Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-12-13
[From Our Regular Correspondent
Washington Letter,
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Dec.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 9, 80.
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. tho Indian, has been
already passed, it being 1924, 200 less than
the appropriations for the current year
and 1,516,776 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 commission
report, aud TO frame tariff bill. The
clerk of tho committee was directed to
prepare schedules of the rates now exist.
ing and of those prepared by the commits
sion.
Mr.. Bingham. of Pa, chairman of the
House committee on post offices and
post roads is engaged in the preparation
oil a report urging the Importance of the
passage 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 morn.
ing, at which time he will submit his
views on the subject and endeavor to
obtain authority to report bill to the
House.
Mr.. Flower of New York has made an
argument before the judiciary committee
in favor of his proposed amendment of
the constitution SO as 10 give the president
the power to 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 20 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 practi.
cable time. The bill recites in preamble
that it has been the policy of the United
States from the earliest times 10 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 70 American
industry, and it concludes by enacting,-
, first, that the act entitled, an act to pro.
vide internal revenue to support the
government, TO pay interest on the public
debt nd for other purposes, passed the
thirtieth of June, 1864, and all acts adding
to, enlarging o amending the same, and
all laws authorizing the collection of
internal revenue be, and the same arc
hereby, repealed, from and after the first
day of July. 1888.
1t is evident from talks with members
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 commission in 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
among this class on both sides is that the
recommendation Of the commission
while, perhaps, not meeting all their
wishes, are the best they can expect per
haps, and they say if 4 bill was brought
into the House ombodying them they
would vote for it without hesitation
These members generally oppose the
repeal of the tobacco tax, as they think it
would interfere with the accomplishment
of all they desire with res pect to the tariff.
Southern members, as well as western
and northwes ern, seem to desire tariff
revision in preference to any other propo
eition to reduce the revenues of the gov
,rnment. Ii is more apparent, after talks
Nth members from all parts of the coun
try that the tariff question is becoming
sectional rather than political.