The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1864-07-20

unworthy motive, except by somo irres-
ponsible editor, aud assure you that
there is no place in tho world where the
motives and acts Of men are more carefully
serutinized than in Congress
The Committee Of Finance in the Senate
Of which The distinguished Senator from
Maine, Mr.. Fessenden, is Chairman, is com
posed Of seven Senator's, every one Of
whom are earnest friends of the Admins
tration and supporters of the Union nomi
nces of the Baltimore Convention, and yet
onlv one member Of this important Commit.
tee, Senator Sherman, nom our State was
in favor Of taxing spirits OH hand and the
Senate as body, which is more than fire
TO one, Union In sentiment, voted from
Grst to last against the tax. win any
sane man charge corruption upon the FL
nance Committee of the Senate and the
large majority of that body who voted
against this measured
In tho House tho Committee of Ways
and Means consists Of nine members, ot
which Hon, Thaddeus Stevens, of Penn
sylvania, is Chairman. Six Of the Commit
tee are Administration men, and Mr.. Steb-
bins, OF New York, elected IA Democrat
s as true Union man as thcro is in the
House. This committee were oil against
the proposed tax on spirits on hand, ex,
cept Mr.. kasson, of Iowa, the youngest
member of that committee. am sure
howeyer, that neither the character of the
men who compose these important COM
mittees in the Senate and House or any Of
the members Of the House who voted
against the whiskey tax from the first, or
who, having voted for the tax, afterwards
changed their votes against it. can ever be
seriously damaged by the vile saunders or
the yilor inaendoes of any editor
Now that the whiskcy question is dis.
posed of, permit INC to give you some of
the reasons which induced me TO vote for
the proposition to tax spirits on hand Be-
fore doing so frankly admit that l voted
from first to last q1ainSt the report Of our
Ways and Means Committee with great
reluctance Indeed seldom vote against
report made by any of our own commit.
tees of the Senate or House, aud when dc
tits always with reluctance.
When so strong body Of men, whose
business it is to examine all questions oil
finance in the Senate and House, concur in
reporting 80 unanimously against q propo
sition for which I am voting, if continuC
to vote against them all will agree that
| ought to be very clear upon the PROPOSE
ton, or do SO with some hesitation.
These committees have oil the facts be-
fore them, and practically attend to nc
other bnsiuess, while geatlenea who arc
members of other committees, have jIieii
thoughts directed more particularly to the
business with which they are especially
charged, and they have not time to ex
anime everything. Members are com
pclled to entrust much to the various com
mittees charged with the examination O
different subjects. did not feel sure
from the Grst of the practica6Rity of at
tempting to tax spirits on hand after it had
paid q tax. Ny anxiety, however, to catct
the whiskey speculators, was so great thu
voted against our own committee ant
and against my own idea Of true Etatesman
ship which is in substance, that all Eegss
innate cogswefce and eeery branch Of Jusi
ness recognized By tic commercial porlcl
should hare as .feV restrictions placed upo,
IL by Goesrnnent as possible, and that al
branches Of trade and commerce shoult
bear their proportion of The tdees leciedfo,
NE support Of the Government, eqaaHy
| Experience teaches m, that any departure
from this principle is dangerous. In m,
anxiety to reach the spectators, attempt
ed to reason myselfinto the belief that the
old adage Of there "6eiag no good ,,ulc
,citlom exceptions, might hold good gooa
in this case, and that could make whis
ky aud tobacco exceptions to the rule ii
laying taxes. For substantially the sam,
reasons voted for all tho Gold bills, al
they are called, which this Congress hal
enacted. for the parPoas Of putting stoi
10 gambling in gold. | would not hav,
voted for them, or the propositions 10 ta,
spirits on hand, after they had paid on,
tax, had we not been in the midst of thi
wSr. Because of that, and because thl
Government Yas in great need, was will
ing to do almost anything which evei
promised to break dcwn these speculatori
and gaIsblers by whose operations th
price Of every thing has been SO great
enhanced and the credit Of the Government
seriously impaired. ~
The contest for taxing whisky on han
is now ended. and we can look back an
seq without much effort our mistakes.
am pretty couGdent that all our legislatio
againat what is called gold gambling ha
resulted disasterously TO the Governmen
and aided TO advance the price of gold
| expressed my doubts about the prophet
Of passing the acts va cid to number {
gentlemen during the discussion of thos
bills in the gonse aud | VOTED for thel
only ;Eoeanse the Administration asked 10
them, hoping that might be misiakel
, Fifteen or twenty Of the ablesi Union raen
.heTs Of tho House, who agreed with mo
theory, voted the same way. hoping again,
, hope, that some good might result frol
their PASSAGE
If the proposition to tax spirits on han