National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-12
FORTY-THIRD CONGRtsS.
fContinued ION First ~ =.

as purchased were caneeleH Ih.thor tbsS
were still carried along on { ne booksf
carried along as debt d a. nv The TIntteS S,atsS
70 the SINKING innd' b. 1t in 1870 the law required
t that Snsy snouiG De cancelled, and since then
There must be &c aud from some
OTHER oURoE FORTY MILLIONS,
unless there W IS change in the customs receipts
he now came. to the necessity which led the com
mittee 70 report this bill TO the House. The
pledge nRI been given to the holders of the bonds
OF the Government, at home and abroad, that
there Should be built up sinking fund that in
thirty years would extingUish the entire national
debt On that pledge the bonds had been taken
abroad, and the maintenance Of the faith Of the
Government was Of more Importance and value
IN ne oEnrs ana cents than the amount proposed BY
sinking fund was provided and sustained, like
MASSACHUSETTS, whose i've per cent. bonds were
Last year they had reduced the Expenditures
twenty-six millions; could they hope to meet the
present deficit on that side. Cut down the expen-
how II could be made on that side.
For this reason the Committee on WAYS and
Means had reported this bill. It had troubled
the committee, and he doubted not would trouble
the House. The committee had been reluctant
to approach the question Of revision of the tariff
70 the last possible moment. They had held of
the last session and up to this time.
Mr.. DAWES then alluded to the effect any
change In the tariff had upon every interest In
the country, comparing 1t to q stone dropped into
the water, the Tipples passing over the whole
surface. 1t was impossible 10 raise thirty-dye
million without disturbing the industries and the
the least disastrous effects. Had the House two
year ago refused to remove
THE DUTY UPON TEA AND COFFEE
they wou Id not now have this subject brought to
their attention.
Mr.. COX, Of N. Y. asked why they had not In
the bill restored those duties?
Mr.. DAWES said he had voted against the re-
m9yal, but to restore these involved another con-
cember, when the President in his message rec
commended that these duties be restored, the tea
trade had turned its attention to Importation,
and there was now in the country over q years
supply, and the importations had only been lin
tied by the foreign production. If the duty was
restored II would 6e iruitIess fer year, and the
upon the tea the importers had In their stores
without adding materially to the revenues. For
Porters asking duty to be put upon goods which
they imported. Then whore should they look for
this increased revenue? He gave q statement Of
THE PRODUCTION OF WHISKY
for the past hve years, showing the annual pro-
duction to be about sixty-eight million gallons,
of the collection Of the tax that they could collect
dollar as readily as seventy cents.
The average quantity Of whisky in bond was
eleven and and half million gallons, the value
of which would be increased thirty cents per gal
Ion by the passage Of this bill, which would ac-
erue 10 the holder, and IL was suggested that this
ought to 60 to the Government; but in view OF
the fact that the holder had to meet interest," in
surance. storage, &c, 1t was believed by the COM
be equitable.
In referring TO this subject, he said the COM
mittee had thought they were keeping their &C.
tiOn secret, but before morning the Commissioner
of Internal Revenue had received orders for over
q million in stamps.
In reply to a question, MrDAwEs said he did
not doubt that a portion Of the whisky in bond
would escape the tax by passing to retail dealers
before the bill became law, but the retail deal
ers could take but part Of the eleven and a half
raised by this bill was, he said, as follows:
Increased tax on whisky. Sl6 500, 900
sOGsSs '2 2SS SOS
by ten per cent. restOra-
tiOn.................... s,Oo0, 900
ss7, 900
Deduct tax on matches, removed. 100000
Leaving $35, 100000
This was, of course, an estimate on paper, SUBJ
Iect to changes by various causes, and was about
equal to the denciency estimated by the Ssere-
II remained, he said, for the House to say
whether 1t would accept the recommendation OF
the committee, or seek some other mode of meet
ing the demands Of the Treasury. He urged that
no attempt Of 0 general revision of the tariff be
attempted, for such an attempt wOald prove fatal
to the passage Of any bill. If the House saw
proper to raise the amount from other subjects Of
taxation It could do so, but he appealed to mem
tempting to remodel the general tariff. He urged
the Republican side
TO PASS THIS BILL
and maintain the faith Of the Government aud
sustain the pledges made by that party, AMI re-
minded the Democratic side that the business of
raising the revenue would come home soon
enough to plague them.
