, 1864-12-30

The CHAIRMAN. No, but the Chair will
1ecl compelled to raise that point of order
from the chair if the debate lakes much
wider range. The gentleman from Illinois
will proceed.
Mr. WA;sununNE, Of Illinois. will try to
In rcsald to the point made by the gentle.
man from Massachusetts. fMr. Dawes, in re-
latfon to the enhanced price Of the 1nateria.
from which paper Is manufactured, let me saw
tEi6 in reply: before the war, the p,ice Of
paper was eight and nine cents \ pound,
and the enhpnced price of the 1nateriai
would. have brought It up, SOY to fifteen
or sixteen cents pound but not being Sat
ished with tuat, these paper monopolists and
manufacturers have run II up to twenty-five
and twcnty-serencen a pound.
The gentleman from the Boston district
{Mr. RICE spoke OF the hardship and injury
Suffered BY the paper manufacturers, and
their failure to make money ut their present
prices. Let me tell him some facts which
know Of my own knowledge. Thero is a
paper.mill in the State Of Illinois. halrof
which was s]g Rrogostd oHS to be sold six months
SEQ tor $l5,o0 and the party now asks
SIS, 600, and says that at that prize it viii nav
an Interest Of forty per cent.
This question does not come before us here
because this is an appropriation which we nre
bound to make for this deficiency arising from
the enhanced price Of papes- I understand
and if I am wrong the chairman Of the Com.
mittee Of Ways and Means will correct ne.
that he made his estimate at eighteen cents
per pound, but instead Of paying eighteen
cents per pound he is obliged BY these en-
HANGED prices to pay from thirty-one 10 thIr
ty-seven cents per pound. But. we have got
to meet this question. r.
MIR. RICE, Of Massachusetts. I would like
to ask my friend from Illinois whether the
law does not require that the Superintendent
Of Public Printing shall advertise. for PROMO
sails for paper, and whether his contrncts ore
not based upon the returns made to that ad-
vertisement; and il SO, aud IT he entered into
1;would like to know where is his authority
for paying thirty cents pound?
Mr. STEVENS. The gentleman does not un-
dcrstand me as saying that the SuperInten-
dent entered into contracts at that rate. I
said he made his estimates at that rate:
estimates on which I suppose he would have
to base his contrncts.
Mr.. RICE, -of Massachusetts + should sup
pose that the Superintendent OF Public Print
irK. whose business 1t Is 10 be acquainted
With the price ofraper, would como nearer to
cents and paying for 1t over thirty cents.
no1hine to 90 VIII the great ci that e. ~ sa
perintendent of Public Printing, who has full
knowledge Of the matter, instead Of buying
paper ut eighteen cents pound, which be es.
timated as a fair price, states to the Commit:
lee Of Ways and Means that he IL obliged to.
pay from thirty-one to thirty-sev cents o;
pound. That-has nothing to do with the law
in regard to the contfnct system. We have
got to meet this question, not here In this de-
dciency bill, but when 1t shall come before the
House. Then it will be for Representatives
to say whether the country shall have to sub
nit 10 the present high orlce OF paper by con
tinuinE the high prohibitory duty, thus impo-
sing tax upon education, a tax upon know
ledge, tax upon Newspapers, tax which
will, in fact, destroy all our local newspapers
If it be continued.