National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-06

Illll SilC vi IN " l"GuIl-
five assessors and their clerks and about
eleven hundred assistant assessors were
dispensed with one year ago.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.
The recent report of Mr.. Windows COM
mi!tee, and the speech Of that Senator. by
which it was accompanied. attracts univer-
sal attention. There is not single pro-
Queer or consumer in the land who is not
interested in the results Of the investiga-
ti0ns by that committee. Tho committee
reports il practicable to cheaper the cost of
transportation an average of twenty Cents
bushel on grain ard ope dollar per barrel
on -four. This means ten cents per bushsi
Ilore to the farmer and ten cents less to the
miller and fifty cents less per barrel of tioui
to the consumer on the Atlantic coas: or
wherever else TINT -four seeks o market.
The whole economy will be fairly Invisible
between the two classes-prodUcers aad
conSumers-the agr!culturistS Of the West
and the mechanic or manufacturer of the
EIst-2nd it means higher prices for Labor
West and lower prices FOR bread East.
To bring about the desirable erI D: cheap
transportation. which will In turn increase
the income of the Western farmer and the
savings of the Eastern mechanic, the COM
mittee advises bureau of commerce in one
of the departments To this bureau it is
proposed to give the supervision of all
channels of the interstate commerce. That
the business likely to result from the pro-
posed supervision of railways and canals
will be of considerable magnitude must be
very evident to all parties who are at all
acquainted with such matters. These af-
fairs of commerce have heretofore always
pertaiaed to the Treasury Department, and
properly so, especially whenever they
affected the revenues OF the country. But
the business of that Department has become
so enormous that the efforts of Congress
should rather be addressed to its decrease
than augmentation. II appears that some
reorganization of the Department is neces-
sary in order to secure proper and efficient
division of labor and service.
In arranging supervision of the internal
commerce of tbs country the erection OF
new department may become necessary.
Why should we not have Department of
| Commerce, with seat in the Cabinet, to
take charge of commercial affairs both in
ternal and foreign? Such o department
would properly have the supervision of the
collection Of all the revenues of the Govern
ment derived from commercial operations,
accounting for them to the Treasury. This
would leave the latter Department in charge
of the receipts and disbursements, currency
loans and accounts. The Department of
Commerce would be to this Government
something such en- agent as the 'tBoard of
Trade" is to Great Britain and the Min
| istry Of Commerce" Is to France. 1t should
be an executive department, with seat in
the Cabinet. Tbs business of the Treasury
is now far in excess Of what should be
chargeable to any ons Department. of the
Government The Cabinet duties of the
head of this DEPARTMENT, added to the sig
natures required by law to be made in the
accomplishment of the routine business de-
volving upon him, render 1t physically i'm
possible that he should have the requisite
personal knowledge of the contents of the
documents to which his name is affixed.
Any addition to his present labors and re-
sponsibilities must necessarily endanger the
tho efficiency with which the Department
is administered. The report of the Com
mittee on Transportation evidently contem-
plates the construction of the proposed i'm
provemcnts under the supervision of the
War Department, But the operation Of the
works after construction would naturally
fall to the control of the Treasury or Int
rior Departments under the present organi-
zation.
1t appears clear to US that the commerce
of tho country is now of sufficient magni-
tude to entitle it to the entire attention of
the head of an independent department of
the Government; but when it is considered
that it has grown to its present gigantic pro-
portions without the cherishing and foster
ing care of any especial branch of Govern
ment, but simply through the native enter
prise and elastic force Of American citizens,
and that not only our foreign commerce is
at present languishing under the effects of
the late war and the present commercial
depression, but that the industrial interests
and internal trade Of the country are greatly
paralyzed by the same influence, it appears
to be just the opportune moment for the
Government to extend, by an especial effort,
that protection and encouragement to all of
those interests which is accorded to them SO
lavishlyby rival commercial powers.
The measures proposed in Mr.. Windows
report, for the Improvement and compile
ton of four great water routes, the
Mississippi river; 2, the Northern lakes and |
rivers; 3, the Central, via the Ohio Kama |
wha, and James river; and 4, the Southern,
via the Tennessee and 0cmulgee rivers
constitute a step in the right direction. The |
estimated aggregate cost of all these i'm
provements is $155, OO0 900, as the maxi
mum if canals are used, and 1920, 900, 900 |
as the minimum in the event of the use of
part double-track railways. 1t is proper, !
however, to add that the greater cost of
the maintenance and repairs of railroads
would very soon equalize, or perhaps even
exceed, the maximum of $l55, 900, 600. |
Should these improvements be determined
upon, it is suggested that about twenty |
or thirty millions per annum be ex-
pended upon them during the next SIX
years, and it is believed that the national
economy thereafter 10 Rnrrue from them |