Year: 1868

hAsA A&AH VI 1IAE WIN IAN
Final Passage OF fhe BuI RepeaIIng


tine Cotton Tax-The INK On Foreign


Cotton Repeated Interesting Debate


In the United States Senate on the 30lh
nit the report Of The committee of con-
ference on the cotton tax bill was presented
The committee recommended receding
from the Senate amendment, which was
the suspension Of the tax for fhe present
/" year only, and Substitution of the provision
exempting cotton imported from abroad
from the payment of duty after the LET of
November, 1868. This report was agreed
20, snd the matter came up in the House
or Representativeslon the 3lst ult., and
was disposed Of as follows:


Mr.. Allison, of Iowa, made a report
from the conference committee on the
cotton tax bill-the amendment agreed
upon being the addition Of the following
clause And cotton imported from foreign
countries on and after November /, 1868,
shall be exempted from duty He gave
a brief history of the bill, and of the va
rioas attempts TO reconcile the conflicting
views of both Houses on the subject. He
said that the conference committee On the
part of the House did not feel that il could
take the responsibility of destroying the
bill, for il was paipably evident that, this
being the third conference committee, un-
less il could agree, the Senate would not
consent to any further conference. This
was the very best proposition that could be
obtained. Under il the American producer
Of cotton would not have the protection he
now has, {equal 70 l. cents pound.) 1t
was deemed important by the committee
that the tax be removed so as TO encourage
the growth Of cotton in 1868; and, there
fore, the report was agreed to, but with the
understanding on the part of the House
conferees that when the question of tariff
came up for adjustment at this session, the
whole subject could be revived. The con-
ferees had, therefore, been reluctantly COM
PEELED TO assent TO this proposition.


Mr.. Brooks, Of New York, asked Mr..
Allison whether the House was to under
stand that il must take this bill or nothing.


Mr.. Allison repeated his belief that if
this conference report were not agreed to,
the Senate would not agree to the appoint
ment of new conference committee.


Mr.. Brooks expressed the conviction
that, under the circumstances, the House
would not be justified in rejecting the re-
port.


Mr.. SchenCk, of Ohio, asked that the
title of the bill be read.


The Clerk read the title as ga bill to
provide for the exemption of cotton from
internal taxation"





Mr.. Schenck remarked that that title told
the whole story. The House had passed a
bill 10 repeal the internal taxation on cot
ton, and the Senate was determined to tick
TO it that which related to a totally differ
ent subject, and was determined that no
thing should be done for the grower of
American cotton unless, at the same time,
legislation was resorted TO for the benefit of
certain American manufacturers. II ap-
peared that when the matter was last up in
the House, he had made an unlucky re-
mark in suggesting that if the House would
be but decided and firm, in a matter where
it supposed itself right, he knew of nobody
more likely TO fecede than the Senate of
the United States. IL seemed that that re-
mark had given offense in the Senate,
where il had been commented upon, and
found fault with. He desired now to make
an apology TO the Senate. He had thought
that, on sober second thought, and after
tinle for reflection the Senate would recede
from the ground which it had, as the House
believed, wrongly taken. But he saw he
was mistaken. He, therefore, retracted the
remark, and admitted that the Senate was
Just as mulish and obstinate as it claimed
to be. Laughter.


The Speaker GnterruptiHg) stated that
that remark was hardly proper. Each
House should refer TO the other in par
liamentary manner.


Mr.. Sehneck Then / reiract the re-
mark for / wish to give no ofiense to our
superiors, laughter, or 10 those at the
other end of the Capitol. / only wish to
say that the Senate, like the court, knows
ITSELF" and is more decided than / sup.
posed il would he when an opportunity was
offered.


Mr. Schneck went on to show, that for
the sake of two or three small manufac-
turers of Surat cotton in this country
chiefly for grain bags and other course re-
quirements-the Senate was refusing TO
take off the tax Of -and-a-half cents a
pound on American cotton, unless these
manufacturers were benefited to the extent
of four-and-a-half cents pound (currency)
on their imported cotton. II he should
vote TO concur with the Senate on this
report, he should do so only on the ground
on which the gentleman from New York
| Mr.. Brooksl placed it--for the sake Of re-
| lieving the cotton interest from burden il
could not bear; and he did not know that
he was fully justified in going 40 far. He
warned gentlemen on the seaport and at the
East who are engaged in manufactures, TO
take care lest they opened a sluiceway
| which would introduce consequences that
they did not intend. If they opened up
this question, in reference TO the raw ma
terials produced in the interior of the coun-
try and in The South, they must not he sur
prised if hereafter just the same degree OF
favor extended 10 the productions of the
West and of the South should be measured
TO themselves. If nothing else than this
bill could be got from the Senate, perhaps
the House should agree TO the report oi
the conference committee. Ii would be, al
least, a great thing 10 relieve the cotton
producing interests of the country. IL the
Senate and House should not agree to this
| bill, he trusted the time was not far distant
mot great many days or weeks-when
! the Committee on Ways and Means would
report general bill for the revision of the
internal tax, into which a remission of the
cotton tax could be introduced. IL thai
should be done, and If there were an at
tempt TO engrafl upon that ball such pro.
vision as this, he did not know how fan
that principle might go before they got
through.


Mr. Blaine, of Maine, called the atten'
ton Of the House TO the fact that while
the House was, by a very large majority
in favor Of removing the cotton tax, the
Senate was in favor Of it, if at all, by q
very close majority. The removal of tax
on imported cotton was carried in the Sen.
ate by the votes Of the Senators from the
Pacific States, who had got little manu-
featuring Interest growing up there from
the importation of Mexican cotton, and
who had made a specific point that they
must have that cotton free Of duty. There
we're five or six Senators coming under
that class, and if the condition in the bill
was not agreed 70, the bill could not pas
the Senate al all. Those Senators. stand.
ir,,y righf af the VateWav and holaing tba