Mr. Sumner moved to reduce the tax from twenty to ten per cent, but, at the suggestion of Mr. Fessenden, Chairman of the Finance Committee, consented to fifteen per cent, which was adopted. The amendment failed between the two Houses.
The bill as it came from the House had a proviso, “That all imported cotton and linen rags for the manufacture of paper shall be free of duty.” Mr. Sumner made an ineffectual effort to prevent this from being struck out. In the course of his remarks, he said:—
Here is another tax on knowledge. On the face it is a tax on rags; but rags are imported to make paper; so that a tax on rags is a tax on paper, and as such is a tax on knowledge.
CONSTITUTIONAL QUORUM OF THE SENATE.
Speech in the Senate, on a Resolution declaring the Constitutional Quorum, July 12, 1862.
According to long-continued usage, a quorum of the Senate was a majority of the whole number of Senators, assuming each State represented by two Senators. After the withdrawal of the Rebel Senators, business was often embarrassed from the failure of what was supposed to be the constitutional quorum. To remove this difficulty, Mr. Sherman, April 11th, introduced the following:—
“Resolved, That a majority of the Senators duly elected and entitled to seats in this body is a constitutional quorum.”