New-York tribune., 1881-11-21
THE COMING SESSION.

THE COMING SESSION.
There will be no lack OF matters OF INTEREST
TO occupy the attention of Congress dullhS
the session which begins on the 9th OF De-
cember and, if it proves to be OF about lne
average length, will not end before the MD
die of June. SO far as can now be forcSeeh'
however. the business of the session Will, for
tbe most part, be of a nature not likely 10
produce divisions upon party lines. Except
tbe admission of Dakota it is not easy now
10 name an important question upon which
the two parties will be sOlidly arIayed
against each other and perhaps upon tins queS-
ton there may be a few Democrats who
will rise above the low level OF
party interest, and take the ground that the
fact that the new State like her neighbors,
Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska, will probably
be Republican, will not justify the Democratic
party in Congress in resisting her admission to
the Union. The bills to amend the tax and
tariff laws which will be sure to come for
ward in large number will not he party Is
sues. There is reason to apprehend, how
ever, that large proportion OF the Democrats
will vote for heavy reduction in the taxes
on whiskey and tobacco, If not Tor their en-
tire repeal. These taxes have always been
obnoxious to the Southern members, from a
mistaken notion that they bear with dlS-
proportionate weight upon their constltu-
ents If some of the extreme high tarIli
men from the North should join the
Southern Democrats in an attack upon
the present revenue system, which makes to-
bacco and whskey the chief objects of taxation,
they might carry their point The motive OF
the high protectionists would be to make heavy
customs duties a necessity to the Treasury by
taking away its other sources OF revenue such
an alliance would be an unnatural one, how
ever. for the reason that the Southern repre-
sentatiyes, with few exceptions, are low taIlh
men. The probability is that after long de-
bates ON the subject some safe and simple bill
will be passed cutting OFF such unnecessary and
annovng taxes as those on matches and medi-
cines, and making a few rcadjustments and re-
ductions in the tariff schedule to correct evil
dent abuses which cripple both commercial
and manufacturing enterprises.
The Army requires some legislation to i'm
prove its efficiency, and an effort will un-
doubtedly be made to lay the foundations Of
modern Navy by authorizing the building OF
a number of new cruisers. Something ought to
he done toward advancing the settlement OF
the Indian problem, by permitting the tribes
that have made considerable progress on the
way to civilization to hold lands in severilty,
and to have the civil organization of county
covering their reservations. The land laws
need reforming to stop the abuses of the pre-
emption system and to enable actual settlers
to take up large tracts Of grazing or tim
Der land. Alaska asks for some sort
of civil government, and can perhaps
wisely be made a county of Washington Terri
| tory, inasmuch as her entire white population,
| save a few seal-catchers, is found at Sitka
The Mormon problem demands immediate
attention. 1t has been agitated in Congress
| for more than a dozen years, but no single
practical step has yet been taken to check the
| growth of the Mormon Church or break up
| the abOminable practice of polygamy. We
may expect a good deal of talk about railroad
| monopoly, but there is no likelihood of any
| legislation to exercise Government control over
the roads. Probably an investigating COM
mttee may be authorized, however. On the
one hand there will be steamship sub
sidy bills, and on the other bills
to repeal the navigation laws so as
to permit the purchase Of foreign-built
ships, and the antagonism between these two
classes of measures will probably result in
leaving the matter just where it is now.
Some effort will, we hope, be made to set up
dyke and prevent the enormous waste of
public money through the channel opened by
the Arrears of Pensions Act, but the men who are
patriotic enough to make this effort must ex
pect to be the victims of the hot indignation of
all the delnagogues in Congress, and can hardly
hope to succeed. The current newspaper dis
cusson of the Monroe doctrine as appli-
cable to the Isthmus question will be sure to
be echoed III both wings of the Capitol,
and may produce some new measure for
giving Government aid to an American
canal enterprise. Civil Service measures will
receive some attention, but unless the adyo-
Gates of the general principle of reform can
unite in support of some single project no
progress will be made. In brief, the prospect
for the coming session is that there will be
great deal of talk upon a great variety OF
matters of considerable National interest that
little party feeling will be shown and that few
measures of real Importance will be perfected
and passed.