The New York herald., 1868-06-04
lASHlNCTO



we not avail ourselves Of these reso ees, whv bor
row ana oppress the people by taxation, external
and internal, when we have och resources at com
msnaf ,as;,srN,son MI. MGoo '1e examined the bll
sstion to give Re entire control Of the
vast pstronaee o. the revenue department into
0e nanus vi che Commissioner he doubted
the power OF Congress 20 do this; merely changing
the name srom '.burean" TO 'depariments could not
ex0a ne constitutional lnnoision; nrs.aes no one
on him. He had nothing to say against the present
Incumbent Of that office; but ne did not think the
Committee OF Ways and Means woald have con-
uented 10 grant such an enormous power to him II
ne was not an active, obedient radical politician. II
n, con,rol over that ofcer was taken away. He
made almost omnpotent over the private affairs
this bin. The bill was defective i'm detail What
was good in it was old, and what was new was bad.
II had been got up in the interest OF officials. Those
who have been running the internal revenue ma
chine, and through whose exclusive mismanagement
Ill the frauds and lax administration had been
allowed were 10 be placed in "a stronger position
than'ever, to carry out without hndrance from any
quarter stupeneous schemes OF fraHe and specula-
uoa Ihe lncompetency OF the main directors OF nhe
internal revenue system has been the chief cause OF
fhe whskey frauds. The men who have perpetrated
the wrongs complained of could not have had the
opportunity II national position IN tne ENFORCE,
Ment Of the law had been adopted and adhered
10 with Gnyeidng determination instead OF
~ SYSTEM executed with stern regularity and
discipline everything has been at loose ends; every
'iay brought changes in both men and measures;
the b,ll a seuf ont one Of leeches to suck the
blood of the ,istier. who filled were re-
riareo with another set, who in turn took their
Share and members of Congress were TO blame for
ibi They foc,ed upon the Secretary and Commission
improper and dishonest men as revenue officials
Gofo fl,e departments any morning and You will
fBn lucnheTs OF both houses there seeking such ap
pOintfeDts. Is III fair 20 abuse these officials for
o',nu'ts Tor which we are to some extent more re-
spotsible than tEeyy lie said he would propose sew
.'1 a'neb"ments To the bill as 1t came from the
co nmttce.
iaiir eomrse of Mr. Woods argument Mr. PRICE
iciHsANd tta the proposition OF the gentleman was
a i.agnitcent one If ii We're only feasible; but the
hN"uity was thai since the discovery OF gold In Cal.
ioTrlH fne production Ol every dollars worth OF
go'a AND silver had cost as much If not more in
e iuiUl.
ar WooD said that the gentlemans objection
wOuid he sound II his premises correct; but he
referred 10 j. Ross Brownies report showing that in
one large mine III California the gross receipts for
years had been 81 100 600, and the aggregate
cost o production only s3S5,OOO. That showed
proit OF over Two hundred per cent and he Thought
s. at Win the skilled labor and scientific resources
v!nri the government could command the profits
Of H'ilus could be raised to one thousand per cent.
hr iEicE SAID that the faacy OF the argument
was Stat the gentleman IRON New York had selected
Tor ms illustration one very profitable NINE but
ons lnlo consideration every dollar OF the precious
metals produced cost at least dollar in labor. II
thai We're so the plan proposed would not go far TO-
wains diminishing the public debt
hr NooD said that the gentleman from Iowa de-
rived his icIs from the miners who were interested
'h shpttes3hg the iacts
Mr.. HUNTER, ucpl of nd next addressed the
committee, expressing himself opposed to the pro-
Visions ~ She bill IN reference to the collection OF the
whisk tax.
Mr. NiBiAcK. l,lelnl of Ind, member of the Com
mittee on Ways ana Means, expressed mis- views on
tlie subject OF the Dll, On wnicn, he said great pains
HAD pCen bestowed, making it great Improvement
on existing Legislation ON the subject He should
certainly 0uer no 1acous opposition To anything in
the Dill bui there Were still some sections and para
graphs IN which he did not concur. For instance,
nc did not concur in The section constituting the
Bureau of internal Revenue "a separate ana indie
pendent department. of the government. The great
houblc, he thought in the nOn-collectiOn OF the
whiskey tax was The fact that the tax had been
placed so high, thereby Offering such an enormous
1nduccment 10 fraud. He proposed the reduction Of
the taS 10 nifty cents per gallon. He would not. how
greater or less rate, but for higher than seventy
tve cents. Relieving. therefore, that the difficulty
was not with the system OF the collection, hut
with the high rate, he did not the necessity
for changing the bureau of Internal Revenue into
Al independent department. lie deemed the section
Ia reference to the COMMISSIONER of Internal Revenue
~ variance with the constitutional provision To
the appointment of public officers, by and with the
advice and consent Of the Senate.
Mr. ELDBIpGE suggested that the bin would
tinue in Office the present Commissioner beyond the
power OF removal by he President, and that the
Commissioner was certainly not an officer who
should oe retained permanently IN the position.
Nj. WOoD added that the bill would continue the
Commissioner in Office for life.
Nj. NIBIAcS admitted that that the fact.
Another peculiarly oi the bill was that IL legslaed
out O Oiice every other officer Of the internal
nue. and placed the whole power OF the department
ia ihc bands Of the commissioner. That looked too :.
much like hAing up things for the OCCASION The
ony solt of check on the Commissioner provided by
TIC ll was the appointment of Solicitor OF Internal
hCvenre, winch Was To be made 10y the President.
Will She advice ami consent of the Senate. lie
spoN" liphly OF the present Commissioner polite
gentleman and faithful officer.
After lurtier discussion 10y Messrs UipbV
and Johnson, of Ca., In opposition to the views put
forward uN Mr. NcOd as 10 the availability or the
nhher resources OF the country Tor Tue payment OF
ue dos., the eomnlit'ee rose at eleven O'Clock The
g, neral G;'ae was ordered 10 he closed In an hour
ana q h3ii aier The Tax bin shall again be taken up
iLe honse adjourned.