Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-02-12
FORTY-THIRD CONGRESS,
FRIDAY, February II.

was ordered TO be printed and referred TO the
Committee on Transportation.
Mr.. Anthony presented credentials Of Am
brCSc +. Burnside as Senator from Rhode
Island for the term commencing March !,
$50; which were read and placed on file.
Mr.. Hamilton presented petition of citi-
Zcls Of the District OF Columbia against the
abolition of the Washington navy-yard.
Naval Affairs.
Mr.. Ferry (Ct1 presented memorial of the
common council OF Hartford, Ct. i'm favor of
! re Improvement OF the Connecticut river.
/ Con lhCrcc.
Numerous petitions Were presented against
tae renewal Of tie duty on tea and coffee.
TAXATION OF CHURCHES.
Mr. Spencer, from the Committee on the
! District Of Columbia, reported a bill To eN-
Gmpt church property ia the District of CO.
/ iLmbia fTum taxation, and asked for its pres
CIt CCI Sldcrati on.
Mr.. Sherman objected 10 its present CON
sidcration. He said he had the highest re
spcct for churches, but thought they should
fay taxes like other people.
SUBSIDY BILL.
Ihe calendar OF general orders being pro
ceeCCd with, the Committee ON Railroads
was called, and, on motion OF Mr.. Stewart
the following bills were disposed Of:
senate bill providing for the construction
OF the Portland. Dallas and salt Lake rail
fCad ara telegraph, and for the performance
OF all government service free of charge.
Mr.. Sherman said this was a subsidy bill
and 1t was useless to waste time upon il.
lie moved to lay il on the table.
Mr.. Mitchell said the hill had been thor
OuSLly considered Ii was not subsidy.
Inc amount aSked Tor was only $40 GOO q
year, which was S10o00 less n year than the
government Tow paid for mails and trans
Iortation. He thought it was a great want
oi courtesy on the part Of Mr Sherman 10
interrupt the reading of a bill and move TO
lay IL on the table.
Nj. Sherman diSclaimed any diScOurteSv
in his motion; but he had rea this bill and
ii was a subsidy bill. II made the govern
mcnt liable for -. 600 900. and he did not
| think the Senate, in the present state of the
finances, would vote such subsidy A.
however. fEp Senate. lra.r mis- no
The bill to be considered, he would withdraw
his motion.
On motion OF Mr.. Kelly, the time Of the
tommitiee on Railroads was extended an
hour and half. and Mr.. Kelly then argued
AT some length In favor of the bill.
Mr.. Mitchell also argued at length in favor
OF the bin.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
mediately after the reading of the Journal
the House, on motion of Mr.. Dawes, went
into Committee OF the Whole Oh
THE TARIFF BILL,
Mr.. Hale (Mc.) in the chair.
Mr.. T.. ii. Roberts IN. y was recognized.
ana said the bill was necessity, and no
item was in the bill that would not put
rnoLey into the Treasury, except the one
clause repeating the tax upon matches. The
estimates, according to the returns of last
year, showed the receipts by this bill would
be S56S0o,GCO, but upon the reduced figures of
the present it would be ssh 800 900. He hal
voted against an increase of tax last year,
but now he felt that things hal changef t. and
thcrc was prime necessity for an increase
Of the revenues. He then proceeded To con-
slider the estimates Of the Treasury for the
current year, and the receipts and expen-
dltuTes for the same period to show
the necessity now for increased taxation
He submitted the following as the estimates;
From customs, S152, 800; internal revenue
S}C5,5J0,OG0; miscellaneous sources, S25,-
@OG,JC0-making the resources S2S2. 600 GO6.
aEd the estimated expenditures S2I53I50JA:
leaving surplus OF about seven millions for
the sinking fuHd. The receipts might, he
said. fall short Of the estimates, and the ex-
peEdltuTes exceed the estimates; SO there was
danger of deficit at the end of the year. IL
would range somewhere from seven million
10 deficit There was no government
that would endeavOr to get along with n l,Ss
balance than the coin balance in the Treas
MTy lie then referred to the remarks of Mr..
WOOD, yesterday, cOntending that the pen
sion fund and coin certificates should
not be counted as funds In the Treas
uTy, as urged by Mr.. Wood, for they
were set aside for a specific purpose
ReferriI g to the allusion made by Mr.. Mood
TO the Pacific Railroad bonds, he said the re-
marks OF the gentleman would be applicable
TO a review of the action of the government
for the past twedty years, but this was
question OF present Necessity. As to the pur-
chase of bonds a an eXorbtant rate, he said
The bonds bought By the government had all
been purchased AT less than par in gold, the
average being G5.19. The falling off in reve-
nue., he said, was due to causes that affect
the whole country. There was thrift and
economy, but the country could not recover
from the panic without thrift and economy
WHICH IltbDI ADS tanning from the use n
ported luXuries, and consequently de-
crease in the revenues. This decrease
of business, he said, was not confined To
the United States, but to every ma ton
In Europe 10 greater or less degree.
There being necessity for some measure of
this Kind, the question came up why were
these articles selected. twas deemed neceS-
sary TO select at this stage of the session some
simple schedule that would yield large rev.
enue on small number of articles without
Increasing the cost of the collection. Tea and
ha1 b,-E, SITpOpStpf- hlt no .
tee found that with an annual consumption
of ffty-fve million pounds, there was now
in the country or on the way here from
forty-hve TO fifty million pounds. \ tax on
circulation of national banks was proposed,
but the committee had found that inaiVi-
sable. \ tax on incomes was also suggested.
but it was found that the expense of
collecting would be largely increased, and the
revenue derived not available for wear.
He cOmbatted the idea that the increased tax
on whisky could not be collected. When the
tax of - was levied ii was in times of great
political Generalization, and besides the
laws and the machinery for collection had
been much improved. The next article was
tobacco. The tax was paid BY the consum-
els, of which it was estimated there were in
the country twelve millions, and probably
no one consumed more than twelve pounds a
year. 1t was wholly q luxury, and no con-
sumner ever complained OF the tax. The next
article was sugar and an amendment was
proposed by Mr.. KassCn to include moiasSes.
Like tobacco, this was very generally us ed
by all classes, out IL differed from tea and
Colitt III tnls TtSptCIs Ildb Iue wealthy uSe1
larger quantities that the poorer classes.
The 10 per cent. restoration, he said, would
not prevent importation or reduce the reve-
nues. The tax on matches was stricken out
because, with the tax on the articles enume-
rated, il was thought that could be spared
from the treasury, and because of the express
sion of the House upon the subject, and be-
cause of the practical effect of the tax upon
small manufacturers. He then argued to
show the necessity of providing for the sink
ing fund, to maintain the credit of the gov
ernment at home ard abroad, and in support
of the wisdom of the policy of establishing
the tsinking fund, he maintained that the
effect in the falling off of the revenue had
been to increase the gold premium, which
entailed an additional cost upon articles of
consumption. He was not willing to accept
the proposition OF Mr.. Wood to let the army
and navy or other creditors wait for their
pay. The republican party could not afford
10 leave the Treasury empty, and he ap-
pealed TO the House TO maintain the pledges
ii had so solemnly given.
Mr.. Kelley (Pa.) said to restore war taxes
in the present depressed condition of the
country was as ill-judged as it was useless
The step would not restore but deplete the
revenue, and the administration would meet
the 4ith Congress with demand for increased
taxes to meet deficiencies. The falling off
in the revenues demonstrated the poverty of
the people, who were unable TO consume
Qufiablp taxable articles hafarl hy IaOiS-