Mr. BIDWELL. I renew it. It strikes me that this provision. as it now reads, would be entirely ine perative. It says that “all sales, transfers, exchanges, transportation, and exportation of old or silver assayed at any mint of the U.S." are declared unlawful. There is no ennlty except in regard to such as is assayed? because in the latterdpart of the section the same penalty is provied against the transportation or exportation of “gold and silver in its natural state. uncoined or unas sa yed and unstamped.” Now, I would like to know how you are going to fix a stam on gold which is not assayed, in the form of ust, for instance and I desire further to know whether that penalty of $1,000 will apply to the miner who digs out his 100 dollars of gold in the course of 2 or 3 months and goes down to some village in order to exchange it. I believe it will so apply, according to the reading of the section, and thereby create the greatest dissatisfaction throughout the entire mining region of the pacific slope, and, I may say, the greatest inus tice. All that is necessary for a properun er standing of this question and to ispel the idea of attempting to raise a revenue from the miners in this way, would be for members of Congress to go to the mining reion. They never would think of imposing such i a tax after witnessing, the labors of those who, at the sacrifice of life i and property, have gone to labor in the mines. If anything should be done it should be rather to pay these men a bonus for the gold they dig. You say these recious metals belong to the Government. They belong to it just as much as does the center of this globe, and no more, and they would be no more benefit to the government, unless they were extracted, than is the gold that lies at the center of the globe. I am almost afraid that this House may come to the conclusion that because we have asked for certain exclusions in regard to theinterests of California we desire to ese ape all taxes. But I beg to assure the House that such is not the case. If you will only place the tax upon those articles and those industries which can bear it we will say nothing. If you will single out the mines which are paying fortunes almost every month, I.will say amen. But when you attempt to place it indiscriminately you do injustice. very man who goes into the mining region, and risks his means and his life, does so because he he es to be able to strike something rich, like those mines which are paying dividends. If you can fix this tax so that it will fall on the net proceeds, I have no objection. even if you make it 50%. [Here the hammer fell.]