Pass this bill In some form, said he, OF you will
party up to this time have substantially dis
Mr.. WOOD, of NY, said that Mr.. DAWES
ment was in default; that the ordinary credit of
the Government would be impugnei, and the
sinking fund unPrOVided with funds unless this
was in such
A DEsPONDENT MOOD.
On the ed Of June, 1874, the gentleman gave the
House very different statement from that he
bad given today: Then all was lovely, and We
than was needed ;.tb at the revenues were ample
for all purposes. The chairmen Of the Ways
and Means and of Appropriations offered each
. reduction Of 81, 900 in the appropriation
bills alone, and the other boss. ed that all was
perfect, because OF the skilliul management Of
the Treasury Department.
Both gentlemen were about to go before the
people Tor Endorsement, and hence their state
ments. Senator had not yet been elected in
and o certain district in Ohio had
not yet elected its Representative. Mr.. DAWES
was sustained IN his views by Secretary Richard
u.
fiscal year Of 1875 there would be q surplus in the
Treasury, and 1t was not until the present ses-
sion Of Congress that the country was advised to
the contrary. But Mr.. DAWES made the state
ment that up to the LIST Of January, 1875 all of the
statements made by him and the Secretary of the
Treasury Of anticipated receipts were made up by
difficulty has come upon US within the last forty
one days. He held In his hand the debt state
nent made at the beginning OF the present month
1t Is wrong upon its face, and Is not a correct
exhibit Of the public deet Of the country. There
we're matters in IL which did not belong to q debt
statement. The Secretary, for instance, includes
part Of the public debt. The coin certificates to
The amount OF several millions were also there,
and yet the Secretary includes them In another
place as so much coin on hand. If he has the
,oin on hand, then 1t is not u part OF the debt.
The debt was therefore not as large as was rep
II he thought this bill was a necessity
be should not oppose 1t, but he did not believe il
vas.
He did not oppose 1t On party grounds, or for
when there was so much dsstitution and embar-
aud when all the different branches of
industry were suffering, the country was in no
to bear additional burdens. He would
10 much before he would create more taxation.
he would try to bridge over this matter, espe-
tally as he had no confidence in the correctness
II the debt statement. No man living could
balance the accounts Of the Treasury. They
we're in such ineXtricaole confusion that 1t could
lot be done. They were full OF errors, which
rear to year. He also called attention to the
Pacific railroad debt. The saddling OF that debt
Upon the country showed the profiiEaoy Of the ]
party that was in power.
In asking for increased taxation, the Secretary
lad not taken into consideration the revenue that
would be derived from the little tariff bill, or
rom the Increased duties that would come from
he errors In the preparation ofithe Revised Stat
ltes. He called attention TO the failures aud
business depression of 1873 and 1874 and said
here would be q rebound If this Congress did not
10 some act to interfere with the progress Of bust
less.
He then gave history of the funding bill, and
hoTed that It was not until 1869 that a dollar
vas put in the sinking fund. 1t was q question
low whether
THE SINKING FUND SHALL BE CONTINUED
t all. 1t was for the purpose of paying of the
lebt, and be wanted IL used for that purpose and
hat alone. Under the circumstances of the
ountry he HoIld not be willing to vote q dollar
additional for direct taxes or impost duties. He
aw no necessity for it.
Pending further consideration the committee
Csc and the House, at $50 p. m, adjourned.
Not Called For.
An iDjudicious system Of taking strangers
riders for garments to be "made to order" with
ut requiring a deposit on them has left on our
lands the following:
SIX HANDSOME wORSTED (DlAGONAL)