National Republican., 1878-06-06
HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES,.


Territories were concurrcd in.
On motion of Mr.. ATKINS, 1t was ordered
| that there be q session on Saturday night for
debate only
The regular order having been demanded,
the House, In Committee of tho Whole, re.
sumcd consideration Of the bill to amend the
acts relating to internal revenue, Mr.. CAR
| Isle in the chair.
Mr.. BURCIIARD offered an amendment
striking out the ninth section ofthe bill,a in-
serting new one. The amendment restores
| the ninth section MS II was before the adoption
| of the amendment offered on Monday by Mr..
VANCE, and adopted, which prohibited the
transfer Of cases against Federal officers from
State courts to the Federal courts.
Mr.. BURCHARD thought that when the
| House voted on Mr.. VANCE's amendment 1t
| did not know what Il was doing There
seemed to be au impression that tho law trans
| fcrring cases from State courts to Federal
| courts was made especially for internal
revenue officers, whereas the truth was that
| the law was enacted in 1889, and was made to
| apply to suits against all Federal officers. As
1t was part Of the judiciary act and had
stood on the statute book for forty-hve years,
it should not be repealed in this summary
way.
Mr.. MILLS argued that the law, as It stood,
was an oppression, and it was used to rob the
people of his section.
Mr.. TOWNSEND IN. Y. said this law ap.
piled rs well to the North as to the South, and
1t was for the collection of revenue. 1t applied
as well to New York as to North Carolina, and
II was not therefore an oppression upon the
South.
PENDING further consideration, the hour Of
twelve o'clock arrived, and, in accordance with
the agreement made yesterday, the House re-
sumed consideration Of tho tariff bill and the
pending question being on striking out the en-
acting clause, the motion was agreed to-yeas,
lSi nays, l20-and tho bill was defeated.
The affirmative vote was made up of 1ll
| Republicans and 10 Democrats and the mega
| tive Of 113 Democrats and Republicans.
The Democrats who voted in the affirmative
were Messrs. Bouck, of Wisconsin Bridges
| Clymer, Collins, Mackey, .Maish, Reilley
Stenger, Turney, and Wright, Of Pennsylva.
mia; Clark, Cutler, Hardenberg, and Ross, oi
New Jersey; Landers, of Connecticut; Morse
of Massachusetts; Roberts and Walsh, of Mary
land, and Wilson, of West Virginia.
The Republicans who voted in the negative
were Messrs. Brogden, Of North Carolina
Burchard, Of Illinois; Cox, of Ohio; Oliver
and Sapp, of Iowa. Pollard, of Missouri, and
smalls, Of South Carolina.
Tho House then took up the bill providing
for the distribution of the Mexican awards.
| Mr.. WILSON moved an amendment TO sub
| the fifth section Of the Senate bill, which wa
adopted, and the Senate bill as amended wa
| passed.
The consideration of the internal revenu,
| bill was then resumed, the pending question
being on Mr.. BURCHARDs amendment.
Mr.. RIDDLE moved to add to the amend
ment proviso prohibiting the transfer o
cases from the State conrts In the cases o
criminal prosecutions under State laws. Tho
| difference between this and Mr.. VANCE
amendment was that the latter also embraced
civil suits.
Upon this amendment the yeas aud nay
werclorlcrcd and the amendment was adopted
| aud tue section rs amended was then adopted
| The other clauses relating to distilled spirits
were then passed without further amendment
and the clauses relating to tobacco wcr
| reached.
| Mr.. COVERT moved an amendment to re
ducc the tax on tobacco to twenty cents.
| Mr.. TUCKER moved to amend by making
| IL sixteen cents, and argued that the rcvcnu
would he much greater il the tax was lowered
| Mr.. TOWNSEND IN. " argued that tn
producer did not suffer, but that the tax ulti
matcly came ont Of the consumer.
| McssrS. CABELL, VANCE PRIDEMORE, DAvI
| IN. c., HEHKLE, and other representatives o
tobacco interests argued in favor Of the sixteen
cent reduction ms tending to produce the great
| est amount of revenue.
Mr., LuTrRELL was opposed to taxing an!
of the products of the soil, aud would there
fore take or the tax altogether.
Mr.. TOWNSEND (N. Y asked how he woul'
| raise revenues to support the Government.
| Mr.. LUTTRELL would tax the banks. III
| would impose a tax on incomes and on tn
| land and moneyed monopoies of the country
Mr.. KELLEY said it was just, equitable
| and sound policy to reduce the tax on tobacco
Mr.. KELLEY went on to argue that thi
tobacco tax was an dd u1lOrem tax of 1000 +
1900 per cent. on the production of our owl
soil. 1t was tax upon ono Of the few luxu
ries Of the laborng people, and no protested
| against the high tax. liO believed the revc
nues of the Government would be promoted b.
| the reduction. In 1871 with reduced tax
we collected S25,0O00O0, while in 1877, witt
all the increase Of population IN these years
we collected only S27,00O,0OO; not more thai
| S2,OOO,O0O more after seven years OF develop
mcnt and growth. tobacco tax was
cruelty to the poor. He heard one gentleman
say that tobacco should be taxed high beCaus
1t was q luxury. Have not the poor II right t.
any luxury Are luxuries reserved for tn
rich only? Is 1t crime in the poor man
after his days toll, to apply five, ten, or tiftcel
cents to what he regards as a luxury? 1t wa
no crime in the poor to enjoy this luxury, bu
1t was u crime in the Government to tax hin
1900, 5000. or 1900 per cent. for that luxury
The question was then taken OH Mr. TUCK
ER's motion 10 red uCe the tax to sixteen cents
and 1t was adOpted-yeas l2G, nays so.
The question then recurrcd on the adoption
OF Mr.. CovERr's amendment as amended, ant
upon that the yeas and nays were ordered.
Pending vote, the House (at 5:35 p. m.) ad
journed.