National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-05
CONGRESS yesterday

The raid on whisky has entered the Sen
ate, but the proposition is not SO much tt
destroy the traffic as to secure good article
for occasional use. Struck with the infe
riority of the grades now offered for sale
it is proposed that a commission shall bt
given authority to chemically analyze the
ingredients of the liquors sold over bar,
and to bar all chance Of the wholesale ami
hilation of the trade the morning hour yes.
terday WAS consumed in discussion as to the
ACCESSIBILITY of appointing one commits.
sioner at least who has a Wholesome appe.
tite for gin, as well as the discrimination
necessary to detect a stable brand. Indeed
the utter absuriity of launching forth a
Temperance party to test alcohol in all its
various authorizations was paramount, and,
without vote, it seemed inevitable that
one drinking man must be of the party.
Of course this individual would be power,
as his voice alone would denote the effects
of the sample produced for inspection.
Should one man be the designated deposi
tory for all the whisky examined it would
seem not i'll advised to give the balance Of
the commission an advisory jurisdiction SO
that the ''bad example" would be under
due restraint, and full bench be present
at the final verdict on whisky and its adul-
terations. By a transposition only known in
legislative halls, whisky, like harlequin,
disappeared through ono trap and transpor-
rational facilities bounced up through an.
other. But it was short-lived, as both the
Centennial and Louisiana were pressing
for consideration. The manner in which
the Centennial bill was postponed exempli-
fies the power of a single Senator in lcgis-
lative matters. Mr.. Cameron wanted the
Centennial first considered, and Mr.. Car
penter wanted the Louisiana bill to have
precedence To effect the defeat of the
first named, and the consequent triumph of
the second, all Mr.. Carpenter had to do
was to proclaim his known versatility and
declare that he had an hours speech to de-
liver, and as it would exactly suit either
subject it didn't make q particle of differ
ence which came up, only that he would
oppose the Centennial and favor the Louis
lana bill. This settled the matter, Louis
lana getting the benefit of the hours
Grafton.
While the Senate was delighted with the
woes of Louisiana, the House was writhing
in agony over the tortures Of the women in
Utah. There Is an evident disposition to
do something in the premises. and the only
question is how, and over this opinions
differ. The Territories Committee make
one fell sweep, intended to cxterminate
every vestige Of polygamy, while the Ju-
dietary Committee propose to remodel the
courts and thereby open the road to the
legal correction of the systematic practice
of immortality. 1t seems certain, however,
that considerable opposition will be mani
tested to any Congressional interference
with Utah or its people. In furtherance of
this opposition, the Mckee bill was carried
to the Committee of the Whole under q
"point of order" As predicted, the bill
to regulate commerce between the States
has revived all the constitutional knowledge
that has lain dormant since the reconstruc-
ton era, and, as consequent, speeches
many hours in length are the order of the
day. Mr.. Arthur, of Kentucky, concluded
an argument which, brought over from yes
terlay. occupied a goodly portion of the
day, and Mr.. Hurlbut, of Illinois, made an
address which was equally interesting, if
not quite SO lengthy. No further time for
business remaining, the House adjourned.