The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-08-01
The IARlFF-THE SENATE-DANlEL
WEBSTER-A SMALL STAKE ON AN I'M
b PORTANT QUESTION

,"o HO'u VI July, Wnen the gIeat question VI ne-
form was settled, and never expect to witness
III grand, moral and sublime spectacle again
There, in that small area, were congregated the
| assembled wisdom Of the nation. the members of
both Houses, the mighty men Of mind of both the
great parties. overlooked with anxious, throbbng,
but silent hearts, by the People and the Manufac
turing monopolists, waitiHg in silence and subdu-
ed order for the final vote on the Reform Tariff
Bill Its fate rested on the voice of one man
that man amidst the dense mass which were
collected around him, venerable in appearance,
with his pure white locks, but vigorous in intel
lect and physical construction, and with firm
and liquid voice gave his reasons for the vote he
was about to cast and then cast it for the People
and the Constitution. No monarchcal country
ever witnessed so proud an event, as was pre-
sented that day by the highest funciiona res of
Government emana,ing directly from the Peo-
pie, upheld by no adventiiious aid OF hired SOL
dery, but sustained alone by the moral force and
virtue OF the governed
Even while the heart of every patriot dilated
at the moral grandeur of the scene. there were
acts committed which made the gravest smile
The dying contortions and death struggles of as
ISOLATED wealth were amusing, as exhibited by
Niles, Cameron, Clayton, Huntingdon, Webster,
Simmons, Ell id onme genus, and most especially
were edited and amused with the earnest
efforts of Messrs. Simmons and Niles. in behalf
of the laboring classes, as their ,ufled shirts,
(the only ones worn in that body were agitated
in behalf Of the " bill Of abominations," of 1912
Again we were amused with the solemn tones of
| the e" god like Daniel" when he PLEDGED HIS
REPUTATION for the truth of his assertions.
(Good Heavens. thought we, where can be found
an equivalent for that ,ouger--for Haywood was
no longer in the Senate.) In his speech on that
morning, Mr.. Webster made the following state
ments. for the truth Of which he pledged HIS
reputation
"This bill does reduce duties but on what
They may be some articles for the benefit of the
middling classes, but the great amount of reduc-
ton is on such articles were contained in the
list read yesterday. The bill reduces duties on
Spirits on spices, tropical and all other fruits
on ready made clothing, rich and costly carpets
on silks on rich cut glass. The reduction was ON
this class of articles. 1t keeps of the treasury
more revenue than the whole amount of duties on
the other articles. Here is your main reduction.
and it is all On articles OF extreme luxury The
whole reduction in the bill is on such articles as
! interest in. 1t is now proposed to see whether
you will will not continue this process; wheth
! er you will. while reducing duties on articles of
the highest luxury used by the rich alone, increase
duties on articles which constitute the raw mate
rial of our own home manufactured articles. out of
which all the laboring men of the country earn
| their daily livng-artcles which furnish occupa-
ton to handcraft labor On these articles you
have increased your duties. You diminish the
DIN In he hv he rio and tha d,,tx,
be paid by the masses. You augment the duties
under tariff which you declared to he an obnoY-
ious Wing measure, and which duties you de-
manded to have reduced. You are asked now to
send the bill TO a committee that they NAV take
off the additional amount where your duties now
proposed exceed those laid by the tariff of 1872
and you will not doit. You are determined to
indulge those who consume the richest uxuries
and to raise your taxes on the poor lahorer The
whole character of this bill is that Il seems to
reve in the delight of taking away mems en-
plOyment. The characteristic runs through the
whole oft. ! had hoped that the gentleman (Mr.
Jarnagin) who declared himself yesterday with
so much emphasis against the policy of taxing the
material, would have held to his purpose -
| shall hold to mine. While this bill reduces the
duties on the highest Injuries of life, occasionng
thereby vast loss TO the revenue, and while you
refuse to lower the duties here imposed on raw
material down TO the level of the bill of 1912,
say that your bill holds language which cannot
and which will not be misunderstood The peo-
pie Of the United States will see that this is not
bill for the masses that it is not bill for the
poor that it is not a bill for employment but
that it is bill for the reliefof the highest and most
Injuries classes Of the community They will
perceive and understand that it bill which goes
to take his living from the poor and the laborous
man, which II lessons the taxes of his rich neigh
Dor None blind that they will not see
this; people so Gallons that they will not
feel it. In this view admit that this is test
question. 1t is test which settles who are in
favor Of raising taxes the raw material, to the
ruin of the Ameican laboTer, and who are in favor
of reducing duties on the highest Injuries of hu-
man life"
4" And now say that when this bill be passed,
there will be no need of writing on the body Of it
whether 1t is Democratic or an aristocratic bill
When labOrlng man that the duty on the
raw material which forms the staple Of his work
is raised. while that silks, spices, on pre-
served fruits, on rich carpets, and on rich cut
glass is lowered, he will not ask any mau to give
the bill lis name-lts name is on It's face. Ii is
an arisocratic bill, and every item in it cores
ponds to that general character
Mr.. M'Dufie, always ready. met these asser-
tions of the attorney of the manufacturers, with
The following brief but overwhelming reply -
The Senator from Massachusetts, in charac-
terizing this arstocratic bill, imposed on
Mr.. MD the duty of saying few words before
the question should be taken, that he might disa-
buse the public mind of any such impression. The
Senator had asked with great confidence, and
surely with the expectation of not being replied
to- where was the Democratic feature in this bill d?
Where was he provision for the lab1ring classes2
He had selected few articles of luxury on which
the duties were reduced, leaving it to be inferred
that these were the principal reductions in the
bill
Il will tell the Senator what are the Demo
cratic features of the bill. In the first place it