REMARKS IN THE SENATE ON MOVING AN AMENDMENT TO A TARIFF BILL, MARCH
27, 1872.
On the question of concurrence in an amendment made in Committee of
the Whole relative to the free list, Mr. Sumner said:--
I move to amend that amendment by adding after the provision as to
books, as arranged alphabetically in the free list,--
Books in the ancient and foreign languages.
I have letters very often from learned professors in different parts of
the country, complaining of the cost of books that they are constrained
to purchase in order to carry on their studies and to enable them to
teach. This is the case with Greek professors, professors in all the
languages, ancient and modern. It is also the case with men of science,
who desire works in the Continental languages; they complain bitterly
of the expense to which they are put.
Now, if I can have the attention of the Senate one moment, I will
endeavor to show that these works cannot come in competition with
any books here at home. Certainly they cannot with regard to any
considerable interest. I think, if these could be put on the free
list, an essential service would be done; the revenue would lose very
little, and no considerable interest in our country would suffer. I
hope, therefore, there can be no question but that the Senate will
allow this to be adopted.
MR. MORRILL [of Vermont]. I trust this amendment will not be
adopted. It is evidently an old acquaintance of the Senate.
I think the Senator from Massachusetts has always moved it
whenever he has had an opportunity.
To the argument advanced by Mr. Morrill in support of this
objection,--namely, “that the school-books of America should be
American in character, and printed and published by American
publishers,”--Mr. Sumner replied:--
MR. PRESIDENT,--The argument of my friend is against English books,
and not books in ancient or foreign languages. At any rate, the chief
point of his argument was addressed to works in the English language.
He called our attention, for instance, to Smith’s “Dictionary of the
Bible,” an English work; and he knows well, that, as it is a recent
work, it is not on our free list, and the amendment which I move does
not touch it. My amendment concerns books in the ancient languages, and
in foreign languages, that is, in the languages of modern Europe; and
the single point of the Senator is school-books. Now I ask whether we
should not do all we can to make the school-books as cheap as possible?
Will the Senator put a protective duty on school-books?--make the child
with “shining morning face” as he goes to school pay a duty? I would
have the school-books as cheap as possible. But then how few are the
school-books that would come in under this provision?
My amendment reaches the large amount of works concerning science and
literature and jurisprudence in ancient and in foreign languages; and
why should these be subjected to a duty? Why should those scholars,
those enlightened professional men who import these books, be
subjected to this additional expense? Sir, I honor the man, whether of
scholarship, of science, or of a profession, who imports these works of
learning. He is a benefactor to his country. Every such work becomes
a fountain in the neighborhood: but I would not put a duty on that
fountain; I would unseal it; I would open it, and let it flow as amply
as possible.
MR. MORRILL [of Maine]. I should like to ask the Senator from
Massachusetts whether there are any books in foreign languages that
are not published in this country. Are not all the books in the
ancient languages published in this country?
MR. SUMNER. I beg to call the Senator’s attention to the boundless
annual literature of Germany, where the volumes are counted by the
thousand,--to the extensive literature of France, where the volumes are
counted by the thousand,--to the less ample literature of Spain and
Italy, with numerous publications, all of which, if imported, pay a
duty. Now I wish to encourage that importation.
MR. MORRILL. I understood the Senator’s argument to be in favor of
ancient books.
MR. SUMNER. It is also, certainly.
MR. MORRILL. My inquiry is, whether those books are not all
republished in this country.
MR. SUMNER. Not at all. For instance, take most of the considerable
works of scholarship in German, annually produced, bearing on the
classics; they are not republished in our country, but our professors
import them at cost. Then take another class of works, on science, in
the German language, in the French language,--I would say also in the
Italian language, for there are some excellent contributions to science
as well as to literature in the Italian language,--those, if imported,
pay a duty; but they do not come into competition with anything printed
here. Why, then, should they pay a duty? Why not encourage their
importation? Why not help the man of science, or the learned professor,
who aspires to enlarge his library in this way? I have said that I
regard such a person as a benefactor. I wish to give him my thanks, and
my help, if I can. The best help I can give him is to try to save him
from this additional tax.
Mr. Sumner’s Amendment was rejected,--Yeas 12, Nays not counted.