Mr. SCHENCK. I move to strike out “ 20 ” in line 2208 and insert “ten.” I repose to follow u this amendment, which relates to cheap, ordinary fine cut smoking tobacco, with an amendment which shall also make it possible to manufacture cheap cigars. The present amendment, confining itself exclusive y to fine cut smoking tobacco, I will in a word explain. So far as tobacco is concerned, while it related to that which is used for chewing, I made no proposition because it does not affect any interest I represent, but so far as smoking tobacco is concerned, either fine cut or used in the manufacture of cigars, it does largely affect a rent industrial pursuit in m State and in the est, and affects it, even with the amendments to the existing law proposed in this bill, to a ruine us extent. Fine cut smoking tobacco is largely manufactured from the tobacco leaf raised in the western States. This tobacco leaf is a different article from the southern tobacco. Southern tobacco has a glutine us or gummy character which enables you to manufacture from it lug, cavendish, and the various forms of chewing tobacco. But that same tobacco seed sown in our north western States produces an article which is not capable of being manufactured at all into chewing tobacco. It is dry, and is used only for the purpose of smoking. I spoke of fine cut. I mean smoking tobacco. This smoking tobacco, made out of leaf raised in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and in all the Northwest, burdened by this tax which is new proposed of 40 cents, cannot be produced or used at all, and the proposed tax will therefore defeat the object sought of affording a revenue to the Government. Let me tell you how it operates. This Same smoking tobacco, as manufactured before the Government tax was levied upon it, was made somewhat in this way and at tis cost: mixing the leaf and the stem in the proportion used, it was worth 2 and a half cents a pound. Making this half leaf and half stem by the process of cutting and drying and putting it into a condition fit for smokintobacco cost an average of 5 cents a ponn, making a total of 7 and a half cents. Now, if you put upon that a tax of 20 cents, as proposed by this bill you will make the entire cost 27 and a half cents peround, or more than 3 times the origina cost of labor and stock to the producer. If you bring the tax down to ten cents it will still amount to about 17 and a half cents, tax included, and the Government will get its full share, and more than its full share, at the lowest rice for which the article can possibly be sold. The effect of the adoption of the provision in the bill as it stands will be to destroy the manufactureof smoking tobacco out ofour common leaf at the West. This leaf can be bought anywhere at ten cents apound; but in what condition is it bought? It is not cut for the purpose of smoking. It is not manufactured in any way. Step into any little grocery store in the West and ask for smoking tobacco and the keeperproduces a roll of ordinary leaf twisted up, weighs it out and hands it over the counter at ten Gents a pound. It is carried away by the purchaser and cut at his own house with a common knife or rubbed to pieces and smoked, and no revenue whatever is derived from it. The effect, therefore, of the existing law, or of any law which charges more than somethiu like ten cents a pound upon this product, Will inevitably prevent any reve nue, and at the same time deprive the people of the advantage of the use of it in this country. Hiere the hammer fell.]