Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-25
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
GOrham and REahone- The Refund.
ing Bill a Peoples HIeasure-Atlan-
ta a Port Of Entry- Wholesale DHs.
appearance of MOOnshiners-QufeG
In the Departments.

WASHINGTON, February ga George @. Cor
ham for while played very fine hand as re-
CARDS Malone, Of Virginia-the Malone who,
if we can believe all that is printed about him,
is going to act on all sides of every political |
question when he takes his seat in the Senate.
Gorham was Secretary of the Senate when that
body was Republican, and wants to get the |
same soft place again. When Mahone's posi-
sition first began to be in doubt, which seems
ages ago, Gorham constituted himself nego-
tiator with the Virginia gentleman on behalf
OF the Repub lean party. He was also q nego-
tiator for himself. Like Niles Standish's love |
ambassador, sent to the charming Priscilla, he |
spoke for himself while talking about his princi-
pal He wants Malone to vote for him as Secre-
tary Of the Senate 1t was apparent all along to |
those who thought anything about it what he |
apretty fine hand. Now that fineness has worn |
OF. Gorham is editor Of the RepatbIicu,a of |
this city. paper OF the most stalwart char |
acter. For the past few davH he has
Just been covering Mr. Malone with the softest |
kind of soap. He is evidently not as confident |
as he would like to be that his bird has been
imed, and wants to make the thing certain |
It is believed however, that he will get Ma
homes vote for the SecretaryshiD of the next |
Senate. IL all the Republicans and Malone
should vote for him GOrham would be elected
But while he has been hunting around for Ma
hone he has overlooked the fact that some Re
publicanS will not vote for him and will even |
vote Tor Democrat TO defeat him.. Gorham
is not popular with certain class OF Republi-
cans He will very likely catch Malone, but |
with him can do nothing for the lack Of much
more material support. So Gorham will not
organized by the Democrats. All Republicans
of any prominence concede that it will be- The |
fine hand-work of Mr.. Gorham and the more |
open pleading to get Mahone's vote win do him
no good.
A BILL FOR THE PEOPLE
The refunding bill, which provides for re-
placing about 500 000, ,000 five and six per cent
bonds now outstanding with bonds bearing a |
rate Of three per cent. will stand out as one of
the best pieces of legislation of the |
past twenty years. For once in the history of |
legislation of that character the interests of |
the people and not Of the banks predominant. |
The bill Is odious to the national banks, who |
are surprised and aStonished that Congress |
could do otherwise than as they wished ia SO
large monetary transaction. Secretary |
Sherman and the Comptroller of the Currency |
protested warmly against the bill. They even |
lobDled 70 prevent its passage. Now the banks |
threaten to withdraw their circulation and to /
create the very demnition in the money mar |
ket because the rate of interest was placed at |
instead OF 31% per cent, and because under |
the bill they will have todeposit the new bonds |
as security for their circulation There are /
other proY1SoS in the bill which make the |
banks subordinate to the government and /
which will prevent many abuses II they |
should all Withdraw their circulation at once |
taking as it would Sl70 OOO. 900 out Of the circu.
lation of the country. The threat is only /
meant for effect They hope to induce Mr.. |
Hayes to veto the bill, but he will sign It. /
Even if they meant to do anything they |
cannot: The time is so short before /
the bill becomes a law that but little |
could be done towards retiring their circua-
ton. After the bill is a law its prov sions are |
such that the work of reducing circulation win |
be so slow that their hands are practically tied
The authority given to the Secretary of the |
treasury TO use the surplus revenues and fifty |
million of the cola in the Treasury to purchase /
outstanding bonds win be more than sufficient
TO counteract any attempt at contraction by
the banks II they should see fit to attempt |
contraction the Treasury Department., by buy /
ing bonds ith the surplus revenues and the |
fifty millions Of coin can initiate the market
correspondtngiy. In short the bill makes
the banks behave themselves, takes away some
Of their dangerous privileges. and thoroughly |
protects the government against any attempt
at disturbing the money market they NAV
make; Il $50, is bill for the people, not for
That any party could justly point to with pride.
ATLANTA AS PORT OF ENTRY.
The bill making the city of Atlanta port of
entry is now in the Senate. 1t NAV not be |
reached in the final rush and thus be lost. That
is a possibility that its friends have to
bear. If is should be reached there |
is another danger. Quite plumber of Senators
oppose the measure, not seeing exactly why
d !
more than other inland cities. One of those
opposed to the bill is Senator Edmunds. His
opposition means good deal. One man can
In his opposition. Both the Georgia Senator's
will o9 course, do all they can for the measure
but Assaiita is not yet port of entry.
WHERE ARE TsE MooNsHNERs?
One thing has puzzled me for years past, and
that is what becomes of the moonshiners after
the political campaign is over. During the |
we have them with us always Re- |
ports from the South come on the very heels of |
each other about wholesale violation of the
internal revenue laws down there Every |
once and awhile we hear of slaughter of in |
ternal revenue officers, which ia supported bv
the sentiment of the people," Immense
raids are organized to invade the hostile dis
trtctS, and from the reports given out bv the |
internal revenue officers there is but one con- |
ciusion aud that is that certain portions OF the
south are certainly in arms against the govern
ment. The Republican press and Re
publican stump speeches harp on this
theme and make much capital out
o. 95 IT, Soa AS soon as the campaign is oysr
no more of wholesale violation of the interna |
revenue laws; no more are there bloody
forays; no more does Commissioner Raum
send out carbines and authorize the employ
ment OF sufficient force to enforce the
laws" can't understand this. We had plenty
OF bloody reports from the South during the |
recent campa1gn, but now we have nothing at |
all about the festive moonshiner and his occu-
patton. Although | can't exactly under
stand IL, suppose that 1t must be all the fault |
Of the moonshiner. He certainly must sus-
pend operations during the of periods and |
only get to work when political campaign is
boiling. | must ask Raum how he accounts |
for this truly remarkable and curious practice |
Of the moonshiner. Perhaps he knows the
why and wherefore OF it all.
NOTHING TO Do.
4 Congress is the only busy end of the govern
ment machinery now. The different govern |
ment departments have nothing to do. They |
might as well put up a sign CLOSED until |
March 9Th" and 90 home. Only the merest |
routine is going on. This has been the case for
the past two or three weeks None Of the de.
partments enter upon anything new or com
mence any kind OF work that win take more
than day or two to complete They don't |
know what is to be the policy of the heads OF
departments who are to come in within the
next two weeks, and don't want to start on |
anything for fear it might not find favor |
Therefore they do nothing The clerks gel |
through work about noon, and after takine a
lunch have nothing to do during the rest Of the
day but sit and shoot rubber bands at each |
other. Some of them have become remarka-
bly, good marksmen with the rubber band.
Potomac.
KILLED BY A MANIAC FATHER.