National Republican., 1878-04-10
FORTYJEIH CONGRESS.
[Coniinued from TYra Pnq,.


of paying customs duties. 'H
The SPEAKER ovorraled the, first point of
order and sustained the last. ...
Mr.. BUCKNER then, by the direction Of the
Banking and Currency Committee, offered n
resolution assigning the I'D day Of April for
the consideration of the bill, aud, upou order
ing the main question on the resolution, the
yeas and nays were demanded.
The House, by vote of l 26 yeas to lo8 nays
ordered the main question, aud the resolution
making the bill special order was agreed 10.
Mr.. EWING asked leave 70 offer a resolution
authorizing the Committee on Banking and
Currency to take testimony by sub.conniittees
in the cities of New York and Philadelphia.
Mr.. REED objected.
Mr.. WOOD moved that the House resolve
itself into Committee of the Whole for ths pur.
pose Of considering tho special order, the tarif
bill aud, pending that motion, he moved that
all general debate be closed one week from to.
day.
Mr. KELLY objected to the latter motion.
This bill was one Of the most vital that could
be brought before Congress. 1t proposed an
entire revision of tho tariff and should be
fully discussed.
Mr. WOOD would then withdraw the latter
part of the motion.
Mr.. ONEILL hoped there would be evening
sessions for debate on this bill Members could
then say what they had to say on the subject
and send their speeches TO the people. He oh.
iected to wasting the time of the House that
should be devoted to other business.
Mr. KELLEY protested against any effort
to abridge debate on this great question.
Mr. O'NEl1L did not propose to abridge de.
bate. But he thought that night sessions were
all sufficient for gentlemen to read their
speeches.
Mr.. KELLEY said the bill was one Of the
most important questions that Congress could
cansider, and he wanted the discussion to take
place in tho hearing Of all tho members Of the
House who wero to vote on the question. There
was no more important business for tho House
to consider.
Mr.. ONEILL thought that the most import.
ant thing to do with the bill was to vote it
down at once and get rid of it.
Mr.. WOODS motion to go into Committee OF
the Whole was agreed to, and tue Speaker
called Mr.. SAYLER to tho chair.
Mr.. CONGER made the point Of order that
the tariff bill was not the first one on the calen.
dar, and that the bills must be taken up in
their order
The CHAIR overruled the point of order,
on the ground that when Mr.. WooD moved to
go into committee he specified this bill, and
that no objection was made at the time.
Mr.. RANDALL said no point of orler was
made against this bill when the motion was
made to 90 into committee.
Mr.. CONGER said he did object. He was
standing here to object 10 and oppose this bill
mentary ways, and would make use OF every
advantage.
The CHAIR ruled that tho bill was properly
before the committee.
Mr.. WOOD then proceeded to address the
committee, and said he did not propose at this
moment to go into tie details Of tho bill they
would be discussed when the bill was taken
l hEi nt ..f
| the history of the country from the Revolu.
| tion down, he said the COUNTRY was entering
upon an era when gentlemen OF all parties
should calmly consider tarih and taxation.
| This was the time for the adoption OF purely
| American system of taxation. Ihe laws passed
| in the interest of tariff aud ta1ation were then
| reviewed. and Mr.. WooD argued that most Of
| the laws passed had something personal or par.
tisan In them, and this bill proposed to rcmcdy =
| that.
| He believed that the distress and depression
Of the business Of tho country was the result
| of bad tariff legislation, and this bill was
| therefore in the direction of reform. The du.
ties were reviewed to show the large amounr
Of tax that was placed upon all the people ol
the country. He exhibited a far hat, which
retailed at 2.and the cost Of which to the i'm
porter was Sl.17, so that there was profit d
only twenty cents. lie had other samples
from which he could show that the tarid law
operated upon the poorer classes and not only
| upon the rich.
| If the Government dealt directly with til,
| people on the subject of the tariff, as il doe.
on tho subject of internal revenue, the whole
| people would be taxed beyond endurance II,
asserted that this bill would result in u revc
nue. of Slil ,O6y l3s, against Sl3O, Sj6 ID3 fol
| tho fiscal year 1871 There would thus be d
gain of SlOlI2,6i5.
| Mr. WOOD then went into history of sink
ing funds in England aud in this country, and
showed from reports of the Treasury Depart.
| ment that the country WAS eight years in ad.
| vance of that fund. lie was in favor of sus.
| pending the operations of the sinking fund for
at least eight years, aud he believed that at
the end of that time it could be dispensed
| with entirely.
He could see no Inject In maintaining this
| fund. In response to what had been said in
some papers he wanted to enter denial that
the agitation Of this tariff bill had caused a
falling of in the receipts of customs or, at
least not such falling off as to create alarm
| For the three quarters ending April the re-
ccipts from customs amounted to 500 9,O15, 12O. so
| as against 500 100000 for the corresponding
| period last year and this did not indicate any
great falling of.
| The falling oil in the receipts of internal
| revenue had been relatively greater than the
| falling of in customs. He read from reports
|
| manufacturing interests of tho country, and
| especially in the manufacture Of iron and
| steel, and had read letter TO show that that
sort OF manufacturing WAS thriving in Michi-
| gan.
Mr.. CONGER said the manufacturing re.
ierred to was the result of convict labor in the
| State prison.
| Mr.. WOOD had no doubt that tho gent tleman
| would take every advantage to defeat this bill,
| AS he had said he would,
But he warned gentlemen that the people
| demanded this bill The war on this question
| has Just commenced, and IL would be carried
out to the end. What was demanded was al
| elevated craftsmanship which would compre-
| hend tho needs OF the people. Commerce and
manufactures must go hand in hand. The
| manufactures could not live upon themse Ives
| and the agriculturistS could not consume all
| their own products. There must bo u market
| for them somewhere They proposed tarii
| revision in this gentle way rs beginning.
| Tho bill was opposed by the free traders OF
Now York us well as by the prot,ctionsts in
| other sections of the country, aud that was the
| best evidence that il was u conservative meas
uro. 1t was in tho direction OF reduction and
| simplicity, and the time will come when the
| people will not bo satisfied with 50 mild u
measure.
| Mr.. BANKS obtained the floor, aud then the
| committee rose, and the House At i:l5 p. IN,
| adjourned.
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