Mr. SUMNER. Now, the Senator declares that the object is revenue; but the revenue that will come from that source is very small; it is not large enough to compensate for the mischief that it will cause. That certainly is the conclusion which I am obliged to adopt from such opportunities as I have of investigating the question. But the Senfrom Indiana [Mr. LANE! has reminded us that he is against class legislation, and he wishes to have all the interests of the country taxed. Sir, I believe all the conclusions of the best experienced in taxation are that we should seek as much as possible to diminish the object of taxation. Just in proportion as nations become experienced in imposing taxation do they limit the objects to which the taxes are applied. It seems to me we are strangely insensible to that warning of history. We seem to be groping about and seizing hold of every little object, every filament, if I may so express myself, which wo can grasp in order to drag it into the sphere of taxation. Now, I think we should be better employed if we declined to tax a large number of articles which it is oto tax, and brought our taxation to bear on a few important articles which we should make contribute substantially to the resources of the country. The tax that is now P. will contribute nothing of any real substance to the resources of the country, while to my view it is not creditable. That is my opinion. I say it frankly; I cannot help saying it, because I think it. It is not creditable to the civilization of our age, and least of all is it creditable to the civilization of a Republic? That is my conviction. As often as I have thought of this question, I cannot see it in any other light; and I do think that money derived from such a quarter can only be vindicated on the principle of the ancient Roman emperor, who said, “Money from any quarter, no matter what it may be, for money does not smell.” Now, it were better if we, instead of hunting up all of these several articles for taxation, running them down like game in order to bag them in the public Treasury, should confine ourselves to to: great subjects, and make them productive. There are enough of them, and we can have revenue enough. Let us have all the revenue that we want; and having it, let us be hospitable to literature, to knowlege, to art; and now let me say, let us be hospitable to books, because through books you will obtain what you desire in literature, in knowledge, and in art.