The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-08-23
WHAT CONGRESS HAS DONE.

WHAT CONGRESS HAS DONE. al1.
do not propose to discuss in detail
the doings OF Congress. 5a' ~ Z
By its fruits let It be Judged.
The President has repeatedly de-
clared that treason must be made
odious, and traitors punished.
On the 11th of June resolution
was introduced in the House in these
words: 20 siiv
WHEREAS, 1t is. notorious that
Jefferson Davis was the leader of the
great rebellion, and is guilty of trea-
son under the laws of the United
States. NV ~ofl 'iiih
HWHEREAs, By the proclamation
of the President, of May, 1865, the
said Davis was charged with compile
ity in the assassination of President
Lincoln, and said proclamation has
not been revoked or annulled; there
fore be it '.Hi,a aaiA1 Il, ,
p Resolved, AS the opinion of the,
House of Representatives, that said
Davis should be held in custody as
prisoner, and subjected to a trial ac-
eor1ing to the laws Of the land. -
That resolution received in its sup
| port l03 Union votes, and only two
of the opposition, while all the re-
mainihg Democrats voted outright
against it or lodged e 90 ',i.1 7l3il'7
| Yet no rebel has ever been tried,
and treason seems in a fair way to be
made more respectable than loyalty,
| Even in Maryland, where traitors
were indicted, no trial has ever been
had, and none. ever will be- That is
the mode in which treason is made
odious. siie -l - ~ .h+ ol5. 'fH'iAi
/ This Congress found the country
heavily burdened with internal taxes.
Mr. Speaker Colfax has graphically
told the country what Congress did
on this subject. In arecent speech
he said: :dIIhF ohU ,9a Da1
: In the tax bill, Which REPRESENTS
the cast of our national existence, we
made many reductions and ameliora-
tions, as far as possible for the relief
of those least able to bear taxation,
and we 10 made many amend
ments of great general benefit. The
tax on railroad freights was abolish
ed, because we found that it was by
the railroad companies added to the.
rates of transportation, so that it
came out of the farmer at last. The
tax onaslaughtered animals was also
abolished, thus tending toward de-
crease in the rates of living. We al
so abolished the tax on brick and.
building stone, on window glass, fer
tilizers, plows, harrows, cultivators.
planters, drills, hay cutters, grain
cradles, reapers, mowers, threshers.
corn shelters, Winnewing mills and
wooden ware Every one of you
knows where the benefit of these
changes in the system of taxation will
accrue, and | need not amplify on il,
Congress was about to pass an act re-
garding the income tax, providing
that the amount consumed by farmer
on his farm should be deducted before
collecting his income, but the In
ternal Revenue Department an
ticipated us by making that their de-
cision. The tax on iron. which Is So
largely used by farmers, is reduced
from 81 20 per tun to 50 90, and pig
iron is absolutely free from taxation.
While the tax on manufactures gener-
ally was reduced from six to FIVE per
cent, clothing and boots and shoes,
and some other manufactures of the
necessaries of life, were reduced from
six per cent. to two per cent, sixty-six
per cent, and as these constitute the
largest portion of mechanical pursuits
conducted by those who have small
capital, tailors and shoemakers whose
work, excluding all materials, does
not exceed 81 900 per annum in value,
are exempt entirely from even this
two per cent. The heaviest taxes re-
naming are on spirits, ale, cigars: to-
bacco. cotton, gas, carriages over $500
in value, gold watches, billiard tables,
banks. brokers, distilleries, theatres,
circuses and lotteries Of all the ag-
rieulturaI products Of the country, the
only ones taxed are cotton md to-
bacco."
Congress has scarcely commenced
its session until claims from the rebel
States began to pour in against the
Government for property DESTROYED
during the war.
Mr.. Delano, the Chairman of the
Committee on Claims, estimated that
if this class of claims should be al
lowed they would amount to several
hundred millions. b .siiaii'f i-