Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-02-18
rs1srY-f1rru CONGRESS SECOND SESSION
MONDAY, FEBRUARY IA, 1859.
SENATE,

lHlAl1 FlE3 La SONONAoS
------
MONDAY, FEBRUARY IA, 1859.
SENATE.
The Senate met at IL o'clock. During TIN
! morning hour Mr.. Seward and Mr. Fesscnder
respectively presented memorials from citizens
of New York and Portland, respecting thu
working Of the reciprocity treaty. which were
referred.
After other business. Mr. Hunter took thu
I floor to express his views OH the tariff. ii,
remarked that if he had not been so intimately
connected with the tariff of 1857. he shOult
leave it where the Senator from Georgia (Mr.
I Too,nbsJ had left it. The question was whether
they should raise the revenue by increasing In,
tariff: but he thought that if the expenditures
Of the government were reduced. the present
revenue would be fully equal to them.
The War Department had made too large an
estimate for its expenditures. because ii had
not considered the balance Of the uneypended
appropriations and besides, the Indian wars
on the Pacific were now at an end. So with
the Navy Department. As regards the Post
! Ofite Department, the six millions Of deficien.
cy could be lone away with by making it self
sustaininc-the expenses of the Government
could be thus reduced to fifty five millions pc!
/ year. The postal service could also be pruncd.
The mail service to California could be carried
on for much less than it is now. and better
service obtained. The Postoilice Department
/ was n vast machine which could be controlled
by an irresponsible power. The Postmaster
General had under his control more men than
were in the army and navy.
Mr.. II. read 4 statistical table 10 show the
| alarming increase in the expenses OF the Pos;
office Department for ten years. Congress
should control this. But allowing six millions
ont Of the treasury for this department, the es,
Inmates Of the Secretary of the Treasury would
be equal to these expenditures.
lie believed that the public lands for the
next fiscal year would yield a much larger
amount than the Secretary had estimated. Al
the great staples Of production had increased
in price, except the serials. lie thought that
all things considered. it was unwisc and impo'
litic to touch the tariff Of 1857, yet he admit
ted that that tariff was not strictly q revenue
tariff, but he preferred it to that of 1876. lie
proceeded to review the tariff Of 1857, and the
objections made to it. With regard to the spe'
cific and nd raiortm systems, the former makes
the consumer pay most when he is the least
| able. and least when he is the most able. Tho
speciic system was open to fraud, while the
od ralorem was stable, and allowed the consu'
mer TO see just what he paid. The specific
| system concealed the taxation from the consul
mcr. .
"A message was here received from the Prcsi'
dent of the United States, stating that he had
signed an act for the admission Of Oregon into
the Union.
Mr.. Hunter contcndcd that there was no more
likelihood Of frauds under the ad valorcm than
under the specific system, and the former was
preferable 10 the latter. because y man then
knew whether he was paying n fifth or a fourth,
or whatever proportion it might be. Of the cost
of his goods. If the present system oil rota.
ton in office were done away with. there would
be no difficulty in finding men able and willing
TO make n faithful valuation. AS it is, the
temptation rather was to over estimate the
value Of goods. as could be shown by statistics.
lie had caused to be prepared n table show
ing the home and foreign valuation Of goods
imported into this country from France and
England. and they showed 4 remarkable cor
rcspondcnce between our valuation and the
value ms shown by the export returns Of those
countries, in some years the difference being no,
more than 9 or 3 per cent. which was notsuti
Gent when losses by sea, damage, &c. were
taken into account. lie felt assured, therefore,
from these facts, that the revenue suffered nc
loss by the home valuation under the ad valo
rem system.
So much for the taritfof 1857 in that respect,
But the great State Of Pennsylvania complain.
that it does not yield sufficient protection tc
her iron interest. lie found that the duty wa:
"a per cent, and then there was the additional
protection Of cost Of transportation by sea an(
the expense Of getting the article to the int
rior. lie thought this was sufficient; but n
any rate lie did not believe that protection
benefited the interests which it was intcnde'
to serve. The depression Of the iron intcrcs
results from the arrangement of the currency
and financial revulsion Of 1867; and the iroT
men of England have suffered as much rs tn
same class in this country.
PENNSYLVANIA, with a duty Of "a per cent. OIL
iron. came now asking for protection. lie did no
believe that protection aided those who sough
it: for under the tariff Of ls+6 the iron trad
was more prosperous than ever. The manu-
facturcrs of England had asked the same Of ST
Robert Peel: but he wisely refused it. lie be
lieved that if the credit system had not cause'
n revulsion. Pennsylvania would not now b
here asking for protection.
lie believed that we could produce the manu-
facturc of iron cheaper than in England. on &C
count of our great national resources; and il tn
iron manufacturer could be protected from
these revulsions, he would not ask for protcc
ton. Mr.. II. concluded by an eloquent pcrora
ton to the American laborer and American in
dustry.
Mcssrs. Pugh and Gwin introduced the Sena
49, - O,oxo, -ba ,-ora crorn and tnnl
their seats. They drew lots, as usual, for tn
long term, and Mr.. Smith has it.
Mr.. Hunter presented the credentials Of tn
reelection of Mr.. Toombs.
Mr.. Crittenden did not speak on Cuba rs
was expected he would.
The case Of the Indiana Senators came II
and was debated for several hours. The DIT
bate was mainly confined to the lawyers in tn
Senate. and was highly interesting. but turne
so much on the legal and constitutional point
involved. it is impossible within the limits {
dispute to convey even an outline. Messr:
Seward. Trumbull, Fessenden, Harlan, Colls
mcr and others spoke on the Republican sid,
and MeSsrs. Bayard, Green, benjamin, Pug
and others spoke against the contestants.
Mr.. Seward referred to Ar. Bcnton's cxpuns
ing resolution. and said as the resolution to-da
would certainly be carried. he would NOV
every year, while in Congress, and perhap
some one will move when he is gone, till it b
carried, that the resolution Of the Senate
June u, 1855, (giving Messrs. Fitch and Brish
their scats,) be on the year Is expunge
from the records of the Senate.
Mr.. Harlan moved an amendment that tn
Indiana case. with all the papers, be comlnitte
to the Judiciary Committee, to enquire
Messrs. Bright and Fitch have been elected i
accordance with the Constitution of Indians
and that the contestants be allowed to appea