The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-11


tax the lands and the people ippercqn, Of the different
States and Territories according TO their number From
the great variety of climate, soil and facilities for
Ret there would be great difficulty in assessing lands in
different sections of The country You would require the
oicers to travel through the thiry-two States aid
Territories putting valuation property who
would understand all the aud considerations that
should operate in fixing the valuation The system would
be attended with objections and greater inequalities
than can grow under the system of mposs 1t would
be the most difficult thing in the world to ascertain pre-
cisey Che apoftonment 50 as 10 equalsc tases In all
sections OF the country.
Yes, sir, If we to abandon the system of mposs
aud resort to direct taxation it would be attended with
infinite trouble, and would in all probability OCCASION
revolution OF somt outbreak am sure therefore, that
such measure would be next to impraccable. There
never, in the history Of the world great govern
ment like carried with such slight burdens the
people We have heard good deal here in respect to
the tariff of 1857 and other tariffs but in my own sec
ton heard complaints of the burdens of the federal
government. The thing, presume is the case in
other sections of the country. All this fuss canor, and
disturbance about the expenses OF the government is coli
ncctcd With presidential schemes fear II may be with
schemes of punder and avoritism All that the people
desire is that the administration and their representatives
shall see that no money Is wastcfly expended And yet
we Have head gentlemen say here ''strike down JJui
army strike down your navy put ont your light houses
batter down your marine hospitals and make your Post
Office self-sustaining have heard some go
far as TO say thai Congress should be sefsstaning and
thai all brtnches of the government should be sefsnp
porting, when n raise himself by the waist
bands of his brecches it may be done
The country has been extended immensely. We have
now six Territories, wiie wn Our animal expenditure
was but SAC, ,o0O, 900, had but one Territory. NuA,
we the whole country reaching the Pacific We
have just had quasi with Utah We have had
with the Indians. All this attended with enormous
expense We have established overland mail routes TO
the Pacific attended with great And now il
is proposed to build railroad from the Atlantic States to
the Pacific. think, however, that it would be wise and
sensible the part Of the Congress of the United States
To al lts
plored little MORT TO have wagon roads opened and
mail routes and to encourage emigration by this means
road may be built much satisfactorily and
/ ically than il we undertook to construct il
1t said, also that the rates of postage must be in
creased The mileage Of members has also been talked
Of and it has been said that the members from California
ought not to get so many thousand dollars for mileage
While member from Maryland receives but small pit
tince. For my part, do not think that the mileage
paid to member from California, the Pacific country
more tan PITS HIN lor The sacrifices which he makes for
! the public interest.
once heard Of an old woman who, in the startling
days of the Mlcrtcs told that the world coming
to an end. Great God was her reply, 'what
shall do in such for snuff r =
1t may be said now, how could get along without
gas and dyspeptc politicians Mileage. boxes for
grcssmcn and siddehores for messengers 'bcggars
horseback &c, are grave subjects and fruitful Of co
qucnt discussion. If you give member from the Pacific
more pay, in the shape OF mileage, than tho member
from Mary Land gets why the member from Maryland has
his compcsating reciprocity in being able to go home
occasionally to his family and in attending to certain
excIt TO s business at home 1t seems to me, then,
that there is nothing unjust unfair unreasonable in
allowing those members who come from remote
tons Of the Union additional pay 1t may operate to
Keep the different sections Of the country better to-
gether Strike down your overland mail service annhi
late the facilities OF communication which connect in
the East with the Pacific coast and snder OF the
strong lgamens which bind this country IN close
niunon look upon these facilities of intercourse be-
tween the sovereign States of this Union remote pos
sessions calculated to unite the people and perpcuatc
the government of this republic You may, il you think
proper graduate your rates of postage by not changing
it for certain distance, then increasing it to five cents
for all distances say of not less than five hundred miles
and not than thousand miles, and ten cents for
all distances ono thousand miles You may adopt
some graduating system in reference to distance like that
which will answer every purpose, and shall not object
but, sir, protest in the name of the people, against
these wild and utopan schemes called rcenchmen and
reform, which would reduce this government from the
proportions of giant to those of miserable dwarf Ii
is simply dwarfng this government, and utterly unwor
thy of the age in which we live Unless gentlemen II
show how such system is to benefit our whole country
cannot join in such crusade, and yet opposed to
! a magnificent government
| Now Mr Chairman so much for my views in regard
to the tariff and other incidental subjects and think
sufficiently understood Before leaving the subject;
| however / will say that | think that gentlemen who
plant themselves upon the doctrine of free trade upon
the dogma of specific I'D aiorem duties exclusively,
cupy losing ground. They not holding that high
position which they should do. When the expenses of
this government have run up to sixty seventy
million dollars they should the necessity and pro-
pricy of having tariff sufficient FOR revenue, and those
who protectioniss should be satisfied with the incl
dental profits which such tariff will necessarily afford
No man with common intelligence will believe that the
people oths country to any great extent North South
East or West are in favor of any principle in respect to
the ad usment of tariff except for The day
of tariffs for protection has long passed all parties
throughout the country except perhaps in special oca
ties, yield the fact that tariff for viii a
ford ample protection would not discriminate against
protection in its favor Yes sir go for udcious
tariff for tariff which may incidentally il you please
within the principle afford protection, while its
primary and direct object is which shall dis
cminate neither against in favor OF protection, main
tanning that scale of duties upon imports which shall
conveniently produce the most ample revenue, and be
the lcls, uur,iensomc to all interests.
| Mr.. PURVIANCE VIII the gentleman allow me TO
ask him question Just at this point
Mr.. STEWART, OF Maryland Certainly,
Me PURNIANCE understand the gentleman from
Maryland to say he will go for tariff which will produce
the most Now, wish to inquire il the tariff
of 1928 did not produce the most of any tariff
we have had2 Whether that tariff did not only produce
revenue enough TO maintain the government in all its
branches but whether it did not produce surplus
sufficient to pay off the debts of the revolution ask
the gentleman, again, whether, under the tariff of
1912, which principally tariff of specifics
did not have ample revenue to carry the govern
ment in all its machineryto carry it better than
der the tariff of 1876 under the tariff of 1857, or
under any OF the other tariffs approximating to free
trade M
Mr. STEWART of Maryland / will answer the gen.
tloman that believe all the tariffs we have had have
been arranged ordinarily TO raise money enough to