Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-06-21
Mr.. shernaan,s Tariff Speech.

We give below an extract from tie able
speech delivered in the House of Represen
tives BY Hon. John Sherman, of Ohio, in
advocacy of the Tariff bill which recently
passed the House. The sound, practica
view Of the speaker will commend them
to the earnest consideration of every read.
er. The present tariff does not produce
revenue sufficient TO pay the expences Of
government, which is constantly running
in debt and must continue to do so as long
as the duties remain at the rates now es-
tablished. Direct taxation is the only
other remedy for makig up the deficiency
and such mus. be the result of the Dem.
ocratic opposition to fare rate of duties
upon foreign goods.
The facts stated by Mr.. Sherman in re-
gard to the amount of our importations,
and the drain of gold and silver to which
we are constantly subjected, should be i'm
pressed upon every mind. 1t is one of the
strange things in the party contests of the
day, that any man should object to the
reasonable protection of American labor
by levying higher duties on imports, when
proper discrimination, when these increas-
ed duties are absolutely indispensable, in
order to raise money to pay the current ex-
pences of the General Government, even
if large retrenchments are made in these
expenditures. Let the people read what
Mr.. Sherman says, and say whether
his words are not those of "truth and So
berness."
have shown Mr.. Chairman, that we
will have to raise sixty-five to seventy
millions for the next fiscal year. Where is
it TO come from? what sources Of revenue
have web First, we have the public lands.
l have here a table which presents some
singular fact in regard to these lands. In
the year 1859, the Government disposed
of l3,54O,ls7, acres of public lands,
from which it received sl,628,1s7, or
about shilling an acre. What became of
these lads. Why over 100000 acres
went to railroad caompnnies, to form their
capitol stock and that not by the action
of one party but by all parties. l am
glad that never voted for such grants
By the natural operation of business, all
these lands go into to the hands, of nom
residents: of foreigners who furnish rail
road iron on the security of these lands.
We granted as swamp lands, 1,530,96O
acres, aad il bounty land warrants, $780,
700 acres. The receipts into the Land o.
fee were but S1,628,ls7, while the ex-
penses of the land offices, of clerks, reg
isters and receivers, land surveys, &c.,
amounted to S1,31O,759 so that the net
proceed of the revenue from public lands
was but 100000.
l trust the therefore that the idea of
locking to the public lands as source of
revenue will be at once abandoned. Let
US by wise system Of pre-emtion laws,
or by homestead bill, or some system of
that kind, invite every man who desires TO
locate on western lands to 60 there and
make for himself home. That is the on
ly honest, the only noble, the only manly
system of disposing of the public lands.-
Their is no reason in the world why the
western settlers should pay the Govern
ment for their lands they occupy. Their
labors gave to these lands their value
They were of no value TO the Government
or any body else while they lay there IN
cultivated. 1t is the labor of the hardy
men of the western States that gives these
lands all their value, and yet they have
paid millions on millions for the public
lands; so that the history of each new
State. for the first ten years of its exist
ence, has been struggle with poverty
and debt; and all the new States laden
down with debts contracted in paying for
public lands, either to the Government or
spectators. Labor alone gave them value.
1t is idle therefore, 10 look to the public
lands as source of revenue.
To show you how so distinguished a
gentleman as the Secretary of the Treas
ury may make mistakes in there matters l
have here table which presents this curl
Gus state of facts. Mr.. Secretary Cobb
estimated the receipts from public lands in
1858 at s6,0OO,OOO. 1t turned out 10 be
S3,543,7l5, and the great bulk Of that
was paid for expenses. In 1859 he esti-
mated the receipts of publci lands at s5,-
100000. 1t turned out to be 81, ,755,6S7.
In 1860 he estimated them first at $2,O0O,-
900, and afterwards at $4,000, 900. They
have and will realize less than two million.
He estimates the receipts from the sales Of
public lands in 1861 at 100000. In
my judgement they will net reach $780,
900, because l hope this Congress will
pass pre-emption and homestead law,
and that will settle the question of the pub
lie lands. Whether homestead bill pass
OF not, it is evident that the public lands
never will be, never should be, never ought
to have been, source of public revenue be-
cause the expenses have nearly equaled the
proceeds. There is no other practical source
of revenue for the government except
duties on imports.
The miscellaneous items found in the
estimates are merely receipts from consuls,
fines, forfeitures, and matters of that kind,
which amount to about one millions dol
lars. The only practical source of revenue
for the national government is duties on
imports, and this is a magnificent source of
revenue. No country in the world has f.
ner source of revenue than this. We i'm
port S400,000,000 worth of foreign pro-
ducts annually. A duty of ten per cent on
that, would amount TO $40, 900, 900. 1t was
the beast of an English Chancellor of the