The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-12-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. o, 10

WASHINGTON, u. u, DEC v, looS
Congress has now been in session for
one week, and there are indications 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, zoo
less than the appropriations for the chr.
rent year and $l,516,776 less than the
estimates. The ways and means COM
mIttee, at its meeting yesterday morn
ing, unanimously adopted Il resolution
to proceed at once to the consideration
of the tariff commission report, and to
frame tariff bill. The clerk of the
committee was directed to prepare
schedules of the rates now existing and
Of those prepared 10y the commission.
Mr.. Bingham, OF Pa, chairman of the
House committee on postofiices and
postroads is engaged in the preparation
of report urging the importance of
the passage at this session of Congress
Of bill reducing letter postage to two
cents per half ounce. Mr.. Bingham has
called meeting Of his committee for
this morning, at which time he will SUBJ
nit his views on the subject and en-
deavor TO obtain authority to report a
bill to the House.
Mr.. Flower of New York has made
an argument before the judiciary com.
mittee in favor of his proposed amend
ment to the Constitution so as to give
the President the power 10 veto specific
items in bills appropriating 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 introduced
yesterday by Mr.. Brown, of Georgia.
1t is the intention of Mr.. Brown to force
his measure to an issue at the earliest
practicable time. The bill rccites in
preamble that It has been the policy of
the United States from the earliest times
to support the Government by tax on
imports; that the internal revenue tax
was war exigency; that the exigency
has long ceased to exist; that tax on
imports affords incidental protection to
American industry, and II 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 ofJune. 1854,
and all acts adding to, enlarging or
amending the same, and all laws author
izing the collection of internal revenue
be, and the same are hereby, repealed,
from and after the first day of July,
1883.
1t is evident from talks with men,
bers that those who are in favor of tariff
revision are generally we'll pleased with
the report of the tariff commission. The
| Northwestern members, particularly
the Minnesota delegation, who did not
favor the appointment of the commits.
sion in the first place, and who main
tanned that the object was to defeat
tariff reform, are now disposed to accept
10 the main the result of its labors The
prevailing feeling among this class on
both sides is that the recommendations
of the commission, while, perhaps, not
meeting all their wishes, are the best
they can expect and they say if bill
was brought into the House embodyinc
them they would vote for 1t without
hesitation. These members generally
oppose the repeal of the tobacco tax, as
they think its passage would interfere
with the accomplishment of all they de-
sire with respect to the tariff.
Southern members, as well as West
ern and Northwestern members, seem to
desire tariff revision in preference to any
other proposition to reduce the revenues
of the Government. 1t is more and
more apparent, after talks with mem
bers from all parts of the country that
the tariff question is becoming sectional
rather than political.