The Portland daily press., 1874-06-22

q o. rf.
La the National House of Representatives
on Friday night a most novel debate took
place. 1t was novel because the bill against
which it was aimed had passed that body, and
also because of the peculiar character of the
discussion. The session lasted until midnight,
and although the weather was very hot the
hall and galleries were crowded, it having beeu
advertised that Gen. Butler was to speak in
defence of the moiety system and particularly
defend himself against his accusers in conneo-
ton with the Sanborn contracts and Jayne es-
pionage in New York.
Gen. Butler began by saying that failing
health and the imperative orders of his physi-
clans had prevented him from taking part in
the discussion of the bill to abolish the moiety
system when it was before the House, but he
hardly regretted it, because the amendments
proposed by the Committee of Ways and
Means having passed, he could now speak
without being charged with attempting to pre-
vent what might be regarded by some as a
needed reform in the laws No personal rela-
tiOns should enter into whathe was about to
say. He desired only to raise a warning voice
against what he regarded as unwise legisla-
ton. I'D 4..aa=7 -..l.. ...t. ..,. =. - |
He then proceeded to speak at length in de-
fence OF the mOiety system. 1t was impossi-
BILE, he said, to get for $500 year the services
Of men so skilled in the arts and sciences as to
be able to distinguish and to value correctly so
many and various articles as are taxed. and,
even if the revenue officers had the necessary
skill, they would still need to have the cum
ming and experience of detectives in order to
discover and defeat the devices of men whose
inteliects were sharpened blythe desire of UNI
lawful gain. The mere smuggler brings in his
goods in small vessels, but the great importer
brings his in 5000 ton ships and brides the ems
tom house officers to let them in, or. by a con-
federate partner, swears them through, makes
hundreds of Thousand dollars by single ven
ture and becomes merchant prince; and prob
ably builds church out of the gains and be-
comes noted for his charities, which in turn
advertise his honse and bring it custom, Mr.
Butler gave some statistics to show the extent
to which tea had been struggled into Maine
from the adjoining territory, until, in 1868, a
pestIterous ,lnformer, accompanied by an
agent of the Treasury department, went down
and siezed the books ami papers, and recovered
very large penalties, the result being that the
Importation or tea to obscure places from
which it had been struggled into Maine at once
tell off to one-eighth of the former guam tity.
Heideclared as startling announcement that
the United States did not receive more than 81
per cent. of its duties goods, where the tariff
IS ad valorem; in other words, if the govern
ment should collect the present duties honestly
it could pay $1,000 900 of the national debt
every year, and yet the people have no higher
taxes to pay than they have now Fraudulent
importers, by fraudulent invoices, charged the
people those duties and pocketed them as part
of their profits !
He then turned upon the firm of Phelps.
Dodge u Co., whom he spoke of, as pious i'm
porting merchants, who had stolen the livery of
heaven to serve the devil in. In language that
was most ribald he characterized them as mem
bers OF Young Mems Christian Associations
and builders of churches. He charged that the
| firm imported hundreds of thousand of dollars
worth OF tin and lead in the form of statues of
Washington, &C., at the time when statuary
was duty free. He held up to the sneers of the
| gallery the grief of the elder, James. the En-
ropean member of the firm, and said his grief
was pertinent, as he knew how rotten the firm
was, and understood how the firms ruin was
at hand. He charged that the same firm during
the war by getting comma changed, cheated
the government out of $2, 25O, 900, and he charg-
| ed that the Committee on Ways and Means
had reduced the tariff tin this season, at the
beck of Phelps, Dodge & Co. Here Butler
split up on his facts, and this eolloquy en-
sued:
Dawes .eNo sir, not one cent but II cents,
Butler-"Which was the protest, the one
cent or quarter cent?" rss 7.1I Yr.I
Dawes-'I gave you fair answer"
Butler-'I supposed you would give one in
the position you hold. tt.. .. on
Dawes-T supposed you would treat it
fairly. Look at the bill you are talking about,
and you will find II cents, against the protest
of Phelps, Dodge e Co"
Butler-"And the Senate cut it down to 4
cent" y - --l, +. ~
Dawes-"No matter what they have done
1neTe. Your charge is against the Committee
on Ways and Means and it is not true.",
Butier-"But you include the boxes in the
duty"
DawesI"Yes, indeed, we did, and that
makes them pay duty on more pounds. 1t is
SO much worse 1or them. You Charge that the
Committee on Ways and Means Increased the
tariff, and you are troubled because Won ara
answered. You should state the facts rs thew
are" ifi t5
Butler produced personal letters of Foster
Means writing to nersons other than 5;m s ah9
without stating how he came by them. He
said one was sent to him by friend, the other
was picked up in the streets of New York.
Foster subsequently stated that his letters had