Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-11
NASHVILLE TENN. WEDNESDAY, MARCH IL, 1874.

was not true, b;lt only LecauSe he lau Kept
back part of the truth.
Mr.. Hale Of Maine, denounced the whole
system Of spies and informers and special
agents. 1t looked to him as If the
Treasury Department was Rum for
Their Benefit,
instead Of their acting for the benefit Of the
Treasury Department. He would bid the
Committee on Ways and Means God speed
In their efforts 10 repeal the law.
Mr.. Dawes regarded the whole discussion
as premature and expressed his amazement
that his colleague, Mr.. Butler, had rushed
into the debate, insisting on discussion
OF the merits of the Sanborn contracts,
when his name had been in no manner
connected with il, except by the public
press, andhis colleague had proclaimed that
he had no regard for the public press. He
supposed he would have been willing to
wait till the ma ter came regularly before
the House. He denounced the policy of
farming out the revenues; the effect of it
was coTupting.
Mr.. Roberts, of New Y ork, another mem
Der of the Committee on Ways and Means,
expressed himself to the same effect. The
country he said did not want such
'sBIoOd Money"
Mr.. Phelps detailed that he was the ex-
ecutOr of an estate. He had been called on
to pay tax on the residuary estate before
the matter had been settled up, and how
had he TO estimate what amount it might
be under the anxiety Of these contractors,
whose position he did not know at the
time, to collect money in order to get fifty
per cent.
Mr.. Hawley, of Connecticut, denounced
the Sanborn contract as disGeditable to the
Government.
Cox-And to the Republican party.
Mr.. Randall said that he had OPP
posed the passage of the measure under
which the SanbOrn CONTRACTS We're given,
and would detail at the proper time some
of its history. These officers had exercised
their tyranny in Philadelphia in a manner
that even the gentleman from Massachu-
sets (Butler) would hardly defend.
Mr.. Butler-If it was bad will not de-
fend it.
Mr.. Phelps said that on looking over the
report Of the Secretary on these Sanborn
contracts he found right below an item
with which he he had a personal connec-
ton, and which he had detailed to the
House, similar.items in regard to the estates
of two other distinguished men in New
York, VIM. Curtis, Mayor, and F. Edmund
Penfold, and he pTesumedthe circumstances
in those cases were similar to the case that
had occurred within his own experience.
Mr.. Garfield expressed his establishment
that Mr.. Beck had connected his name
with the SanbOrn contracts, and proceeded
to give history Of the law under which
the contracts were made. 1t was this: A
proposition had been made TO the Commit
tee on Appropriations to add to the legis-
lative appropriation bill, clause empower
ing the Secretary Of the Treasury to make
contracts for the collection of unpaid taxes.
He had taken that clause himself to Mr..
Boutwell, and asked whether he desired to
have it put into the law. Mr.. Boutwell,
had dissented from and expressed his dis
belief in the policy of it. On the report Of
that fact to the committee the clause was
unanimously rejected and the bill passed
the House not containing it. The bill
came back from
The Senate
with that clause in il, and the Committee
on Appropriations recommend that it be
struck out and it was stricken cut. Subse-
quently in Conference Committee the
Senate conferees were strong and decided
in their determination to keep that clause
in. Finding that the Senate confereeS
wouldn't Weld, the House conferees had
undertaken to obviate its objections by
putting in the law that no contract should
be given TO collect taxes under that arrange
ment unless a statement was first filed
under oath setting forth exactly the COM
panies, corporations or individuals who
owed the taxes, etc. That was the only
condition on which the House cOuferees
would agree to the clause. He knew OF no
act, or part of an act that had been more
persistently insisted on by one body and
opposed by the other than that. 1t was,
therefore, gross injustice to say that he had
engineered the measure or that any men,
Der of the Appropriation Committee had
engineered it. Mr.. Garfield then proceed
ed TO answer Mr.. Beck on the subject Of
estimates and appropriations, and as to
whether the sinking fund was or was not
included in certain figures, he asserting
one position and Beck insisting on the Op-
pOsite position, without the question being
elucidated to the satisfaction of either gen.
tleman or being made plain to the commit
tee.
The committee rose, and the Speaker an
nOunced that MeSSrs. Wheeler and Tyner
having asked to be excused from the COM
mittee to attend the Fillmore Obsequies, he
had appointed in their place Mr.. McDOugal
and Mr.. SaylOr, Of Indiana, and that Mr..
Bass would act rs chairman Of the com
mittee.
Adjourned.