Year: 1875

THE NATION. .
During the debate In the House OF hepresen'a,
tyes, on Saturday last in relation 10 tne proposeu
Tariff bill. the Hon. Luke p. Poland of Vermont de-
Iivered speech describing the manner In which the
work of revising the statutes had been executed
and at the close of tho speech asserted that there
had been no change made in the laws, as had Deen
alleged. He said:


Mr. Chairman. I have asked tho Chairman OF the
Committee Ways and Means to yield 10 me 70 sy ~
this BILL but about matter that has been Drought h'o
The gentleman from New-York, member of the Com
mittee Mr Wood made speecn dnR t thS h ay 70
make an attack recent revision OF tho statutes
q work which had been carried through Congress py
and for the correctness which acknowledge myself
be properly, to considerable extent, Responsible
The gentleman In his speech SAID:


The Revised Statutes called, materially increased The en1
duties This resul, product Of both the eumns OF
the statutes rsvd and he mseas0u' construction Of the ''
Attached to the gentemans speech he has had printed
in me Record long letter on the subject signed by him
self and purportng to be written by him. In that letter.
after saying that he acquts tho Committee haVng IN
charge Of wfu design TO change the rate OF dues
Wheeler any one else inspired changes ssh tenis not 50
Nor mputs snS blame to The present secret =,


'SSh % pns am . to % % co%n.. % . n' IL Bn Of 3 a
ssos rwar been selected to pp. the law IA h
S., ,oooooe annu.iy the customs receipts -, . a..
Upon a former occasion 1 stated to the House the
source Of these attacks uponOhat portion OF the re-
vision which concerns tue tariff , ,. o,,o,.


The papers mM IN ond 'y Fan "nu sT' full Of
articles attacking the revision OF the tarin ana
alleged that duties mad by Of changes
OF the law made by the revision Ibey went pe!ore e
country Of because neither The
Officers of the Government those concerned In max
ing the revision could properly enter into @ newspaper
war with New-YOrk customs broker. Inc person 10
whom won't far as to get up petitions to
the % sns h % HIS
views power OF the President were ABOUT as cor
rect as his knowledge OF tne tarn rGvlsion. D % esS
the press and unanswered did have the eect to make
commiited either by design or careessness. general
was this belief that In debate in the senate rev days
lent lawyer and man who would Knowingly do in
Justice to anything or nyDody' sd In speaking o INC
| revision:


The Senator aware Of the very nchant criticism which has been
bestowed and most justly upon the revised code pre-
gres appeared code Changes Of dHe upon imports
have appeared sub been Incorporated INTO law U
\ the adoption OF these Reyset Statutes


It's perfectly evident from all that the Senator said
that he spoke from knowledge derived from any ex
animation made by himself of the law but had taken
for granted that all the newspaper charges when haa
gone uncontrsdicted must be true No man know VIII
the accusations against the revision arc utterly
false; and doubt not he will take pleasure IN decar.
ing his confidence in the revision pnbicy as he dd
his want of It, Tue knowledge that the gentleman from
the subject s evidently just the same
and no more He mas never given the matter the sght'
est attention In anysuch way as 10 know wneIner sn
artces and possibly he may have had the pleasure
personal communication with the author OF them, as
they reside In city. Indeed there Is very
striking and suspicious similarity between the letter
purpOrDg % written by and signed by the gentle,
man and these newspaper writings 1he SUBSTANCE Is
| the same and the language wonderfully ike. ..,


It has long said that great minds ant to think
alike; and do not know bat the same moving cause cause
night produce similarity In language either spoKon
| or written. am sorry the gentleman from New iork
not this his seat that might ask hln II he
knows who made the revision or the chapters relahR
10 the tariff do not believe he knows even aitef
| writing so learned a letter on the subject. .


Gentlemen who have given any attention 10 ,ne MS
tory OF the revision know that the work was done Dy
three Commissioners appointed by tho President The
work OF the tariff part was done by Mr. ADDo1 an cm
| nent lawyer OF the gentemans own city, man specl
ally eminent for his knowledge OF the statutes OF inc
United States having made digest OF them years ago.
emnn peaSS from viii hardly ciim that Mr.
bot was a competent person 10 do the work We or
sst sst me oe a Of persons the Of
New-York. When the revision came before Congress
which charge of that subject 1t was Of course par
ceed Out 20 the M TO % sas BEEN
accurately stated The portion relating to the arn ana
for the collection of arf duties was not assigned 10
| myself at first


Great anxiety was felt by many persons in Congress
and out OF to that part OF the revision Everybody
knew who had any knowledge OF the subject tho dis
graceful condition OF the statutes relating to me arh
and the almost lmpossoity or ascertaning Whht the
ject. 1t said that by the wrong use OF comma inc
| Government had been really cheated out OF soyeraI
hundred thousand dollars OF duties One gentleman in
Congress told me he proposed 10 oher 10
leave all relating to the tariff out or the revision because
of the great danger that by such mischancc we
might Strike down some OF the great industries OF the
country. But was unwilling to have it said that the
| law on any subject had become dsordered that 1t
could be translated correctly and placed In an in-
| Before that portion OF the work entered upon,
the member OF my Committee 10 whom IL mad been as
aud L was Obliged to take his portion of the
work AZ The request OF the Comml'ee On WAYS ana
at Philadelphia was employed 70 ala me III going over
the tariff revision. lie represented TO iae by the
Chairman OF that Committee having great expert
ence knowledge OF the tariff laws and as man OF
| perfect integrity OF character.


The work OF going the entire LEGISLATION on the
subject the beginning OF the Government was
very great. The work, left by the commissioners.
very well done, considering the mass OF dointed
ana incongruous matter it had TO be made out Of We
found occasional error and more omissions,
! of duty and very few indeed were altered
from the report of the Commissioners The effort in all
attacks the tariff part of the revision by this New
York gentleman. Mr.. Blodeett has been brought In
largely indeed he has been charged as the principal in
the mischief and myself rather rs the suDordnate l
of Mr. Blodget take pleasure in ag ain doing
He possessed OF very great ana very accurate
knowledge OF the Tariff Laws, aud 1t mas never been my
evnced desire to do perfect and ex
over several weeks and that portion OF the work
doubtedly received a much larger and more thorough
examination than any other part OF the work Every
change the work of the Commissioners reported
to aud explained TO the full Committee, and none


Now Mr. Chairman, have TO say that the tariff part
of the revision is undoubtedly the most perfect Of any
Well how difficult it must be in the multitude duties
which devolve all here to find time for so aborous
work this think know that tho fathfulness and
diligence Of the Committee IN this work OF the revision
is known and appreciated by every member Of this
House and the confidence they gave the COMMITTEE mas
never been paraeled. feel confident no one OF you
will ever complain tina, that confidence was abused.
But Sir saying that the tariff part OF this revision
was perfect than any other part OF H. II IS
known House that during TINS session tho Com
mittee OF Revision have been carefully over the whole
correct all errors that could be discovered In
the work have had the list Of articles which 1t Is
said duties have been raised carefully gone over by
Judge James and Mr.. Durant, who were employed by
the Secretary OF State prepare the work for pubica-
ton. They say there has been no change OF law made