Mr. SPRAGUE. This bill, Mr. President, provides in its 1st section That on and after the usage of this act and until the 1stday of April. 866. any goods. wares or merchandise under bond, in any public or private bonded warehouse. uponwhich the duties are unpaid. may be Withdrawn for consumption and the bonds canceled. on payment of the duties and charges prescribed by law: and any goods. wares. 9r, merchan diso deposited in bond. in any public or private bonded warehouse. on and after the 1st day of April afore said, and all goods. wares or merchandise remaining in warehouse. under bond. on said 1st day of April. may be withdrawn for consumptionwithin one your from the date of original importation. on payment of the duties and chargesto which they may be subject by l awat the than of such withdrawal; and pttertho expiration of one your from the date of original importation and until the expiration of 3 yearsfrom said date. any goods, wares or merchandise. in bond as aforesaid. may be withdrawn for consumption on payment of the duties assessedon the original entry and charges, and an additional duty of 10%. of the amount of such duties and ehurns and the 2nd section provides That neither this nor any other act shall operate to prevent the exportationof bonded goods. wares or merchandisefrom warehousewithin t rec you! from the date of original importation. nor their transportation in bond from the port into which they were originally imported to any other part or ports or the purpose of exportation; and all actsand partsof acts inconsistentwithlthe provisions of thisaot aro hereby repealed. This bill, Mr. President, was referred to the ComCommerce of the Senate, by them reported favorably, and passed on that report by this body. Heretofore propositions for the extension of the time of the withdrawal of goods from bonded warehouse have been referred to the ComFinance, and by them reported to the Senate. In this case the bill, contrary to the usual practice, was sent to the ComCommerce. It was called up in the morning hour and passed without attention being attracted to it. Soon after the passage of the bill, not knowing its contents, I moved that it be reconsidered, and I had the motion for reconsideration entered for the purpose of giving me an opportiinity to examine the bill. I have consulted With members of the committee 1866. 521 as to the investigation which it received from them, and could get no satisfactorv explanation as to the merits or design of the bi l, exce it that it was favorably considered in the other House, and that in consequence of that it was deemed properthat it should be passed here. In my opinion, the Senate and the country are not aware that this bill has for its object the les sening of the revenues upon avariety of articles 15 %. The present law requires that goods deposited in wardhouse shall be withdrawn within 3 months, or if they are kept there longer than 3 months and withdrawn within 2 years, an additional duty of 25% is levied upon them. This bill provides that the importer shall have one year instead of 3 months, and if they are not withdrawn within that time hemay keep them there 3 years in stead of 2, and pay an additional duty of 10%. instead of 25%. Here, sir, a measure, affecting more particularly than any other that I know of before the Senate at this session every industrial interest of our peole, is passed by this body and by the other House with little or no consideration, although it. not only affects the material interests of the whole peole, but seriously affects the public revenue. y object this morning is to have this bill, situated as it is, reconsidered and referred to the ComFinance of the Senate to be by them considered in connection with the great questions of revenue that are about to be presented to them. I do not believethat the people of this country will look with any leniency upon transactions which affect them so materially being disposed of with so little consideration as this bill has received from this distinguished body. Istand here, sir, with great deferenceand with a want of confidence in my own ability to present to the attention of the Senate those great questions which have occupied the time and attention of generations past, and of men whom I am not competent in the slightest degree to follow. But, sir, I feel that this is another eneroachment upon the industry of the people of this country. While we have constant foreign eneroacliments upon our industry, here is an attack from our internal foes. Which of these iowers, that without or that within, is most destructive to our interests remains for some other time and some other person to determine. I am not able to do it. This measure has no other purpose undoubtedly but to favor foreign commerce in oppositionto domestic commerce, to agriculture, to manufactures, to the mechanic arts, to every interest of our country that engages the attention and occupies the industry of the American people. It remains for the Senate to determine which of these interests it is the most proper for them to consider favorabl on the one side all the interests in which all our peode are engaged, or on the other side that one interest which engages the foreign commerce of the country; the interest of the few individuals engaged in the importation of goods from foreign countries, or the interests of the great mass Of the American people. Upon this subject of manufactures I beg the indulgence of the Senate for a moment while I consider and endeavor to prove that the success of the manufacturing and mechanical interests of the country tends to an increased price of the raw material of the pen le, and to lessen the price of their mechanica and manufacturing products, in opposition to the free trade idea that by free trade you effect similar purposes. It is within my recollection when the great crop of this country, its great commodity, was in the hands of foreign capitalists, whento all intents and purposes free trade occupied the minds and attention of the American people, and they assented to it as being the most beneficial policy that they would have Congress carry into effect. It is within my recollection that. for a long;t1methe product of cotton netted to its iroducer from 4 and a half to 6 cents apoun. What was the cause of that low price for that product? Simply because it. was in the hands of the foreign capitalist, controlled by him at the time it was produced; and the result was, instead of a profit to the producer, a loss. What was the consequence? The American manufacturer, poor, weak at that time, had to come into the market and sell his product upon 4,six, 12, or sometimes 18 or 24 months credit. The producer of cotton atthat time was unable to purchase for cash, for the reason that his crop rought nothing by which he could purchase the necessary articles to enable him to produce it.