Mr. BIDWELL. I move to strike out “gold, silver, and copper." Mr. Chairman, I hope on interest so important will not be stricken down without giving the members who represent it, and those who are most dee ly concerned, full op.ortunity to be heard. the business of mining or precious metals in this country is but imperfectly under stood. There appears to me to be an anxiety to place a tax on this interest which, in my judgment, is improperand onerous, and which can only lead to defeating the purpose which it is intended to accomplish. Mining, as I havesaid, is a different business from all others. You cannot carry on mining alone. There was a time in California when a man could start out with pick and shovel and pan. But that time has passed, and it may be forever. You cannot carry on mining alone, at least you cannot carry it on alone successfully on the Pacific slope. What ifyou make 1,000s or 100s of 1,000s if you are the loser when the balance is struck? I will say that the vast majority of those who carry on the business of mining find their aggregate expenses exceed their awregate recei ts. As to coal lands in Cdlifornia, while there have been some operations in 9 cases out of ten they have failed. They have to go very deep; the veins are very thin and narrow, and the coal of very poor quality. You have imposed upon them a tax of 20 dollars an acre or the coal lands, which they have to exlore at eat expense to know whether the lands are underlaid with coal. While I do not wish to misrepresent the mining interest in the least, and while I desire that every productive industry shall be taxed as nearly equally, fairly, and equitably as possible to maintain this Government; I do say that a tax often dollars as provided in this bill will be a great wrong, an absolute wrong. The gross receipts cannot be the measure of the taxation the mining interests can hear. I do hope that the motion of the Gentfrom Pennsylvania will prevail, and that the section will be stricken out, and I do it with no purpose to ese ape any just responsibility in the proportioning of the public debt. Here the hammer fell.