Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-05-30
FROM WASHINGTON.
Passage of the Tax Bill in the House-A
Triumph for Secretary McCulloch-In-
teresting Features OF the Bill-Caucus.

day finally passed the tax Dill, alter tW'
weeks consideration, with only clever
votes against it. The negative vote
we're Messrs. Bergen, Eldridge, Order
Kerr, Marshall Niblack, Nicholson
Ritter, Ross, Sitgreaves, Trimble anC
| Wright. After the bill was brought GU
of the Committee of the Whole, all de
bate was cut off, and the House proceeded
to vote on the important amendments
Contrary to anticipation, Thad. Stevens
withdrew the amendment which he Of
fered on Saturday, depriving the Score
tary of the Treasury of the power tC
appoint officers under this bill A motion
was made, however, as n sort of substi
tute for this, depriving him Of the selec
ton of the new officer, to be called the
Special Internal Revenue Commissioner
whose duties are to investigate the
sources of taxation, and TO place the
appointment in the hands of the Presi
dent, but vote resulted in giving the
Secretary the privilege His opponents
then attempted to strike out the section
creating this special Office, but the House
also defeated this, and the Secretary OF
the Treasury came out of the attack
commenced on Saturday with a complete
triumph
The important amendments which
were voted on separately by the
House occupied nearly all of the day.
session. The tobacco and cigar tax was
perhaps the most important. The tax
on tobacco was finally fixed SIS follows :;
On cavendish, plug, twist, aud all other
kinds of manufactured tobacco, not
herein otherwise provided for, a tax OF
40 cents per pound; on tobacco twisted
by hand, or reduced from leaf into a
condition TO be consumed, without the
use of any machine or instrument, and
without being pressed, sweetened, or
otherwise prepared, tax of 30 cents
per pound; on fine-cut chewing tobacco,
whether manufactured with stems in, or
however sold, whether loose, in bulk or
in rolls, packages, papers, wrappers or
boxes, tax of 40 cents per pound; on
smoking tobacco of all kinds not
sweetened or stemmed nor butted, in
Guiding that of stems and limitations
thereof, tax of 20 cents per pound on
smoking tobacco sweetened, stemmed
and butted, tax of 40 cents per pound.
The amendment of Mr.. Schenck to re-
duce the tax on tobacco not stemmed
nor sweetened, from 20 10 cents per
pound, was rejected by the house; so 1t
remains as given above.
The tax on cigars was fixed by sepa-
rate vote, as follows On cigarettes, or
small cigars made of tobacco inclosed in
q wrapper or binder and not over three
and a half inches in length, and on cigars
made with twisted head. the market value
of which, exclusive of the tax, is not over
eight dollars per one thousand, tax of
two dollars per thousand; on all other
cigars four dollars per thousand; and
forty per cent ad valorem exclusive of
the tax, provided that in assessing said
ad valorem duty the first ten dollars val
nation shall not be assessed.
The next important amendment voted
on BY the House was that which strikes
out Of the bill provision allowing gas
companies to charge the consumers with
the government tax.
The Chairman of Ways and Means
wanted this retained. He read letters
from the Pittsburg and Covington Gas
Companies, showing that if the compa-
MES mad to pay the tax it would be
most enormous burden. The House
thought otherwise, and struck out the
provision. So gas companies, under this
bill, when it is a law, will no longer be
authorized to charge their consumers
with this tax.
The House then disagreed to the
amendment agreed to in committee which
allowed the publication of income re-
turns in the newspapers. The publica-
ton, therefore, can continue MS usual
The bill as passed is the largest one
ever considered in the House of Repre-
sentatives. 1t makes over two hundred
and twenty pages, and comprises over
FIVE thousand lines.
The Republican Senatorial caucus re-
newed its session this morning and again
this afternoon. There was full attend
ance. The main question was to provide
a substitute for the third section Of the
pending constitutional amendment,
which DISTINGUISHES for four years all
who voluntarily aided the rebellion.
There was great unanimity on striking
it cut, but there was not the same har-
mony in providing a Il W clause. There
was general desire inat leading rebels
should be disfranchised forever from
holding any Office under the General
Government, and it is probable that in
the final agreement some such clause
will take the place of the wholesale dis
franchising motion Neither Senators
Doolittle, Dixon nor Cowan were in
vited to attend this caucus nor any Of the
preceding ones.
Judge Underwood, who is here, states
that the United States Court will GER
tainly meet at Richmond next week. The
case of Jefferson Davis will be called for
trial, though its postponement until Dc
tober is most probable This will be done
at the request of the officers Of the
Government having the matter in charge
The Government has issued an order
granting his counsel free access to their
client at Fortress Monroe, in order that
full preparations may be made for the
trial whenever it does comes off
The Commissioner of Agriculture, in
his report just published, says so far the
accounts Of the wheat crop are discOur-
aging, as they indicate a short crop over
a large part Of the country, but the cir
culars to be published on the first day of
June will fully show the condition Of the
older crops at that time. So backward
is the season that early accounts cannot
be relied upon.
Thad. Stevens to-day introduced a
new bill on reconstruction. See regu-
lar Congressional report 1t abolishes
the present State governments in the
South, and provides for new ones based
on universal suffrage.
The House Banking Committee have
unanimously decided and so reported to
the House against recommending the