Mr. WILLIAMS. The Senfrom Michigan has anticipated one remark that I was about to make in reference to this proposition. There is the same reason, as it seems to me, for adding to the existing duty on salt that there is for increasing the tariff generally; and it seems to be admitted upon all hands that there ought to be an increase of the existing tariff. The argument which the honorable Senfrom Connecticut offers in this case applies with equal force to nearly all the other parts of this bill. Those persons who are engaged in the manufacture of salt in the U.S. appeared before the committee, as did the men engaged in other pursuits which need protection, and represented that their business imperatively demanded an additional duty upon salt; that the business at this time was languishing; that a large amount of capital had been invested in the manufacture of salt; that the business employed a very large number of people; that in consequence of the importation of salt under the existing tariff many of the works that had heretofore been engaged in the manufacture of salt were idle; the capital was unproductive, and 100s and 1000s of laborers were in that way thrown out of employment. They made such representations to the committee as induced the committee to believe and some members of the committee had personal knowledge as to some of the jo".there was as much reason why the great business of manufacturing salt in the U.S. should be protected as why any other great business should be protected. It is true that salt is an article of universal consumption, and it ought to be cheap, and it is cheap, and will be cheap under this tariff when you consider the price of the article. As has been suggested by the Senfrom Michigan, the consumption of the article by each individual amounts to so little that this tariff will add imperceptibly to the burdens of each consumer in the U.S. It is different from many other articles produced in the U.S. upon which additional duties are imposed. Where an article is of great necessity and costs a large amount when purchased, there a large addition to the tariff or any addition to the tariff is made sensible to the consumer; but when you consider that each individual in the U.S. consumes only about ten pounds of salt, then this additional duty affects his interest very little while it protects a great manufacturing interest of the U.S. It was suggested by the Senator that less salt had been imported in 1864 and 1865 than prior to y: that time. FOSTER. I said at the port of NewYork.