Mr. LeBlOND. Mr. Chairman, I rise for the purpose of opposing this amendment. I may remark that I do not expect to offer another word during the consideration of this tariff bill. I am satisfied from the votes which have already been taken that no change for the better can be effected in this bill. I am convinced that no change can be made that will result to the benefit of the consumers throughout the country. There is an evident determination in this House to frame and enact a tariff that is calculated to exclude importations in order to benefit the manufacturing interests alone. Now, sir, I wish to call the attention of gentlemen to an important consideration inti mately connected with this bill. In the 1st place you inaugurate a protective system. The Government must be carried on; and in order to keep the wheels of the Government in motion you must have revenue. How do you raise it? After you have adopted a high protective tariff, which to a great extent excludes importations and thus largely diminishes the revenue from imports, you turn round, and in your internalrevenue law, tax the very last dollar of the people, drawing from them every cent that you can from every possible source. The consumers of the country are already very heavily taxed in a direct form; yet you adopt a bill which operates to exclude importations and increase the price of almost every article w 'ch the laboring classes necessarily and larg y consume. This will doubt less operate very nicely for the manufacturing interests of the East; but as a western man, representing western interests, I feel it my duty, as I conceive it to be the duty of every western man, to oppose this bill in every possible way. Sir, look at the free list which has been adopted in our internalrevenue bill. Does it inure to the benefit of the West? Does it benefitany western man, except with regard to 2 or 3 articles? “'liy, sir, thation list inures almost exclusively to the benefit of the State of NewYork and the NewEngland States. I know that, with regard to the subject of iron, my Democratic friends from Pennsylvania do not stand with me upon this question, but, in taking the attitii e which they do. they, in my opinion, stand in opposition to the great interests of the American people. The sentiment of the masses in this country is averse to the principle of laying high duties for the purpose of protecting the manufacturing interests alone. Gentlemen here, in their action on this bill, put out of view entirely the question of raising revenue fromim orts. All I; cir arguments are based upon the idea of protecting the manufacturing interests. How many, I would ask, do they benefit by this sys tem, in comparison with the number that they embarrass and cripple?