South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1882-12-01
Letter from Washington.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Nov. %.

Chairman Kelly did not find ma.
jnrity ofthe Ways aud Means Com.
mittee on hand here to indorse his
proposition for free whiskey, the abol-
it.on of all internal revenue taxes
III order to cut down revenue receipts
In the interest of the protective tariff.
So the meeting called to perfect this
measure was adjourned over until at.
ter Congress assemblies. There is lit.
tie likelihood that majority of the
| committee will ever be brought 10 ia
vor this prol osi,ion. Another req.
son why the committee thought they
could do nothing in advance Of the
session was the lack Of a report from
our absurd Tariff Commission, which
has been rambling about the country
all summer. Hence Judge Kelly aud
his colleagues Of the committee anus
ed themselves by chatting each other
on politics and the results of the late
elections. Well, perhaps the whole
thing is very funny to these Congress
men, but it is not 80 amusing to the
soreiy oppressed taxpayers, who want
some relief from the unreasonable i'm.
posts they are compelled to pay-not
| on their whiskey, hut upon the neces
saries of life. There is q memorable
historic portrait OF a Roman Emperor
tiddling while Rome was in flames,
to which the levity and iuaction of
this Ways and Means Committee
seems to give fresh point as an illus
tration.
Speaking Of the Tariff Commission,
that illustrious body, aside from all
the ridicule it has earned. stands
fair chance of finding itself sutton
before an Indifferent Congress for
bill of expenses neither provided or
lot contemplated in the act creating
II. Estimates of the expenses of the
hiPpodrome outside of salaries at SO
day each, show that the average cost
per witness has been about $3.50,
which even the commission confess to
be rather steep considering that sev.
eral of the members have been pro-
nounced ia their opinions that the wit
nesses generally had nothing to offer
In their testimony of the slightest i'm.
portance. This average has been
helped materially 10y items in the ex-
pense accounted over $4,000 forpalace
car Accommodations. A deficiency
will need to be reported for these ex-
penses. And then what do we get
for it all After summering for five
weeks at Long Branch and making
pleasure tour about seven thousand
miles long, through seven agreeable
cities to visit ut public expense, it is
announced that the Commissioners
Will report 'in favor of making the
least possible number of changes, and
none OF them important, in the pres
ent tariff, and that the present pro.
liabilities indicate IL postponement of
general tariff revision until the regu.
lar assemblage of the next Congress
IN December, 1885, This is all strict
~ III conformity to the original do
nothing programme of the inventors
OF this ridiculous and costly commiss-
ion. The opinion prevails here that
the threatened shutting down of iron
manufacturers ia Il preconcerted move.
ment to bull-doze Congress into let.
ting the tariff alone, but If investga.
ton proves this to be true the effect
will re very different from that in
tended.
People are beginning to grumble
about the delay in completing the re-
ports OF the census of 1890. Two
years and a half have now passed
since the taking of that census was
begun, but no reports of the statistics
gathered have yet been distributed a..
mong the people. A mass of bulc-
tins and some special reports have
been issued by the census office, but
they have been sent only to Il favored
few. Last session Congress appropri-
ated a very large sum of money for
the publication of the final reports
and made provision for their public
distribution, but none Of such reports
are yet accessible to the public. It is
now announced that compendium
will be ready for issue about the time
Congress meets AS about is q We.
ry elastic and indefinite word it il RAJ
Their uncertain when even this com.
pendulum Will appeur. Besides it can
not take the place of the full and final
reports. Tho value of statistics de.
pends largely OH their fieshness.-
Those of the census of 1880 are like
~ TO be three years old before they
are published aud may be good deal
older. Further there has been good
deal OF talk about inaccuracies disco.
vered not long ago, and which Mr..
Supt. Walker explained as mere clori-
cal errors pa!paDlc on their face. But
the census has cost enough in its com
pilation to be absolutely perfect as
far "a 1t gOes. If it is inaccurate az
well rs out ofdate. when it comes out