bankrupt? the public aburefs and contractors
To oo for months unpaid Their families 10 sarVe, or
,be;r claims TO be sacrificed IN the money market TO
eh,,Ls orl banks? Instead OF now dePrecatng Gus.
CUSTOM why did you not seasona0y pfoviue against ~
tbese evils au rescue national credit from desra-
d,ton. and a. arm as long ago as last May: mat was
The day propos, this side CT the House ana II ~
hecomes any oil those TO deprecate the loss OF tme now,
IN examining measure OF this magnitude, VINO nave
so STRANGELY procrastnated 1t; ana VINO, week aller
,a.lpot To say month after month-have wasted the
session in the consideration oil veto resolutions, on
which no vote has been taken; and OF resolutions
on retrenchment, equally lell UNDECIDED but aimoS,
verv ono Of which thus fur, has been practically ana
orenIv violated But quitting any topic OF party con-
,royersv think that, # we calmly examine Tue imam
cial condition of the Government, all TINS enormous
twenty seven millions of revenue VIII not be i'und
really necessary to meet such expenses Us ought 10 De
incurred.
nm aware that the financial budget of the Secre-
arv of the Treasury, at the commencement OF the SEES
sion called for this nmoun-so very eXlfavagant Tor
times like these. But was IT Tie reduced amount he
md his political friends had bcore promised VI,
,as not the promised amount put forth impostngy
al Hanover court house, and IN the Georgia memo.
rial al the Extra Session, quite fourteen m'ohs ieSs
Indeed il was half what is now calico Tor. ne
ctrattn M
millions) were held up over The whole country Is
model 10 which YOU were TO C form But men OF re-
Election knew full we'll that such rash pledges were
likely TO prove though reduction 10 seven
teen or eighteen millions was considered ieusD!e w
the mast Administration, and was in The course OF sra
duoi accomplishment by lie present year. In inns
opinion they were justified by precedenls as well as
your own views that an amount still lower wouid Se
sufficient Looking to the average expenses IN former
periods, and making due allowances iof PecuI,ai'es
in some Of them this sum seemed ampe-as General
Jscksons first Term was but fourteen millions, his Sc
conG and first united, but seventeen and enih oil lhen
and his successors united, tnt twcniy'oEe ihohs'-
Thourh forced al first articasiy higher, ny tie vast
mass Of near thirty millions OF extra appropriations &c
cnmulatcd on The last Administration under Tie I'M
nuls of an OVERLOOKING Treasury, and The costly pro.
traction of the Florida war-eqnailing quite nan OF all
which was expended in tie last contest with England
at lie expenses Of that Administration by great et
l. IA in reduction FELL in the last two years, 10 TWEEN
80 500 :, 1--WE n,y three millions. IL the policy thus
ndop,ed had since been rerserereo IN, inc expenses,
last wear would have been under twenty m'ohs' ana
III, The presea, year, not over eighteen But what have
YOU done, and what are you DOING You complained
Of their RICHNESS, when only twenty five and twenty
three millions and yet proceeded at once 10 fase 'nem
We proposed reduction to eighteen, and were in rapid
,orrers 10 IL when you declared steps too slow
though retardng them by voting, IN almost every con-
iroyerted case, for the highest amount You PROMISED,
oil
iow pew" and ", GU propose BY this bill, to collect in
10 des5ay our expenditures FOR this and several
wears 10 come, quite millions yearly, more than our
-, Inded Won wish 10 raise thirteen millions more