The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-02-03
Z. coNonRssroSAI.

I : =
House Proceedings -late,uaz Regeaas Mr.
| STEVENS moved that the rules be suspended.
and the House resolve itself into Committee
! Of the w hole on the state of the Union. 5,
The motion was agreed to. $500.
| So the rules We're suspended, and the
House accordingly resolved itself iiito the
Committee of the Whole on the state of the
Union, Mr. Cox in the chair,) and. resumed
the coRsiderationef the special order, being
bill Of the House No. 122, to increase the in
ternal revenue, and for other.purpose.
The CHAIRMAN. = The pending question
is to add to the following amendment offerea
by Mr. FERNANDO WOOD sssa
Prouidel further That all spirits on hand
and for sale, whether distilled prior to the
date of this act or not, shall be subject to the
rates of duty provided by this act from and
after the 18th day of January, 1864, except
that such spirits as shall have been already
taxed under the .aw approved July IL, 1862,
shall not pay more than the additional in
creased tax provided for by this act -.
the following prcviso:
4A,ad proviaed further, That manufacturers
shall not be required to pay any additional tax
over and above the amount imposed by the
act OF 1862, upon any spirits manufactured by
them prior to the passage of this act. 81. no
The amendment to the amendment was
not agreed to-, ....ttsssbas ly7s.s. :; qsis:as.
A long discussion ensued in which many
! members participated At length Mr.. Love-
joy:moyed to strike out the first word of the
amendment. After considerable further dis
cussion, the question being on Mr. Logejoy's
amendment, Mr.. Lovejoy withdrew its1a $
= Mr.. STEVENS. Ifenew the amendment.
II desire to say in regard to that portioa which
| refers to distillers that numerous comm .ttees
from them were before the Committees of
+ Ways and Means, every one of which, with
outa single exception, protested against inn
posing tax on the stock of liquor on hand
| There is probably some person having large
stock on hand whom it is proposed to reach
IN this way. 1t is all in nutshell The
gentleman from New York Mr.. FERNANDo
/ WooD] has succeeded very well, think. il,
/ what he proposed to accomplish, which, was
! to distract this side of the House, put che re-
/ spensibility Of the act upon us, and So get his
party into power. l withdraw the amend
/ ment. -.--
Mr.. WASHBURNE, of illinois, L will
say to the gentleman from Pennsylvania that
4 am willing to take my share of the respon-
sib,lity. -a.fils7a s soisssssh 81 ssasfAa' sasE
Mr.. GARFIELD. I renew q the amena-
iment. l do not know that understand ex-
aetly what the gentleman from Pennsylvania
means, and if i am wrong l wish to be cor
rected. 1t makes no difference to me who it
is that Offers an amendment The gentle
man from New York Mr.. FERNANDo WooD]
has offered an amendment which appeals to
8 q
just as important coming from him as if it
had been offered by the gentleman from Penn
sylvania, Mr. STEVENS. If the amend
1 ment be wrong in principle I desire some gem
ltleuan on this side of the House or on the
other to show it and when that shall be
:, shown / will vote against it. In the mean
; time shall 60 for it. do not understand,
t l have never understood, that if + buy a
horse I do SO under,a quasi contract with the
Government that there never will be a high
er tax put upon that horse than existed when
/ bought him. 1t seems TO me that what
4 gentlemen have been saying here this morn
| ling is based upon that fallacy-upon the sup
position that yhen person purchases any
thing or produces anything liable to taxation
the Government is under contract to him not
to tax that thing any more than it was taxed
at The time he bought it or produced it.
Now what are the facts in the case before
us Since the passage of the act of August
1862, taxing liquors, nearly all the surplus
e corn and rye in the country has been distilled,
a and millions of gallons of liquor are now in
= the country in the hands of spectators. Up
: on TINT stock it is proposed by the gentleman
j from New York to levy an additional tax for
s the purposes of revenue.
= .hut gentlemen tell Us there is quasi con-
tract which the Government has entered into
: with these distillers and dealers, that it will
not tax liquors any more until it has giyer
: them due notice. fsss -
e Now do not recognize any sach principle
e of legislation, or any such obligation on the
:, : part of the Government of the United States
: Every man owns and produces property with
Il the understanding that the Government hai
e the right TO tax it, and propose that W,
/: shall exercise that right now. s. - s. go
y Mr.. LOVEJOY. / dislike TO interrupt thu
] gentleman, but / will put this question t
u him: Suppose there IS an import duty Of
Is say, twenty or twenty-five per cent. upon
3 certain article of foreign merchandise, ant
: with the knowledge of that rate of duty, an,
, with that understanding, contract for the i'm
1 portation of a certain amount of that article
l ask the gentleman if i would be Just 70
the Government to place an additional dut
of twenty or twenty FIVE per cent. upon tina
!, article for which had previously contracted
al Mr.. GARFIELD. The gentleman says b
D. purchased with that understanding. shoul
70 like to ask who Sas the other party to tina
!, understanding
Mr.. LoVEJoY.a TIE Government. s-
Mr.. GARFIELD. With whatever under
AS standing the gentleman purchased, thers wa
rs none on the part of the Government that dl.
: not leave it perfectly at liberty to lay an ad
- ditional tax if it so determined / woul,
ID consent to no doctrine that did not admit tha
n, principle a..ltslsssT ssi HlosGid .lle ga.ssts
It'll Mr. BLAINE. Suppose the goods hav
J, already been imported and are lying in tn
y bonded warehouse does the gentleman hol
D that the Government would have the right /
lay an additional tax upon the goods Will
:. lying in the warehouse
81 Mr.. GARFIELD. Yes, sir; the gentle
y man does hold that the Government woal
81 have the right to lay an additional tax upo
as Them ~; ;t,5,s, ,@-.ts4 ,,,Es.s,..-s
ce Mr.. BLAINE. That is new principle,
q Mr. LOVEJOY. The question is nc
- whether the property has been taxed, bu
- whether the property has not been purchase
as with the understanding that no increased Ia
[nE was to be imposed and whether, under thes
~ circumstances, the Government has the righ
: to. increase the import tax upon the goods S
9, 9, purchased
~ Mr.. GARFIELD. Ihaye already answer
e. ed the gentleman's question; but the qaes
ert ton before usis not one of importation,a bg
id zone of internal revenue, and to that questio
d 4 have addressed my remarks. OF course
n might be right and proper for us to max
ri some provision for contracts made under tn
=. old law and continuing yet. q ..s
ea But, Mr.. Chairman, I object to the sugges
aOff