Washington sentinel., 1854-04-12
Congressional.
THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS.
FIRST SESSION.

THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS.
FIRST SESSION.
senatc-Tuesday, April IL, 1854.
After the presentation Of few petitions,
| On motion by Mr. STUART, the Senate pro-
eceded to the consideration OF the bill for the relief
| the legal representatives of Isaac p. Simonon
and the same was considered and passed.
MAIL CONTRACTS.
Mr.. MORTON submitted resolution, which
was agreed to, requesting the Postmaster General
| TO inform In Senate whether the contract for car
| rying the mails in certain steamboats, TO Apaa-
chicola Florida, had been suspended, and if SO,
the reasons for such suspension.
BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD.
Mr.. MASON introduced bill to authorize the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company 10 extend
their railroad TO the Potomac river TO some point
at or near the city Of Washington. Read and re-
ferred TO the committee on the District or Colum-
bia. 81.
RAILROAD IRoN-ExECUTIvE BUSINESS.
Mr.. MASON moved that the Senate proceed to
the consideration of executive business.
/ Mr.. BADGER hoped the motion would not be
| adopted. He had a few days since stated 10 the
i Senate that he would be necessarily obliged 10
leave the Senate for some time and that as an act
| Of courtesy to himself he would be glad if il
! time on railroad iron He had given way yester-
day to the senator from California, and he hoped
the Senate would indulge him to-day by taking up
this bill.
Mr.. BRIGHT said be hoped the bill mentioned
| by the senator from North Carolina would be
| taken up. II was important measure, and he
did not suppose there would be any serious OBJ
| lection 10 it.
Mr.. MASON said that if the senator from North
Carolina desired TO be heard on the bill he would
withdraw his motion, but if it was 10 be taken up
for the purpose Of being generally debated he
would have 10 persevere in his motion.
After some further debate, the motion TO go into
executive session was disagreed to-yeas II,
nays 23
The Senate then proceeded TO the consideration
Of the bill giving credit for a limited time upon
the payment Of duties upon imported railroad iron.
Mr.. DOUGLAS moved to amend the bill by
striking out all after the enactng clause, and in
serting provisions to the effect that on all railroad
| iron imported into the United States since the
lst OF July, 1883 and prior 10 the passage of this
act upon which the duties shall have been paid.
and which shall have been imported bona fde 10
/ be used in the construction Of railroad tracks
there shall be paid back TO the company or person
| importing the same the duties paid thereon that
! OH all such iron imported as aforesaid and i'm
/ warehouse, there shall be allowed drawback for
the duty thereon; and that all laws imposing
duty on railroad iron shall be suspended until the
first of July, 1857.
| Mr.. ID. said that the bill, as it stood at present
| extended no substantial benefit or advantage
i TO the railroad interests 1t would leave them
with heavy debt hanging over them and reauir-
| ing them to be prepared at given time for its
payment. The substitute he had proposed would
give substantial benefit. The Treasury was now
| iull; I; there was no probability that the government
would be in need Of the duties railroad iron
before July, 1857 There was no other article the
duty upon which could be so easily and 50 bene-
fcially removed as railroad iron
4 Mr.. BADGER said that he preferred the substi-
tnte TO the bill reported by the committee Its
/ passage could produce no Inconvenience 10 the
| government. II allowed only the suspension of
duties iron for rails ready to be laid down. The
revenue was now more than sufficient for the
wants of the government. To give credit for
the duties nothing more than mere delay OF
the payment But this amendment would give
real beneficial encouragement TO those great en-
terprises in which the whole country felt SO much
| interest.
! There was no possibility that the government
would, during the three years Of this suspension,
stand in need of these duties railroad iron. The
period was so short, that no injury could accrue
| 10 the government II was, he thought, the very
| smallest encouragement and advantage which
/ Congress could extend TO these great works of
improvement, whose benefits were so deeply felt
and appreciated by the whole nation.
Mr. HUNTER said he would vote for the bill
under instructions The substitute came nearer
TO his instructions than the bill of the committee
and as financial expedient he thought il equally
as good.
Mr. SEWARD said that if bill was introduced
TO give a credit or 10 suspend the duties on the
railroad iron imported for the road in North Caro-
i lima, he would vote for il lie would vote TO make
that road an exception TO the general policy which
he approved. To suspend the duties for three
1 years would be to throw the American mauufac-
turing ofrailroad iron into uncertainty The Amer
| can manufacturers would labor under the uncer-
tainty whether the duties would be renewed AT
the end Of the three years, or the suspension
tnued. Because the treasury was filled now was
! no reason for this measure. A great commercial
| crisis was at hand. A general European war was
about to take place. The capital of Europe had
been withdrawn from its accustomed channels, 4
| and invested in government loans. A panic had
been produced in the money market. American
stocks were now quoted at nominal prices. Good
welestabished stocks had fallen five and six per
cent in New York. and the falling had but just
commenced. The exports sent from the Atlantic
10 California came back again freghts, instead
Of gold and consequently embarrassment was
perienced. Since the shadow of the European
war had fallen upon us, there had been great
falling off in the amount Of imports. This, there
fore was no time 10 reduce the duty on Imports I
This proposition was nj war with all equity, for IL
threw this whole reduction Of four millions annu-
ally upon the iron interest. /
lie denied that any one could say now that |
there would be no need of this money during the I
next three years. No man could tell now whether /
in the general European war, the United States
could protect its interests without coming into |
collision with some one or other Of the belge-
rents.
Mr. STUART thought the proposition one Of
too much importance 10 be disposed ofto-day, and /
moved its postponement till tomorrow.
Mr.. HUNTER said he had letter from q /