Mr. KELLEY. I oppose the amendment of the Gentfrom California. I invite the attention of the House especially to this clause: N ojewcler. worker or artificer in gold or silver shall use either of those metals except it shall have firgt been stamped as aforesaid, as required by this act The amount of tax received by the government from the branches of business involved in this provision would be but a small Sereentage of the whole tax imposed. In eed, itwould be almost inapplicable as to the amount involved to the arti car. I know by experience, Mr. Chairman. For 12 years, each day of my life when in health was given to lalior J in one of those branches of business. ewe ers, especially in the smaller shops, melt but a few ounces of gold, sometimes but a few penuyweights, and to force them to have a mint stamp put upon each melting before they can use it, would be the destruction of most of the shopsin our larger cities. It would give to the Government no compensation for the amount of industry it would impair. Fashions of jewels change. People will carry their jewelry to an establishment and have it transformed from the fashion which is passing away to that which is coming in vogue. A small worker has but little capital. He looks to the stock provided by the old goods, with a small addition, and if after having melted it, he must carry it or send it to the mint to be stamped and taxed before he can work it up, he will be taxed ine rdinately and fruitlessly. It may not have been the intention of the committee to embrace such cases, but the phraseology of the bill clearly has that effect, and I hope it will be stricken out. That is the understanding, I find, of all the gentlemen to whom I have spoken and when gentlemen remember how the Depts have construed the law; when they remember how the mantuamakcr, the widow, perhaps, of a soldier supporting her children, has found that she must.abandon her business because the material she used was taxed, as well as her labor, while an unmarried woman, who could go from home to work, escaped taxation, they will see that this will be the effect, and that all our small working jewelers, all the men who are struggling up to become employers of the little capital they may have accumulated, as well as their own skill, will be taxed by this; and I ask either that the language of the clause be so clearly modified that no such construction can be put upon it or to strike out a clause calcu lated to impede the industry of the country.