Daily Republican., 1881-11-22
what Congress will do.

Congress will meet on next Monda
= week, the 9th of December In
Senate is already organized, Judg
David Davis, being President pro tenn
Only Secretary is to elect to succeed
Mr.. Burk, who died during the sum
mer recess. Provided Judge Davi
preserves q strict neutrality and vote
for neither party, the Republicans will
the aid OF Senator Mahone's vote, vii
be able to elect Secretary, if th'
Democrats do not resort to flibusterin&
and making dilatory motions in orael
to defeat an election. In the House y
Representatives, the Republicans have
clear majority Of one over all shades
of opposition and expect to elect :
Speaker and organize House by some
eight majority, as some who were e'ec
ted on Greenback tickets are Republi
cans, and will vote with them in or.
ganizing. 1t is also expected that the
two Readjuster members from Nir
ginia, Paul and Fulkerson, will vote
with the Republicans and there will bt
very little delay in organizing.
So far as can be foreseen, however,
the business of the session will most
likely not be Of nature to produce di.
visions upon party lines, unless the ap-
plication of Dakota for admission into
the Union as State will do it. Upon
this question there will probably be a
marshaling of party strength,as Dakota
being strongly Republican, the Demo.
Gratis would most naturally array them.
selves against it, and the Repubioan3
in favor of it. There may however, "'-
q few Democrats who will rise above
the low level of party interest and vote
for the admission of the new Sta Q, the
simple fact that it is R...rrublicaG, ~,
being sufficient to induce them to keep
out young and thriving territory,
which would In u few years make as
thriving young State as Kansas or
Nebraska. The bills which will ts
brought forward in large numbers to
amend the tariff laws, will scarcely
rise to the importance of party
issues, Though there is a probability
that the Democrats in large numbers,
and few Republicans will vote for Il
reduction of the internal tax on whiskey
and tobacco-probably for the repeal OF
the tax altogether, and make tobacco
as free as the bread we eat, and whiSkey
as free as the water we drink. These
taxes have always been obnoxious to
Southern members of Congress, from Il
mistaken notion that they bear with dis
proportionatA weight upon their con.
stituents. Much of the revenue for the
support of the Government, comes from
the tobacco and whiskey tax. Ii thi'
tax was repealed, revenue would have
to be raised from some other source. |
would be very unpopular movencn'
to return to an income tax. and consc
quently there is just u possibility
that many Southern members may
suddenly become high protective tariff
advocates, though they have heretofore
been inclined to free trade. Parties art
so evenly balanced and the revenues
are made with such commendab.e dis
elimination to bear equally upon al
sections, that it il likely that nothing
more than some simple and plain bill
will pass, cutting such annoying and
unnecessary taxes as those on matches
and medicines and making few read
justments and reductions in the tarit
schedule to correct evident abuses whicl
cripple commercial and manufacturing
enterprises. The Army requires som
legislation and a number Of new crui
sers will no doubt be ordered to be bull
to lay the foundations of a moderl
navy. The Indian problem will n
doubt come in for a large share Of at
tention, and the land laws need re
forming to stop the abuses of the pres
ent system, and to enable actual set
tiers to take up large tracts of grazing
and timber land. Alaska wants som,
kind of ii civil government, and ther
being so few settlers in it, this coult
be the more easily secured by annex
ing it as county to Washington Terri
tory.
There is no abuse that demands th
immediate attention more than tn
Mormon problem. 1t has been agi'ate'
for twenty years in Congress, and ye
no practical step has been taken t.
abolish the abominab!e practice Of poly
gamy-the remaining twin relic Of bar
barism. This promises to come u
early in the session, as the seat of tn
Mormon Delegate Cannon, will be con
tested by a Gentle. There will be
great deal of buncombe talk over tn
exceeding harmfulness Of monopolies
but it is not likely any thing will b
done to control either railroads or tee
graphs. No doubt there will be steam
ship subsidy bills, and bills to repea
the navigation laws, so that foreig
built ships may be purchased and th
antagonism between these two classe
of measures will probably result i
leaving the matter just where it is nov
Tho Arrears of Pensions Act, calls ft
some legislation to prevent the enc
nous waste, through the loose and il
tricate system of paying bounties tt
discussion Of the Monroe doctrine, :
l. l. 4. ~