Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-03-06
HOUSE.

Mr.. Shanks called up his motion to
reconsider the vote rejecting the bill for
the free distribution OF public docu-
ments, etc.
Mr.. Cotton moved to lay the motion
to reconsider on the table. Rejected.
yeas, l02; nays 124.
Mr.. Shanks moved for the previous
question. 1t was seconded by III to so,
and the main question was ordered by
yeas, 1913; nays, l03. The question was
then taken on reconsidering the vote re-
jecting the bill, and it was reconsidered
by-yeas, III; nays, 106.
Mr.. Shanks then moved to recOnlmit
the bill to the postoffice COM
mittee, with instructions to report back
a bill substantially similar to the bill in
trOduced last Monday by Mr.. Butler, of
Massachusetts. The motion was reject
ed-yeas As, nays 1S3. The question
then recurred on the passage of the bill
as originally reported, and the bill was
rejected-yeas Ill, nays 120.
Resolutions were reported from the
committee on elections in the Vir-
ginia contested election case, to
the effect that Mr.. Davis, the
sitting member, is not entitled to his
seat, and that Mr.. Thomas, the contest
ant is. The resolutions were adopted
without debate, and Mr.. Thomas
was sworn in. The house then went
into committee of the whole on the
legislative appropriation bill, MIR. Wood
ford in the chair, and was addres ed by
Mr.. Garfield, the chairman of the com-
mittee on appropriation. He said they
had been, at the opening of this session,
confronted with an alarm that the sur
plus was gone, and they had been told
that when such situation occurred,
whenever government was forced to
the necessity of laying new taxes in
times OF peace, because dry-rot had
struck into every framework of govern
ment, or of the party which held its
power, three questions, he said, pre-
sented themselves; first, if there was a
deficit in the near future, what was the
cause Of it? second, was there any dam
ger of such q deficit? third, what
was the duty of congress? On
the first point he explained that
one cause of deficit was the reduction of
taxes. Every year since the war, ex-
cept in 1868 and 1873, the taxes had
been reduced to an amount in an aggre-
gate of three hundred and nineteen
million five hundred thousand dollars,
anu YET 81 L1c CiOS6 Vi Tie 1d5L ISChl
year there was 8 surplus of forty-thn.e
million dollars receipts above the e,I-
penditures; in other words, they had
been running race between two forces,
one of which cut down tie
expenditures, and the other, which
cut down the revenues, and the only
question now was whether the force that
cut down the revenues outstripped the
other. 1t was evident that if a deficit
was likely to occur, something had haI,-
pened to make it occur since the close ef
the last fiscal year. Referring to the re-
duction of taxes, particularly those OH
tea and coffee, he said that congress
might behave like Lady Godiya, WIN,
took away tax and built herself an
everlasting name, but it might ais,s
be that in doing this the pubIi,
credit Of the United States would go
out altogether, and, like Lady Godiva,
ride naked through the streets of tho
world. He was simply arrayed in all tho
theories of the cause of the supposed de.
felt. The naked fact was, that the rev.
enues had been cut down one hundred
and forty-six millien dollars since JuIy,
1870, and if that cut was not sufficient ia
take away one billion dollars of surplus,