Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-08-07
CONGRESSIONAL.
DEBATE

INTERESTING DEBATE.
Tho tollorine massage al arms occurred be
tween the two powerful champions, McDuffls
and Webster, on Tuesday, 18th July, Just before
the Tariff bill was passed:
Mr. Webster then addressed the Senate. lie
said The question now before the Senate Is In one
respect a test question, as II has been aescrloeo
by the Hon. member from Missouri, lMr. ben,
ton,) not exactly in the lighi IN Which nc vle~eu
!, or in the sense 10 which he wished 10 be under
stood. bu, in quite a different sense-in another
a.pect altogether. We are he IRE, sir, calling our
selves every day a Democratic Congress, and The
majority OF the body is said 10 be aboutio pass a
great Democratic measure. ! suppose il any
meaning is attached TO those terms, II is that II
is q measure favorable to the masses-iavorabl
10 the p~eople-pretefring the interests oil The mass
IS 10 the interests of a few preterring the inter-
es,s Of the great body OF the people TO those who
NAV be called the poSsessors OF a high measure
of wealth. Well, sir, what sort OF a bill does
The oues,ion now about 10 be taken show that this
.ereat Democratic measure" is 7 or, what sort OF
a measure is this popular Democratic bill IL
purports 10 be an 'act reducing the duty on I'M
ports. and for other purposes" The title could
no, describe The bill al all If il did not indicate
that there were other purposes besides The mere
reduction of duties; and one OF those other pur'
poses is To enhance duties. The true interpleta-
lion of the bill, therefore, is thai il is an a1 Tor
reducing certaindu,ies and enhancing certain other
duties on articles of importation. Now, sir, lei
Ms see whether this is such n bill as is pretended
a bill in favor OF The inasscs-in favor OF Inc peo-
ple! Just look al the question now submitted TO
The Senate This bill does reduce dutles-on
what? on whal2 Why, there may be some articles
on which the duties are reduced, Tor The oenent OF
The middling classes; but the great reduction OF
duties is on such articles as those OF which
read TO Won Yesterday a list from The letter OF Mr..
NicholI. You reduce The duty on spirits OF all
Kinds 10 The Great extent which | mentioned yes
,erday. You reduce the duty on spices 10 The
great extent which | mentioned Yesterday. You
reduce the duty on imported tropical fruits and
other fruits. You reduce the duty on ready-made
clothing. You reduce the duty on rich and ex-
pensiye carpets. You reduce the duty on rich
cut gla.s-every one of them. And you saw
tina, this reduction keeps cut oil The Treasury
mole than the whole Of the duty laid upon Ger
tain other articles. But these are your reduc-
tions-your main reductions. They are all on
articles of luxury-of extreme ~luxury-spirils,
spices, silks, costly carpets, itch c~ut-siass, ready
made clothing, articles in which none OF the
middiing classes are interested, or are IN The habit
of buying or using. And now ii is proposed 10
see whether YOU will or will not, By The instIuc-
iions 10 your committee, continue The practice OF
freeing the raw material, upon which all the ma
nufacturing and laboring people Of The country
earn a living when they pei il. That question is
now distinctly put 10 You, and put 10 this Senate
on the raw material, which is 10 come here and
furnish employment and occupation 10 The handi-
craft throughout the country-on This you have
raised the dnty. Perhaps on all Of these raw
materials, bu, certainly on masses OF them, as l
showed Yesterday, you have rais,i The duty above
the standard OF that Tariff, which you say is an
obnoxious Wing measure, and for The reduction
Of whose duties you stand pledged. Now you
are asked 10 send them to your committee, win
instructions in every case where The duty on Inc
raw material, as proposed by this bill, exceeds
The duty on the same raw material imposed BY
the Wing Tariff of 1912, 10 take it o1-you
won't do ii-you won't do il! No. You ~
dulge in the luxury Of taxing the poor man
and the ~lalorerl That is the whole tendency,
The whole character, The whole effect OF Inc
bill. You see everywhere in it The desire
10 revel in The delights Of taking away mems
employment. That's The character OF this bill
And this is the question now before the Senate
Sir, | had hoped that The honorable gentleman
who spoke Yesterday with so much effect on the
necessity of protecting the mechanics and labor
ers-who dwelt with so much emphasis on tht
very Objectionable feature OF taxing The raw ma
terial-I had hoped that he would have held Il
his purpose. l say that this bill holds a language
thai cannot be mistaken, that cannon and Will no
he misunderstood. Ii is not a bill Tor The people
II is moi a bill for the masses. II is not a bill &c
add 10 the comforts Of those in middle life, or The
poor. II is not a bill for employment. 1t is a
bin for the relief of the highest and most luxuri
Gus classes OF the country, and a bill imposing
one,ous duties on the gTca, industrious masses
aud taking away The means OF living from labo
everywhere throughout the land. II cannot b
disguised. You cannot mask lis features. M
49, 80 rar fn cnn rhn fhTs hill ~
and the people will not be so %callous, | trust, a
moi 10 feel il. In this sense, and in this view, thu
question now about TO be put is a test question
We shall have the voice OF the Senate upon il
We shall know who is for raising The duty on va
rious articles 10 the prejudice and in many case
10 the ruin Of our own countrymen working her
al home as artisans and handicrattsmen, and VIII,
is al the same TIM Tor reducing the duties on tn
highest Injuries. That's the test. Mr.. Presi
.,en., that's the test! And no man can escap
il. No man will escape that test. Now, | shaI
vote 10 keep this proposition IN The hands oil N
committee. The committee has not tried whe
Their il can obey the instructions Of The Senate
Last night they were instructed 10 do their duty
and al a very early hour this morning they sa
they have made up their mind. Was ever III
like heard beiore2 The chairman asks 10 be di:
charged. l don't believe they were convened o
this matter for ten minutes. doubt whether the
have been together a, all! What is the dificu
" OF ascertaining the amount OF duty on The g
neral list of raw materials, and reducing The rate
of this bill TO those Of the act OF 1922 There
no, a gentleman who could no, do it in vol hours
IMr. Archer. Not one hour, sir.]
MIR. Webster. No, sir, not one hour would
lake, as The gentleman from Virginia suggests
No. ii is mol want of time. II is want of pul
pose.
Mr.. Sewer. "Order."
MIR. Webster. Who says "order1"
MIR. Sewer. say "order"
MIR. Webster. Well, pray, what's the disorder
Mr.. Sewer. You are commenting on III
purpose" OF The committee.
Mr.. Webster. It's their purposeto pass The 81
lis it not?
Nj. Sewer. | say you are out OF order.
Nj. Webster. II so, the Chair will correct mt
The President. The senator from Mass
chuset,s is not al all out Of order.
Mr.. Webster. Blowing to The senator tror
Arkan.as, and smiliug.) l hope the genllema
will now gel up and make a very handsome apo
ogy for interrupling me.
MIR. Sewer. Oh, certainly.
MIR. Webster. Every thing that passes here be
tween the honorable gentlemen and myselfal Away
has a very pleasant termination. must brin
these remarks, Mr. President, to q a close.
they had been disposed, The committee could hay
obsved your instructions before meridian hi
day.. am rather inclined 10 think, sir, that the
did not fatigue themselves by examining hi
matter. | am rather inclined 10 think that it wa
their opinion that the best way was to take a shol
cut and move 10 be discharged in the hope lha
some occurrence or other would enable them I
carry that motion. | do not believe that the
have opened a book, or looked at any list OF ra,
materials. | am disposed to think, MIR. Presi
dent, that they are as raw on the whole suo|ec
a thev wprp YESTERDAY reneat sir. that hi