Mr.  C.  having  then  read  the  fourth  section  of
the  bill,  said  Uiat  one  of  the  considerations
Btroof^ly  urged  for  a  reduction  of  the  tariff  at
this  time  was,  that  the  Government  was  likely
to  be  placed  in  a  dilemma  by  having  an  over-
flowing revenue;  and  this  apprehension  was
tiie  ground  of  an  attempt  totally  to  change  the
protective  policy  of  the  country.  The  section
which  he  nad  read,  Mr.  C.  siud,  was  an  effort
to  guard  agunst  this  evil,  by  relieving  alto-
gether from  duty  a  portion  of  the  articles  of
unport  now  subject  to  it.  Bome  of  thes^  he
said,  would,  under  the  present  rate  of  duty
upon  them,  produce  a  considerable  revenue;
the  article  of  silks  alone  would  probably  yield
half  a  million  of  dollars  per  annum.  If  it  were
possible  to  pacify  present  dissensions,  and  let
things  take  their  course,  he  believed  that  no
difficulty  need  be  apprehended.  If,  said  he,  the
bill  which  this  body  passed  at  the  last  session
of  Congress,  and  has  again  passed  at  this  session,
shall  pass  the  other  Uouse,  and  become  a  law,


and  the  gradual  reduction  of  duties  shall  take
place  which  is  contemplated  by  the  first  section
of  this  bill,  we  shall  have  settied  two  (if  not
three)  of  the  great  questions  whidi  have  agi-
tated this  country — that  of  the  tariff^  of  the
public  lands,  and,  I  will  add,  of  internal  im-
provement also.  For,  if  there  should  still  be  a
surplus  revenue,  that  suiplus  might  be  applied,
until  the  year  1842,  to  the  completion  of  the
works  of  internal  improvement  alreadr  com-
menced ;  and,  after  1842,  a  reliance  for  all  ftrnds
for  purposes  of  internal  improvement  shoidd  be
placed  upon  the  operation  of  the  land  bill,  to
which  he  had  already  referred.
