Year: 1864

of Indiana, and j. G. Allen, of


Illinois.


In the House of Representatives, at WASH
ington, on the 2lst ult,, bill to increase the
internal revenue, being under consideration,
Mr.. Voorhees,, of Indiana said


Let us attest our attention for a moment by
looking into the legislation that exists at this
time upon the subject of cotton ard its manu-
facture Provision is made in this section for
drawback of two cents per pound and that
system has existed and been followed in all
our revenue laws since the present party came
into power The object of it is this tho
manufactured article that is sold in this coun-
try pays tax to the Government, but the
manufacturer obtains drawback to exactly the
|anoant of that tax by charging up the price
to the consumer.


You tax the manufacturer in the first place
three per cent, but he sends the goods to the
agricultural portion of the tax, and it comes
back into his pocket. And in that way he
pays no tax at all. And again, the little that
is exported to foreign countries for salo is
made free of tax in this way: When he has
paid nominally the three per cent. and the
goods reach the Custom house for xportasion,
the Government refunds the tax and pays the
money back to him. Thus he is protected
wherever he may sell in securing the return
of the tax. -


Sir, defy any advocate of the mapufactur-
ing interest in the House to show me that the
manufacturer, from shoe pegs TO broad cloths,
paws one cent of revenue into the public treas
urv that stays there. L have looked into
this legislation so carefully that am prepared
tc assert that no besieged city was ever so for
tilted against the possibility of attack as is the
manufacturing interest of this country against
being compelled to pay into the public treas


- -1kl Ill
comes from the laboring, the agricultural, and
the consuming portionsof the country.


1 want to kn ow if the West has any friends
upon the floor of this House? We pay every
dollars that is to be levied by this tax bill.


1t is true. upon the question of this draw
back that we are not directly interested ; but
it is also true that we will have to pay into
the treasury the amount which the Govern
ment refund TO these manufacturers. 1t is
Just so much taken out of the Treasury which
we will have to replace. The manufacturing
interest is protected in the trade at home by
the additional import duty you have laid on
foreign articles to the extent and more cf the;
internal tax which you impose, and then,
when the manufacturer sends his goods abroad,
he is protected against the possibility of pay
ing any tax by the Government refunding in
the shape of a drawback all the taxes he has
paid on the article to be exported,


Now this House might as we'll come TO the
conclusion that nobody is, deceived by this
kind ofslegisation. Gentlemen may as well
lay aside the delusion they have sought to
impose upon the country, that they are taxing
these manufacturers.


Here you are imposing taxtof two cents
pound upon raw cotton. Who pays the tax
Not the manufactured. The consumers pays
on what is sold in this country On that which
is to 90 abroad nobody pays fl, as Govern
ment refunds 1t &ssfstsE ~ 1


I repeat the assertion, and I challenge con-
tradictiou, that in this hour of the nations
trial and sorest necessity, the manufacturing
interist of the country pays not dollar into
the public treasury that stays there. And yet
airs of patriotism are put on here by men rep.
resenting that interest I visited New Eng
land last summer, and with pride and pleas
ure did l behold her beautiful valleys, her
bright h: lis, her clear waters, the kind and
hospitable people with whom I associated
but when hear the swelling hum of her man
ufactories, and saw those which only short
time ago worked but few hands, now work
ing her thousands, and rolling up her count
less wealth, felt that it was an unhealthy
prosperity. The labor, the sinew, the bone
and the muscle of the men who till the soil,
taxed to an illegitimate extent to foster and
support that great system of local wealth.


Mr.. Chairman, rejoice in the prosperity
of the country, and the whole country. |
love this country and every part oft, but |
have no sectional animosites to crafty. l do
not intend to stand idly by and see one por-
ton of the country robbed and oppressed for
the benefit of another. will never vote for
a new revenue tax bill that embraces that
principle. It is robbery; it is wrong. If the
manufactures of this country can not compete
with the manufacturers of foreign countries,
1 III Al hr,ci 1atn buu
goods where we can buy them the cheapest
That is an honest principle, and none other is
honest.


Mr.. j. G. Allen, of Illinois, said


I am in favor, since this system of taxation
has been restored to for the purpose of raising
a revenue to support the Government, of ma
king it operate equally upon all classes of men
in every State as possible, and while gentle
men on the ether side insist that the products
of Illinois shall be taxed three fold their real
value. I insist that the products in tie hands
of New England manufacturers shall bear their
proportion of the burdens of taxation. That
thsy have not heretofore done so, that they
will do SO under this proposition, is too clear
for any man to doubt. The manufacturers of
New England are growing rich, they boast of
the prosperity of their people. 1 would to
God the agricultural interests of the West
could thus boast. While they have been able
upon their products to realize within the last
two yeers more than three hundred per cent.
upon their goods than they did four years ago,
we in the West are selling them our wheat at
a dollar a bushel, and our beef at less than we
received three years ago; and that, too, in
deprecated currency. Three years ago a
bushel of wheat in the market would purchase
ten yards of common domestic of New Eng
land manufacture To-day it will purchase
but two. We, are, therefore, paying an indi-
rect tax unprecedented In the history of the
country and we are paying that bonus to
New England manufacturers and Government
together. While they can sell to the opera
-tivss in their establishments any amount of
manufactured articles free of tax, they pay no
revenue to the Government, except three per
cent. on what they can sell to us, they never
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