Year: 1863




. FR 'a' Congress.


h appears shat the paper makers do not feel
qulte 80 secure In their monopoly ~ the strong
language used by the President Of their
coordination In his lett9 10 US . few
days ago induced the pninitiated to be-
lieve. "However you nay writhe under
the extnvagant price ofpaper, said the for
cihle and elegant gentleman, "you must pay
t1 A decision so Judicial and so equitable we
Of ourse regarded as final, and should as
seub have thought Of disputing his ipse
"Dsniel come TO Judgement" Now, however
1t seems that these paper men are not quite
- sure that eve must pay it." They have
dNcwvered that Congress has something to
say about the matter, and that by simply re-
dueing the tariff upon imported paper to the
saine per centum as the tax upon domestic
paper, we shall not have "to pay 1t" after all.
Consequently the paper monopolists are very
much troubled about Congress and the tariff
just at present, and have held two meetings, on
Tuesday and Wednesday last, to consider what
Is to be done to keep the price Of paper up
and the literature Of the country down.
At these meetings the paper monopolists ap-
pointed committee to 60 to Washington and re-


sist the proposed reduction Of the tariff. A large
assessment upon each paper manufacturer was
made to defray the expenses which the commit
Zee would have to incur, and one of the monopo-
lists offered to contribute large sum Of money
In order to defeat the measure which the COM
mittee is instructed to resist We must confess
that we are somewhat astonished at these pro-
ceedings. II, as the President informed US in the
polite note from which we have already quoted,
the rise in the price of paper was in conse-
quence Of the scarcity of "cotton, the basis Of
paper manufacture" why should the paper
men object to the reduction of the tariff? Is
not cotton, the basis of paper manufacture"
quite as scarce in Europe as it is here! Are
not several thousand Lancashire operatives
starving for the want of cotton? If, then,
cotton is the basis of paper rhanufac-
ture,' why should not imported paper be
dearcr than our own at the same tariff? And
these facts being established, why should not
the paper men allow us to see for our
selves that imported paper would be dearer
than our own, SO that we might come humbly
back to them and purchase their paper at any
price they pleased, since by actual demonstra-
ton and experiment we were convinced that
eve must pay it, This would be the only
course of honorable business men, and the
paper monopolists assure us that they
belong to this class. Or II, ON the other hand,
paper is cheaper in Europe, and would be i'm
ported in immense quantities II the present to-
riff Of thirty-fve per cent we're not absolutely
prohibitory, upon what grounds can the paper
monopolists resist reduction Of the tariff
Surely such patriotic and public spirited citi-
zens as they claim to be cannot wish to defraud
the national treasury Of q large revenue from
imports, and subject the reading and writing
public to heavy and unnecessary tax simply
for the parpose Of maintaining monopoly
| and filling their own pockets with money coined
from the distresses Of the people /! Whether


the reduction Of the tariff would reduce the


price Of paper or not, therefore, we must ex-


press our wonder ut finding such pure patriots


among the opponents of this measure.


But even admitting the justice and patriot
| ism Of this opposition why should large assess


ments be made and large sums of money be
subscribed in order to make the opposition


eaectual? What, in the name Of impartial le-
! gislation, is to be done with this amount of
money? How is it to be used? For ourselves


and other sufferers it was sufficient to draw up


a petition to Congress representing the real


facts Of the case, suggesting the remedy and


asking for the redress of our grievances. II the


paper monopolists have any just grounds of
public interest and expediency upon which to


oppose our petition, why would not q counter


petition or memorial have done quite as
we'll as all this money! Is it posi-
BILE that the paper monopolists intend
to bribe Congress- Do they suppose that
our national legislators can be bought,
! like Judas, with price? Are they aware that
Senator Simmons has resigneds Do they in
tend us to infer that we have Congress Of
Simmonses, DO they mean us to understand


that they can 60 on to Washington, buy up
members of Congress like sheep, and defeat our
measure, not by weight of truth and reason,
but by mere weight Of filthy lucre. If re
duction of the tariff will increase the public


revenue do the paper monopolists believe that
they can purchase Congressman to oppose such


q reduction, and thus rob the national Treasury
| for the sake of few dollars? If reduction


of the tariff will reduce the price Of printing


and writing paper, do the paper monopolsts


expect to find Congressman 80 base as to con-


tinue to load the people with an unnecessary


tax upon knowledge for the bribe Of few


greenbackss What opinion can these monopo-
/ lists have of eur Congressman What can they


think of the character of our national Legisa-


ture, when they thus deliberately insult it in


advance If our former accusations against


them were "unjust and untrue" what do they


mean by raising large sums Of money to defeat


a just measure before Congress- II our state
/ mania nara true and thew are willing 70 sanr;