Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-04-05
gelluws falls Zines,
Mr.. Morrlll's Speech.
IN THE SENATE MARCH 20, 1872.

Senator MORRILL, of this State, alluded
to last week as follows:
Mr., Morrill, remarked that the gener.
ally healthy condition of trade and its
comparative freedom from disastrous
fluctuations must be attributed mainly
to the fact that war tariff has offered
irresistible inducements to labor. The
elasticity of the American people il
shown in our railroads, largely bull
within the last decade, at cost, up tc
January l., 1871, of S2,620,000,000.--
If to this vast sum we add the cost OF
the recent war, it will amount to one
half the present assessed value of the
entire property Of the United States.
And yet we have already demonstrated
that our national debt, though among
the largest, will be extinguished at a
much earlier day than that, however
small, of any government in Europe.
Even our present financial difficulty is
with our surplus revenue. The problem
is, what shall we do with the excess
above what we want for ordinary ex-
penses and proper diminution of the
public debt? The Senator conceded that
the revenue may be safely reduced to
the extent Of fifty millions. That grant
ed, the remaining question is one of de-
tail.
Nobody expects the perpetual contin-
uance of the extreme duties imposed
during war, and nobody is ready to in
suit the country with the direct PROPOSE
ton of free trade. The fact that here.
tofore we have reduced taxation mainly
by the removal of internal revenue du-
ties, points out those duties as most on
erous to the people. The lightest weight
which can be imposed through internal
taxes is felt to be more oppressive than
the heaviest tariff. The internal taxes
have answe red great national purpose.
and will soon be dismissed with the ex-
ception of those on tobacco, cigars, spir-
its, malt liquors, and possibly stamps.
We shall then have parted with one-half
our surplus, and have S25, 100000 more
than can be spared from the tariff.
In considering reductions of the tariff
Mr.. Morrill, took the ground that it can
not be suddenly and largely reduced up
ON the great bulk of our importations.
True, said he, We are earnestly trying to
diminish our expenditures, cutting off
every excrescence possible; but. still the
tariff must remain as our chief resource
and as such it must be prunned by care
full and tender hands. "The dead
branches may be Topped off; but the
parties who are blindly finglng their
tomahawks at the trunk deserve to be
put in charge Of the Quaker commits
sioners now laboring to teach the Indians
the arts of peace"
Mr.. Morrill, said there is almost uni.
versal consent that a long list of articles,
producing only considerable sums of
revenue, and rarely produceable in our
own country, shall be transferred to the
free list. Yet this list stops far short of
what the committee anticipated, because
OF the surprising alertness of American
thrift. Hardly an item could be pro-
posed to be translated to the free list be-
fore it would be found that somewhere
in our broad country it had home and
diligent nursing, leading to the conyic.
tion that no foundlings are tolerated in
American trade. OF cases like this the
Senator mentioned the following:
For instance. the committee had
supposed that our enemy came exclu.
slvely from Turkey-none two years ago
being known to exist in this countrv
but we soon struck the solid grit of the
owners of the emery mine in Hampdep
county, Massachusetts, which, since 1869
has furnished an unrivaled quality of
emery. and in sufficient abundance 10
supply the world. The price, in conse-
quence. has gone down from eight cents
to five cents pound.
1t was proposed to place phosphorus
on the free list-a pound of which is
used for the fuse of six hundred thou.
sand lucifer matches-but lol a Ter.
teyman has just embarked all the earn
ings OF mature life in this one venture
of making phosphorus, and might sue.
coed if left alone, giving to us besides a
cheaper article. 1t was solved not n
perplex him by fear of charge, and the
committee illumed his path by-still saw.
ing, Let your light shine"
Anatomy was another of these spn.
posed orphans that we hardly thought
had any home, or that anybody would
seek to give it protection in this country
especially as it is the base of tartar
emetic, a nauseous dose; but the Pacific
Railroad, opening the way to Nevada.
there disclosed a mine O. wonderful rich.
ness, which promises, with only the ten
per cent. duty heretofore attached TO il
soon to send along supplies at price at
least quarter less than that now pre-
vailing.