The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-12-13
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8.


Congress has now been in session
for one week, and there are indica-
tons of an intention to work and
make up for the lost time OF the
previous session. One appropriation
bill, the Indian, has been already
passed, it being s274,20O less than
the appropriations for the current
year and s~1.5l6,776 less than the
estimates. The ways and means
committee, at its meeting yesterday
morning, unanimously adopted a
resolution to proceed at once to the
consideration of the tariff commits
sion report, and to frame a tariff
bill. The clerk of the committee was
directed to prepare schedules OF the
rates now existing and OF those pre-
pared by the commission.
Mr.. Bingham, of Pa, chairman OF
the House committee on postofhces
and postroads is engaged in the
preparation of a report urging the
importance of the passage at this
session of Congress OF a bill reducing
letter postage to two cents per hall
ounce. Mr.. Bingham has called a
meeting of his committee for this
morning, at which time he will sub
init his views on the subject and en-
deavor to obtain authority to report
a bill to the House.
Nh. Flower of New York has made
an argument before the Judiciary
committee in favor of his proposed
amendment to the Constitution so
as to give the President the power to
veto specific items in bills appropri-
ating money while approving OF
other portions of the measure.
The first bill of the session in the
Senate looking to the abolition OF
the internal revenue system was IN
troduced yesterday by Mr.. Brown of
Georgia. 1t is the intention OF Mr..
Brown to force his measure to an
issue at the earliest practicablet time.
The bill recites in preamble that 1t
has been the policy of the United
States from the earliest times to sup
port the Government by a tax on
imports /; that the internal revenue
tax was a war exigency that the
exigency has long ceased to exist;
that a tax IN imports affords Incl
dental protection to American indus
try, and it concludes by enacting,
First, that the act entitled, an act to
provide internal revenue to support
the Government, to pay interest on
the public debt and for other pur-
poses, passed the thirtieth of June,
1864, and all acts adding to, enlarg-
ing or amending the same, and all
laws authorizing the collection of
internal revenue be, and the same
are hereby, repealed, from and after
the first day of July, 1888.
1t is evident from talks with mem
bers that those who are III favor OF
tariff revision are generally well
pleased with the report of the tariff
commission. The Northwestern
members, particularly the Minneso-
ia delegation, who did not favor the
appointment of the commission iii
the first place, and who maintained
that the object was to defeat tariff
reform, are now disposed to accept
in the main the result of its labors.
The prevailing feeling a2znng this
class on both sides lis that the rec-
concentrations of the commission
while, perhaps, not meetiag all their
wishes, are the best they can expect
and they say if a bill was brought
into the House embodying them
they would vote for it without hest
tation These members generally
oppose the repeal of the tobacco tax.
as they think its passage would
interfere with the accomplishment
of all they desire with respect to the
tariff.
Southern members, as well as
Western and North western mem
bers, seem to desire tariff revision
in preference to any other PROPOSE
to reduce the revenues of the
Government.