The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-02-05
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Wilson, Faulkner, Hereford, All at
work-A Big steai-Cheap Trans
ortafIon-Anotker Insquity Un-
covered-Senator Davis Looking
into the Matter.
WASHINGTON CITY, Feb, 8, 1876.
Editors Of the Register:
On Monday, Hon. B. Wilson, Of your
District, presented, in the House Of Rep.
resentatives, q joint resolution OF the
Legislature of West Virginia, requesting
the Senators and Representatives from
that State to use their best eIertions to
procure q modification of the present
revenue laws OF the United States so as
to enable the producer Of tobacco to sell
his product TO any person or in any guam
tity whatever; which was referred to the
Com mittee on Ways and Means and or
dered to be printed. Mr.. Wilson, with
the entire delegation from your State,
will use his best influence 10 obtain the
modification asked for.
Mr.. Wilson also presented q joint res
olutlon of the Legislature asking an ap-
preparation for the improvement OF the
Ohio river and its tributaries; which was
referred to the Committee on Commerce
and ordered to be printed.
He also presented a paper rotating to
certain post-routes in West Virginia; 8
petition of the citizens Of West Virginia
that pensions be granted TO soldiers OF
the Mexican war, who have not been
pensioned under existing laws; also, the
petition of Mt. Zion Grange No. SO,
Patrons of HusbanGry OF LOWS county,
West Virginia, tor reduction of postage
notes on printed matter and small pack.
ages of merchandise. These papers and
petitions were all appropriately referred.
On the same day, Mr.. Hereford pre-.
sented bill and joint resolutions from
the Legislature of West Virginia, for the
Improvement of Elk river; also, resolu-
tions of the Legislature, accompanied by
a bill, in relation to aid in the erection
of a monument at PIT Pleasant
Mr.. Faulkner, on the same day, in
troduced a bill to carry into execution
the provisions of the l4th amendment, de-
ining certain rights of citizens Of the
United States in foreign countries, SC.
Also bill to apply the proceeds of the
sales ofpublic lands to educational pur-
poses. TIE bills were both read the first
and second time and referred.
A BIG STEAL.
In session Of the Committee on Com
merce, yesterday, of which Maj. Here
ford is chairman, your Third district rep
resentative unearthed another bit Of Rad
ical corruption; l should have said rare
bit OF corruption, were it not for the fact
that these things are by no means rare
any more. The whole Administration
seems to be one fostering mass of corrup-
ton; and puncture it where you will, in
its dealings with the Indians, its collec-
tion of the revenue, its gsuglng Of whis-
ky, its book keeping in the Treasury De-
partment, its management OF shipping
interests, you find rottenness.
There Is an officer at each OF the prin-
cipal ports of the country, known as the
Shipping Commissioned. On yesterday,
the Committee on Commerce had before
it Grants shipping commission for the
port of New York. The law fixes the
salary of this office at $1,000 per annum,
and provides that be shall pay out Of hi,
oDn pocket, Office rent and such clerk
hire as he may require; and faithfully
pay into the Treasury all receipts for
fees received by him in excess of tho
sum of $4,000. The law is plain, eI-
pIicit, exact. But this model Radical
official stated to the committee, himself,
in answer to questions propounded by
Mr. Hereford, while on the stand, that
be pays 500 year rent; and pays this
rent to corporation of which he, him.
SELF is President. That he has four sons
employed as clerks in the Office at a SAL
airy of s2,70O eachl And that, in short,
he has received An average of s47, 900
each year for the past tour years-the
past year S56,000-not one cent of
which he has paid in the Treasury.
As said, touch them where you will,
and foul stencil of corruption re-
spends and pollutes the air around.
On Tues day, in a discussion which
arose upon a report from the Committee
on Commerce in favor Of allowing the
Hawaiian bark Arctic TO again register
as an American vessel-it having changed
its flag during the war to escape seizure
by Confederate cruisers-something was
said of practical value to the friends OF
CHEAP TRANSPORTATION.
Prior 10 the war our carrying trade
was greater than any other maritime ma
tion in the world, except Great Britain,
but owing to the dangers of the ocean,
at that time, ship-owners changed their
flag and registry and sailed under the
protection of foreign governments who
were at peace. Thus our tonnage fell
down i, less than three years TO mini
mum of only 20 per cent Of what it was
before the war. Heretofore, every
effort that has been made by these chip
owners-citizens ofthis country-to come
again under the protection OF the Amer
ican flag, has been restricted by the Re-
publican majority in Congress, on the
ground that, when vessel had placed
itself under the protection Of foreign
ernment, and had endeavored TO
avoid the consequences Of a condition
of revolution in this country, it had
thus deserted its own country and should
now bear the results. 1t will be borne
in mind. also, that no ship can sail under
the American flag unless it shall have
been built in America and further, that
ship building in this country is almost
prohibited by the onerous protective
tariff that is laid upon everything that
enters into the construction of vessels
making it impossible TO build them and
place them on the ocean under the
American flag without heavy ross OF
money,
In the course Of this discussion Mr..
Hereford said:
80 far as | am concerned, / see no
good reason why, if we desire to increase
the carrying trade of the United States,
to improve our commerce and to bring