The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1847-03-23
REMARKS OF Nh. STEWART,
ON II CIVIL AND DIPLOMATIC APpRopRIA-
TIoN BILL.

MIR. Sic OF P~ennSyivanias
said. as they were now in Committee Of
the Whole, he presumed he was at liber-
ty to take the usual latitude allowed to all
other gentlemen. He would, therefore,
avail himself of the few minutes allowed
to him to inquire of the chairman Of me
Committee on Ways and Means whal
was the amount of all the appropriations
made and to be made during this sessions
Should the propositions from that com
mittee all be agreed to, what would DC the
total amount appropriated! While 'he
appropriations amounted to double and
moro Than double the amount OF the ac-
cruing revenue, gentlemen were gong
home without adopting any measures to
furnish the necessary supplies. We are
-nassing here bills to the amount of sixty
millions of dollars, and where is your re-
venue! You have authorized the issue
of twenty-eight millions OF Treasury
notes; you have thrown afloat your Trca-
sury bank paper; and where are your
means to redeem it! You have not a
| dollar-you have created a bank, a Trea-
sury bank, without specie! True, sir,
you have reported a bill to lay a tax upon
tea and coffee, and it is that, and nothing
but that. You have, to be sure, put a
little sugar, iron, and land graduation into
it, as a sweetening to induce Pennsylva-
MIA and Western men to swallow it. Is
that your measure to support the Govern
o,n,1 f',t-o nnk tho 20. o-I n14ao o-1
it will not give you half a million of re-
venue. He had made a careful c~alcula-
ton; it would give $499,979, and no
more; not enough to pay the expenses of
Government four days. He asked the
chairman of the Committee Of Ways
and Means whether this was the plan of
his party-to make appropriations to the
amount Of sixty millions, and not to pro-
vide a dollar of additional revenue TO meet
them! You are crushing the country
under an enormous debt, and leave it to
the Wings, as heretofore, 10 put the bur-
dens on the people to discharge it.
These are the questions | propose TO
the chairman Of the committee. Your
party have got majority of two-thirds
here. and where are your ways and
means! In the last war Congress prompt
ly doubled the duties-why do you not
do it now, or increase your tariff of 1916
twenty-five per cent! Why not meet
the crisis you have created like men?
Do something, and no insult the country
with this poor miserable three million bill
this tax on tea and coffee. Take tea
and coffee out, and | repeat your bill will
not raise revenue enough to sustain this
Government for four days just three
days and a half, and no more. Are we to
go on this way, appropriatlng money to
the amount of fifty or sixty millions, and
issuing Treasury notes to pay it, without
providing the ways and means of paying
the interest on your bank paper! Are
you going on with your Treasury bank
issues without a dollar of specie in its
vaults to redeem it? | want you, sir, to
tell the people what it is you propose to
do. | call on you to GENE up TO your
duty and provide the ways and means for
carrying on your war. But no, you are
afraid to vote a dollar Of taxes; you are
afraid to pass even this pitiful bill to tax
tea and coffee. The power is with you;
the Wings can do nothing; you have got
here two to one against US; am for hol-
ding you up to you responsibility.
Mr.. HOLMES. Will you vote to tax
tea and coffee?
Mr.. STEWART. can give you a
bill, sir, to raise forty millions, and at the
same time to do good to the country. by
a modification of the tariff Of 1912: in
c~reasing the duties On luxuries and extern
ding it to a portion of the free list, in
c~reasing some of the duties for protection
and making them specific. This was the
Wing plan. Let them carry it out, and
it would give you ample revenue and give
prosperity TO the whole country.
MI. HOLMES. | ask, will you tax
tea and coffee?
Mr.. STEWART. Never, to prop and
bolster up your miserable British tariff OF
1916. No, sir, never. But, sir, adopt a
proper bill for revenue and protection-a
American tarif-and then if it
give revenue enough for all the ne
cessary wants of Government, he might
be induced to embrace tea and coffee, but
till then. But go on, gentlemen, the
is in your own hands. You have
two to one here. Garry out your mea-
Take the duty off brandy and
as you have done to the amount of
S432, 900, and put it on tea and coffee;
break down protection, DESTROY the natio-
industry, as you have done, by redu-
cling the duties nine millions on five arti-
cles, namely: iron and its manufactures;
woollens, silks, and sugar. Sir,
spirits and salt, and the reduction of
luties on these seven articles amount to
'en millions one hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars. Do this, and then tax tea
md coffee! Go on with your system