Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-06-02
hIistcliancons.



HI. HALE. Mr.. Speaker. We pre-
seat 20 t..y s"rld the astonishing spec
tac.c Of nation Just emerged from \
wasting and devastating war. which
disa-rauged The course of trade i'll al.
most every business relation. and in
many instance, hlotied out sources of
former investment anu profit. and Net
under these disadvantages. obtaining
from the revenues collected from oar
people more than j. needed for imme-
distc uses. We have proved that We
can pay the running expenses of the
Government administered on . prudent
ha~i~ tile interest upon the NATIONAL
ucht, enuugh Of the principal Of that
debt u show that j. can easily tc cx-
tiuLgiShel in the lifetime Of grown up
iaeu now living. and Yet have. after ail
these expenditures. an annual surplus
Of from fifty T. seventy million dol
lars.
The question then arises. what shall
lie done with tins immense surplus or
e. It comes practically before Congress.
from what material interest, Of The
country Ni.l you lit taxation: And
tia; brings before III tile whole quc.-
ton of tie adjustment oi the burdens
ot taxation upon the different material
interests OF the country. When that
j. discussed il Aa, always been founi
that there j, involved lcgitimStclv :ho
question uf protcc,ion-w what interest
Shall b. favored. and 10 what degree 4,
how fax for tic purpose of revenue.
and how iar for the purpose of protcc-
lion: And II amy man had anv dlnht
before whether TINS discussion could
ic carried "A ap"n one plan "i THIS
question wilAout Involving thr other
iAt experience oi me House ior ihe
la~t wv" months must nave settled thc
question IN his Ih'nd. lhl' House ha,
been ior more Than two nonths. M TO
4aol Monday. engaged IN readlu~ilnI
the burdens "i taxation on the material
interests "i thc country, arising under
The tailii biIi reported ~ the Com Ali-
Ice oi aNs ana Means
Now. Mr- NpeaN"r' have looked on
with great deal oi interest during the
discussion. taxing hu' niue part IA H.
~ see tAe deNcl"plHehts produced mere
upon TINS moor III the struggle oi dliieF-
eht interests lVr protection. All the
lta'ilhG interests. "lth one exception
were Thoroughly represented here
PENNSYLVANIA WAS united almost 10 a
ali - - f.,f-t
lection for pig iron and other iron
manufactures from iron ores. The
New England manufactures in Connec-
ticut Of various kinds We're represented
by that delegation: the iron manufac-
turers of Worcester. i'll Massachusetts,
by the gentleman from that district,
Mr.. Hoar and the shoemakers by
the gentlemsa from the Essex district.
Mr.. BUTLER. Powerful lobbies were
about the House. The discussion pro-
ceeded.
During all this time watched care
fully for the emergence from this strug-
gle of some industry that was anguish
ing. | waited to see some suffering
interest appealing for assistance during
that discussion. 1t did not seem to me
that the iron manufacturers of Penn
svlyania were poor men, nor men grow
ing poor. Ii did not appear that the
proprietors of the Bessemer steel pat
ent were poverty-stricken individuals,
or that the manufacturers in Connecti-
cut or Worcester, or in t.le Essex dis
trict of Massachusetts, had gone to
wreck and ruin. | did not object to
reasonable protection to them. although
IN most cases l voted against the high
est duties asked for; but was very
clear in my Impression that neither of
those presented question Of a great
interest struggling the throes of dis
soiution-going to death for want of
protection. But the House kept at
work two months were consumed. and
st last, in the morning hour. the select
Committee on the Decline of American