Mr. GARFIELD. I desire to make an amendment to the section proposed to be stricken out. I move to strike out these words, “printed not less than 15 years prior to the date of importation;" so it will read: On books and engravings.being editions printed not lessthan 30 yearsprior to the dateof importation and on books wholly in foreign languages. 20%.all oulorem. I mean, by striking out those words, to limit the operation of the paragraph so that we can buy books in foreign languages, no matter whether they have been published 15 years or one year. The chairman has already indicated a willingness to have the period 15 years reduced to 5, but I am unable to see the necessity or justice of making a restriction of that sort at all. I am willing to agree with my iissociateson the committee, that we ought to protect our book publishers from having our own books taken abroad and shipped back into the country at cheaper ratesto come into competition with our own publishers who have in vested money in the business. But I do not see the justice of forbidding the importation of books in foreign languages when we will have to buy them anyway and pay a heavy duty on them just as much after 15 years as before. Every day important books come out in Ger man, French, and Italian, which every college in this country wants to get as s'oonas possible, and they must pay enormous rices or them until they are 15 years 01; while a very large number of that class of books I might say almost all are never reprinted in this country in the language in which they are originally printed; only here and there a book like Na poleon’s Ciesar and some of Victor Hugo‘s works. It is very rare, indeed, that a book published in a foreign language is republished in the same language in this country. Now, let us allow these books, coming out from year to year, that are of importance to us, to come into this country on the termsmentioned here, namely, 20%. advalor em. I would say, further, that the feature of charging by the' pound on books has been commented on rather severely, and I think rather unjustly. I received a very able letter a few days since from Dr. Lieber, which I will append to my remarks. He puts the question why we should charge books by the pound, and says we may as well base representation upon the weight of voters. It seems to me, however, that the objection is not good in this respect: in books there is an element that is purel no matter of business; namely, the paper. a peris valued by its weight, and it seems to me entirely iroper that we s iould charge the paper part of books a duty by the pound, but when we come to charge on the bookitselt' as abook then it seems to me the advalorem principle should come in. There are so many valuable sng estions in this letter of Dr. Lieber, especial Ybearing upon the amendment I have of fered, I shall ask to have itgo into the Globe and not trouble the House by having it read. Let it go as a nut of my remarks. I hope the amendment I have offered will be consented to by the chairman of the committee. Wnsmsoros. D.C. July 2, 1866. DEAR SIR: My attqntion has beendrawn'onl to day. to the passguzcin the new tariff bill which relates to the imp rtation of books. andasit in my contains. opinion. Grave inconSIstencics.youwill excuse me ifI instep to point themout to you when there may yet be time to propose some changos. The passageI havealluded to ison pages1land 12 of the printed bill, and readsthus: “On books and engravings.being editions printed not less than 30 yearsprior tot a dateof impor ptartiniotne.d and on boo s wholly in foreign languages. not lcss than 15 yearsprior to the date of importation. 20%. cglvalor cm on all books reprinted from ooks1st printed inthe U.S. 30 cents perpound and in addition thereto, 25%. ad calm m. on all HENRY HOLT. books not herein provided for and on pamphlets. Magnaiiies illustrated news apers.periodicals and printed papers.bound or iin mund. 20 centsper pound.and.in addition thereto.25%. ml valorcm: Provided. that nothing herein shall be held to include newsiapers or other printed matter lawfully transmitted y mail.” 0 law asit now stands imposes25%. ml oaloremon all importedbooks.a dutywhich. with freight, exchange and the high price of gold. makesit nearly impossible for all thosepersonswho stand in real needof foreign books. as well as of American productions.to obtainthemfor their libraries. American publishers urge thatbookscan now be produced so much cheaper in England thnn in iAsmerica. that they stand in need of protection. But not the advantage which they derive from reprinting English books Without paying iinything‘for the copyright very great? So muchseemscertain. that ifConizressadoptsthis provision of the bill. verylcw Enlish bookswill beimportedexceptas an article of uxury for thosewho possessmore wealth than scholars usually do and who want bookschiefly tor elegantly carved shelves. Be this as it ma. why is it proosedin the 2nd paragraph to ad to the ad pay emduty another and every hcnvyoneon the weight of foreign books‘I In what relation doesthe weight of a hoe stand to its value? To charge duty according to the weight of books seems to me very much like making the average weight of vote is tho basis of representation. At u round calculation the two duties together wquld amounttosomcthinglike85%.which. with the additional expenses already mentioned. would effectvery nearly practical exclusion. As to “books in foreign languages.”‘!he proposedtarifi" would work positive excluswn for all the real labor ers in the vineyard of knowled e. Even asthotariff standsnow. With the adventitious circumstances of the priceof goldand high exchange. the wholc country must in a great many cases lorego the advantage of having presentedto it the resultso1 the laborious and life long studyof foreign scholars. becausewe cannot affordpaying for their treasure books. ‘I do not oxagcrate; I am speaking plain and painful truth. 'I e bill has the HPMHDR. A bill to provide increased revenue from imports." but if Congress adopts the provision regardin books.the revenue will be decreased and material ydecrensed.so far as books are concerned. The proposedtariff proposes to impose 20%. Advalorem and 25%.by weight on all booksin foreign languagesprinted within 15 years. Books “ riuted in ibreign langua cs" incuns. practically. french German, and Itaiarr books. but why is ould congressfurnish the chance of reprinting them in America for 15 years? With the rare excction of a.novel. no one thinks of reprinting in America a German, French or Italian book and for this uselesschance you are going to exclude the importation of these booksfor those who need them. Are men of knowledge, the servants of the public. not to be protected in their turn also? 'The object of our laws cannot be Chinese exclusion. Civilization is a church universal; like our religion it is for all; and civilization advances only in that degree in which one generation or one country scizes upon the stock of skill orknowledgeac zuired by another and infuses it into its own life. ll give and all take; and above all other things. booksare the bridgesover which civilisation travels from onecountry or regionto another and from one eneration to another. Whatever is done to impede recexchangeof booksmaterially impedes the progrose of our kind. guItng seems to me that “all books in foreign landshould be left saddled with 20%., oprerif needs you must adil soinething.with ‘25 year esent.ad calm cmw. hether printed Within hftecn or not and no duty of any kind ought.to be added. It is useless and ‘injurious. I haveneverbeen able toseewhy our Legislature should levy any duty at all on old books: saybooks printed 50 years or more previousto the day of importation. The more books which have stood the testof time we transfer fromEurope to America the better for us and congressought to facilitate the transfer as much as possible nc.t ioTnhinegd.uty collectedon these books is not worth The 2nd iaragrnph has appafently slipped in by mistake. he importation ofreprints of originnl American booksis totally prohibited; noduty.t ere forc. can be levied on them. You will kindly excuse.sir. anything in this letter which may be owmgto the great haste with which I have been obligedtowrite it. With the highest regard, dear sir. your obedient. FRANCIS LIEBER. General Janus A. GARFIELD.M. C., HoRep Washington D. C'.