Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-07-25
For the Chronicle.
THE CONGRESSIONAL QUESTION.
Letters of COrrespOndeBfS.

Mr.. EDITOR In the Chronicle of the
l1th, your correspondent sd. S." tries to
be very severe on Gen. Garfield. for his
Petroleum, and impugns his character as
loyal man on account of his con nection
with the case of the Indiana Conspirators.
ALLOW me to make a brief statement of
the facts in reference to these matters.
I. THE PETROLEUM TAX.
The committee of Ways and Means,
Mr.. Morrill, of Vt, chairman, had had
under consideration a revision of the ex-
else tax law, and had placed on the free list,
building stone, brick, copper, lead, min
eral coal, pig-iron, slaughtered animals,
crude petroleum, and many other articles
of similar character. In making up
this list, the committee aimed "to simpli-
fly our system of taxation by abolishing
the several taxes on the same article in
different stages of production, and thus
benefit the producer as well as the con-
sumer," as is stated in the report.
Gen. Garfeld's special connection with
this matter, may befound in the reported
proceedings of the House, on the 7th of
May last, which reads as follows:
'Mr. Garfield, from the Committee on Ways and
MeanS, reported 1Olnt resolution to provide Tor
the exemption of crude petroleum from tax duty.
Mr.. Morrill, explained the necessity for passing
the Jent re resolution now Ihs !! manuta%stursrs % OF
crude petroleum in the face of loss. Many of I
them were compelled to suspend operations, and
the workmen were becoming notOus. and were deS- I
troying the wells. The Committee of Ways and 4
Means proposed to take of the tax on the lst of
July, and it might as we'll be done now, SO as to /
let the business go on.
The joint resolution was considered and passed"
The only membrs of the House who |
tried to prevent the taking off of the tax, 4
were three members who always vote I
against every measure introduced by the |
regular committees, viz: Chanler, Ross,
and Harris. ]
sd. s." talks very hippantly about ell (
ling casks and pockets with fabulous rapid
ity," and that''it is hard for vulgar eyes to
see the justice of permitting such source
Of enormous wealth to go 1tnt1red, while
the poor mechanic who labors in his shop
from morn to dewy eve to support his
family, must be heavily taxed on all his pro
dIct.". Now there is some poetry in this
but very little truth. If the "source of
this enormous wealth" is not taxed, the .
person that acquires the wealth is. He is
taxed on his income five per centum, if
it exceeds 5000, and ten per centum if it
exceed $4,000, precisely as any other
person is taxed, and the poor mechanic
that labers so laudably, is not taxed at
all, unless his income exceeds 5000. The
tax on crude petroleum did mot operate as
q personal tax upon the one Whose"casks
and pockets" were filed with fabulous
he added the tax to the
value of his product, and the manufac
turer first, and the consumer in the end
paid 1.-THE "poor mechanic" paying his
full share in the increased price of car
bon oil.
Petroleum was put on the free list in
May, instead of July, for the reasons sta
ted above, by Mr.. Morrill,, and if Gen.
Garfield is censurable for his action and
vote in this matter, so is Mr. Morrill,, and
nearly every other member of Congress,
for the vote was nearly unanimous in
both Houses.
II. THE INDIANA CoNsPIRAToRs
In October 1864, Milllgan, Bowles and
Horsey, were put on trial before a mill
tsry commission, convened at Indianapo-
lis, Indiana, by order of Gen. Hovey-
charged with Conspiracy against the
Government of the United States" Civ
ing aid and comfort to the rebels &c
They were tried, pronounced guilty and
sentenced to deaih by hanging, by the
commission, and the sentence was COM
muted to imprisonment for life, by the
President. These parties were born in
the United States, and for twenty years
previous had been residents and citizens
of Indiana, and at no time had been in
the naval or military service of the Uni
ted States or of the rebels. In May 1866,
they filed their petition in the CircuitC Court
of the United States, for the district of
Indiana, setting forth the above fact
among others, and claiming that the mill
tary commission had no legal authority
to try them, and that they should be
discharged from military custody under
the act of Congress of March 3, 1868,
entitled an act relating to habeaS corpus
&c. On hearing the petition the Judges
OF the Circuit Court were divided in opin-
ion and certified to the Supreme Court
of the United States, the following ques-
tioDs:
"Ought writ of habeaS corpus to be is
sued in this case? Ought the prisoners
to be discharged from military custody
Had the military commission jurisdiction
legally to try and sentence them 7"
1t was upon these questions-before
the United States Court at Washington,
that Gen. Garfield made his argument in
reply to Gen. Benz. F. Butler, to which
such bitter exceptions are taken, and here
was his first and only connection with the
case. Let US see what there was in this
to warrant the charge that Gen. Garfield
used ''the influence of his position in ia
Vor of treason and traitors"
The fifth article of the amendment to
the Constitution, reads as follows: No
person shall be held to answer for a capi-
tai or otherwise infamous crime, unless
on preSentmeHt or indictment of Grand
Jury, except in cases arising in the land
and navaL forces, or in the militia when in
actual service, in time Of ,0ar or pnJEe danger,
Ro