Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-27

desperate struggle to confer even such
educational advantage as they had been
able TO confer, but he believed that the fu-
ture was brighter for them. For one he
proposed to put the past, with all its
horrorsf behind him. He had no desire to
charge the mistake on his political oppo-
nents, although he believed that they had
committed very grave ones. "And per-
haps, Mr.. President" said he, Il am as
responsible for that condition of things as
the most extreme of them. But, for one,
l would only recur to the past in order to
guard against mistakes in the future"
He predicted that if this bill passed, ten
years would not roll around before the
school system of the States would be in
the hands of the National Government.
The Senator from Ohio Mr.. Sherman
had said, though not Extensively, for Mr..
Butler did not think that he meant
to be offensive, that he could
not trust the South to disburse
this money. That Senator would pardon
Mr.. Butler for saying in the same spirit
that he Mr.. Butler would not trust him
Mr.. Sherman) to contribute it. Mr..
Butler would not discuss with that Sena-
tor or any other whether the prejudice in
the South against the colored man was
stronger than it was in the North. He did
not believe that it was. "But,D said Mr..
Butler, ''when the Senator says that he
will not trust me with money to educate
the negro l say that l will not trust him
to give it. IimeO dOndOS et dORd ferenteS."
Mr.. Butler preferred. on the whole, to
trust to the pluck. endurance, manhood,
courage and humanity of the people of his
State to do justice by all men, white and
black. than to accept aid from the Federal
Government.
The House Joint resolution re-
approprlating for the aid of the
sufferers by the Mississippi river floods,
Sl6, 900 not expended for the relief of the
sufferers by the floods of the Ohio river,
was read three times and passed. After
an executive session the Senate adjourn
ed.
IN THE HOUSE.
In the House to-day, Mr.. Ellis, of Lou
islana, from the Committee on ApprOpri-
ations, reported joint resolution prOyid-
ing that Sl25,000 of the unGXpended APP
preparation for the relief of the sufferers
from the Ohio floods. may be expended
by the Secretary of War for the relief of
destitute persons in the district overflow
ed by the Mississippi river and its tribu-
taries.
Mr.. Rice, of Massachusetts, opposed
the resolution, saying that it was, he
knew, an ungracious task to oppose "a
call made on the score of suffering hu-
manity, but the present was good oppor-
tunity to consider this question of afford
ing relief to every sufferer of lolcal ca
lami5y. The resolution contemplated the
distribution of supplies by the National
Government to feed sufferers from local
disaster. The present calamity did not
much exceed previous disasters on the
same river, and it was calamity, relief
of which did not come within the sphere
of the rights guaranteed or the duties i'm
posed on the Federal Government.
Mr.. Dunn, of Arkansas, spoke i'll favor
of the proposed amendment increasing
the appropriation to 100000, and depicted
especially the unfortunate condition of
the people living in Arkansas. The water
is zip to the highest water mark, and
would continue there for 60 days longer.
Mr.. Jetfords, of Mississippi, predicted
that the calamity which had spread over
the Mississippi river had not yet culmi-
mated, and did not consider even, say
S300,O00, sufficient to render adequate re-
lief.
Mr.. Barksdale, of Mississippi, appealed
| to the House togrant to the sufferers along
the banks of the Mississippi, the same
measure of relief which it had accorded to
persons rendered destitute by the over
flow of the Ohio river. The resolution
then passed.
THE WHISKY BILL.
The House then at 1 30 O'Clock went into
committee of the whole with MIR. Dor
sheimer, of New York, in the chair. On
the bonded extension bill. The debate was
continued by Messrs. Pusey, of Iowa,
Mccormick, J. d. Taylor. Brown, of
| Pennsylvania, Warner, WOrthington, Of
Illinois, Dunn and Cox, of North Caro-.
lima. The latter opposed the measure as
being merely a proposition for the loan OF
money to distillers and argued in favor OF
a total abolition of internal taxation.
Mr.. Dunn made a severe attack on the
| pending measure which he said observa-
| tions had proved to him was favored by
/ only three members of the Ways and
| Means Committee, MessTs. Morrison,
| Hurd and Blackburn. He wished to
! know by what caesarian operation was
/ this thing taken untimely from that COM
mttee and brought into the House.
Mr.. Keifer, of Ohio, called attention to
| the fact that the resolution made no new
! appropriation, but simply extended the
| benefits of the previous appropriation to
/ another class of people, and made a brief
constitutional argument in support of the
/ power of Congress TO make such appro-
| priations.
The committee rose informally for the
purpose of limiting the general debate.
Mr.. Blackburn moved that it be closed
in one hour and half tomorrow.
The motion was agreed to.
MR.. HEWITT SUPPORTS THE BILL.
The committee having resumed its ses
sion, it was addressed by Mr.. Hewitt, o
| New York, in support of the bill, in con
| sderatOn of which he dismissed all ap.
peals to sympathy or passion. 1t ha(
been discussed, except in few cases, OF
the grounds of charity on one side anC
of morality on the other, but taxation
looked not to charity or morality. L
/ fn d
which had been settled by the experience
of mankind and written on the pages o
the history of the human race. Taxation
cou,d only fall on accumulated capital
on production or consumption. There
was no other spot where the strong arm
of the law could impose taxation. In The
original history of the government, tax
alton fell generally on production
and hence had arisen that re
markable civilization of the middle ages
in which guilds tried to protect then
selves from the government. At this day
not a single enlightened or commercial
nation imposed a tax on production eX
cept the United States. Taxation on pro
duction, however, still survived. 1t was
characteristic of the oriental system 0
government. He had seen the blighting
effects of that taXation-indUstria death
moral stupOr, decay of energy, buried il
the grave of a grasping and omnivOrOut
government. In this country, strange tC
say, enlightened by common schools, by
colleges in every State, with schools 0
political science and political economy
flourishing' everywhere, the cardinal
principle which survived to-day was q
tax on production. In othe
countries raw materials were admitted al
free as air, but here they were met by OBJ
struction the moment they got within
sight of this land of free thought and fre,
government. Until the system of taxa
tion of this government should conform
itself to the fundamental principle tha
taxation should not infringe ON produc
tion there would be stagnatIon, depres
sion, suffering, want, lack of employment
disorders, riots and destruction of prop
erty. This bill seemed to him to be in th,
right direction. 1t was not the righ
thing. 1t did not go far enough. 1t diC
not touch the heart of the question. Blu
it was an entering wedge which wat
going to bring Congress face to face witt
the question whether it would continue
to tax raw materials. 1t was for thi
reason that he would vote for this bill
TAXATION FOR MORALITY.
Mr.. Hewitt agreed with the gentleman
from Massachusetts as to the impropriet'
of the government stepping in to reliey
any business whatever, but, on the othe
hand, he did not agree with the gentle
man in saying that the granting of thi
relief was going to let loose in the coun
try a flood of whisky which would be fol
lowed by wreck and ruin. Taxation hat
nothing to do with morality. He ha,
been brought up to believe that taxation
was for revenue and for revenue only
Applause on the Democratic side. Bu
there had been in this country a schoC
which had been dominant, which believe
i'll taxation for protection, and it ha
had taxation for protection until it ha