, 1866-07-14
THE TARIFF BILL.
Speech of Hon. John Wentworth.
Delivered In the Honse nF Representa-
hlvcs, July 10, 1866.


averaged t40 Though the year Reducing TINS to
l.g.!,1elas5s. @ M and oar imports hare amounted to
have alaaye been COLLECTED II pold, my calculations
Nili ll to In god. Our re epts itom cuetoms BE-
fort the var Fever renchtd <6Qt0, 600. save in the
years ls5. 1sss, snd 1851: ano We ali k1os that a,
nhIc!al oltasters followed, which were attributed
by come 70 c1cstetve tmgoftattous under IN erro-
neous isrta fysiep. Indeed. they never reached
f.0o0o,0N: save IN the additional years OF 1853,
1855, and 1850. They nete, tn
1oOl.s....s....-...s. .-...s........-..4 3AuVU09
!sos s-,''*.--... ...'..'..-...+.-...--.-- aSUN1Mn
!Se3' ..'.'--...'-'''..........-. 5l.ouN
isS5 iisS5.-.'..'.'..'.:..''....''. iHncSE Y; ~ ssH
and iii year ,hcr have reached sl7O ooo 6oo; moss
Than double those Of last yeat, and more than <100
our eovtrnmcn1nl e1i.tence. Our Government Is
the greatest landed proprietor IN the world IN lis
own right to say nothing Of It's 1n'G1est IL the lanu
OF its citizens yet unGevepped. Its lands, richer
IN their yeeetabie mold than the most highly cui.
iivated lands Of the Old World, aeoanuins In ,he
,eese nn 0E snd Sss5
we orc importing agricultural products. With the
mechanic arts as highly oeyeloyed as any country
on the globe, We are natsoniztng foreign mechan-
ICE. Needing laboreEs. Wc are carrying work to
1oseten lRlor which starvation would drive 10 US X
We dIa not 60 10 It
shonid Se renedied. And how shall /. 10 % 1eme.
ii. Bnl how tia, Ii be rtyiseu7 !.Nlc la6or hoe
OPUS est.n A. President johnson said Of the word
"teto-" wonlu inform you. LII. Speaker, th6t this
ia latn, aud, applied to tho present day, means
that nine 1nem6ers Of this House, constituting the
Commlltee on Ways and Means. cannot frame rsy-
we iaborcd more assiduously than any Committee
of this nonse ever did labor. We bayc been IN ses
slo9 nosnipga. evening", and holidays, and als9
20 much attention to the eup}ect Of revenue that
have neglected 10 Introduce Jingle constitutional
amendment. or 10 make single reconstruction
old ones on hand that might bear rcpca',ne. Nor
prolific in ,hl- respect. Yet W haye ali dane our
has come the 1eTlel Of pnch Of us as were IN dan
ger OF losing stafus the tlavc1y question a.
home because VIC did not neglect tue duties as
furmed by Others.
We lsboted long and patiently upon the internal
revenue bill Bn,1t did not satisfy the House. 1t
was fmendtd 10 Important particulars. Il then
we1 to tbe Senate, where it vas amended in over
six hundred particulars. The Tariff bill Is row be-
fore ue. The product oi equal labor, also unsatis
factory, ard has teen amended BY The House. Mhn-
nlacturer. denounce T. as free trade tariff. Com.
merce more strongly d-noaHces Il IL a prohibitory
tsria; Agriculture erows that In many respec!B II
ol ite own For while agriculture Is the largest Of
all Interests requiring the fostering caro- OF Goyern
mens and does 1he MOST Of tbs tag paving In peace.
ap1 ,e no;t mo- snpg In 1as syef b:sn
est OF all interests IN legislative assemblies. Yet
farmers can judge more ot interestedy ofths work
people revision Il the ta j: called ios a tSs S
panacea Of the times. But II man il very eick and
calls physician, be DOES not get much information
medicine .lail be ,aEenf Is tae inoary. % Wha, re- re-
ris1on thal iue tA!tn haye1 IL our fnquisy 10 an
twer this let u lake fall t'ar; let Us find Sec
uon corner aud survey from that. ,
First. we want revenue. And those means of
nj IN collection. vii not argue The compa;a.
1nFlye merits Of free trade md protection now be-
cause free t1ne te absusdiiy unless all Other ma
tions favor II j; md because our debt and interest
are 60 excessive that We ere now s.t1atlon 10
favor il II olher naoLE did Our four years Of ex.
Fer1tEce IN internal taxation demonstrates lis In.
juttise snd oppression. That part Of i: which Is
pie may object 10 q elpk1nc fund. ns they thnx II
II enough Tor men Of ther age to be taxed for In.
terett. But Young Amenca Will insiat that tae
'S ne Of taTPs he inspesson Of pya,s books 9pl
stopped al the earliest possible period md Will
cnruic the greatest pryatlona to get our debt out
St The W. So a has thy ha be stopped Aaa
1nsis' that fnch policy shall be adopted q. shall
require no more le.cnuc IL this annoying way shan
elaaasg asa hs sanus
pt1ceptin1e decrease OF interest will Will be an
Impetus to liberal sinking fund and consequent
policy Nc must pay IS ar a. prae,.csb!c the o,di.
nary expenses OF cur Government from duties upon
lmpor'e.,, And AZ those expenses 10 time Of
&c able 10 elyc al our industrial and business pnr-
sa,ts wasa they especially ne:d, . comparatively
We can never expect the needed extension Of man
uiscturef 10 the Vest until capitalists have come
greater assurance than they heretofore have had,
that the ground upon which they build al one con-
eNss shall not be taken from at the 1exf- We
muel have pertinent tariff policy. II We say
that our custom duties eha1l equal onr orafoafy
n. G9,ssnTsnsat 2. espen.e. We hare ct starting
clcs ,heee duties shall be raised, and hou much
shall ccme from laxnttes. how mnch from neces.i-
ss a no much so ssss fons ~
commission composed Of ono farmer, oue manu-
iacturci. and one commercial man, upon fAe doc.
ntne Of compensation. could IN time arrange all
agreed upon. 1hs interests that waula oc repre-
teu,cd bT these three commissioners arc 1nsepaza-
teaneu manufactures N Ike the ships and the guns;
and agriculture furnishes The rahon.. All haze in
III seun, an5 h & nssulsnEs an
ftr the farmers with the nanaiacturcfa WHEN the
amount to he lalsel shall bo agreed upon.
Is great Consideration In these daye Of tolls,
trans hipments, ttoIace, aod commissions. And II
ltaw an honest dil*scnce between them and mr..
eeEnhont the iati1 on hoes, Ep1des, shortla. &c,
would fnptst upon compensation by having the
dzifcs reaCced upon tome ol the foreign aE,icles
l.t,te morc for MY cul:isatoss and moncrs II I
could get my ten and coffee little cheaper; and
lhe neita.ed demand iot these loIsin necessities
want. i've up TO II In your appropriations, and let
a sensible aud honest commission appostIon It 10
our sar'ous interests anu loeaisies, and Ire tarlG
other words, take the ,aEiR out OF pnllt1c.. Let
politicians name the amonnt u yor please. as our
tax-ritdcn people VIII force them to economy,
Eut let commerce, agriculture md manufactures
L ibis scheme p77ctcasle, Before ,he war we
pentes froa1 impos.s, the public laod., and MIS-
eellaneoas resources, ana llqnlda:ed debts con-
rr tn11 fnPS fGHA