National Republican., 1882-12-22

NVls w J' bilNnl HCTHcNnU dJ arms OF inc
senate, repeats his declaration that he is not
a candidate for the same position in the house,
and that he would not take it. This should
put TO rest the fears of several gentlemen who
are after the Office, and who feared Col.
Bright's candidacy.
e@a
How are YOU going to vote on the adjourn
ment question, Senator Anthony" asked the
tall sycamore of the Wabash. al am going
to vote against it, but that will not prevent
me from going home to spend the holidays"
was the candid response of the senator from
Providence plantations. He was as good as
his word and voted against adjourning. Not
to he outdonc in manifest virtue, the gentle
man from Indiana voted the same way.
a"a
Senator Hawley said yesterday that if the
senate would come TO u vote to-day on the
civil service bill the opposition to the house
adjournment resolution would be Withdrawn
and two vexed questions settled. 1t is the
current belief that the house resolution will
be adopted by the senate to-day in any event.
If it is not, the house can meet only to ad-
journ for three days at a time and nothing
will be gained, so far as the business of the
session is concerned.
@@a
Senator Plumb yesterday secured the adop-
tion Of an important amendment to the
agricultural appropriation bill. By the i'll
serton of the words "and the cost of car
riages" after the words showing freight
charges" in the clause relating to the
division of agricultural statistics, requiring
reports on various matters, which reads !:
said reports shall give full statements,
monthly, showing freight charges for the chief
agricultural products upon the principal lines
of water routes to the principal markets of
the United States" he paved the way to the
obtaining of class of information which
could not be obtained in any other way, and
which congress has been trying to get for years.
He also interpolated the words and eggs of
silk worms" in the section providing for the
purchase, propagation, and distribution, as
required by law of seeds, trees, shrubs vines,
cuttings, plants" &C., thereby winning the
eternal gratitude of many of his constituents
and others who are not his immediate con-
| stituents.
Certain members of the house are evincing
a determination to get after the Louisiana and
Kentucky lotteries, and these genial plum
derers may find themselves seriously EN-
barrassed by hostile congressional legislation.
1t was reported few weeks ago that the lot
! terry companies intended to organize raid
on congress and secure the passage of a bill to
give them special privilege, presumably
money order privileges, in connection with tho
postal service, but as they are already in the
undisturbed enjoyment of more privileges
than the law contemplates they should be,
and as they fully understand and appreciate
the beauties of the policy of letting well
enough alone the report was probably ur-
founded. Since the supreme court abated
Postmaster General Keys order to postmas.
t,rs in New Orleans and Louisville to with
hold letters addressed to the lottery companies
or their agents, they have not been molested
and very few put credence in the statement
that they would willfully court fight which
must inevitably result disastrously to them
1t will be interesting to watch the progress OF
lottery legislation, should any be attempted
and note how far it gets and where it stops.
#@#
"khti-monopoly will be the overshadow
ing issue two years hence" prophesed g
western member yesterday. "The amazing
power and rapid growth of corporations will
array them in direct opposition to the people
and the people will turn in and choke then
to DEATH or at least choke them into stat,
of subsection to the popular will. If the peo
pie do not assert themselves, the corporations
and money combinations will have them il
chains. Something must be done. Wher
this question was raised few years ago i
was granger issue. 1t has become a ma
tional issue now. just look at it. During
the past twenty years the government ha
: given to railways 195,000,000 acres of land
Only about 15,00O,000 acres of this land hav,
been sold and the amount realized there
from aggregates $75,OO0,0OO The railway
retain control of 1S0,000,000 acres, whicl
would cut up into /, $4,000 homesteads of III
acres each. This vast domain, capable of sup
porting a population of 10OO0,O00 of people
j. virtually fenced in against the public. Al
though at least 100O00,000 acres have beel
forfeited by the failure of the railway com
panies to fulfill their contracts with the gov
ernment, these companies have theiclronter.
to insist that they have earned the land, an,
that it is theirs beyond the power of the gov
ernment to take it away. They set up how
aDOuU vested TlBnlS anu all lHaU SOTU OF run
bish every time the subject is approached
and congress appears to be afraid to grappl
with tho question. The department of tn
interior has declared large grants forfeited
but they cannot be thrown open for settle
ment like other public lands withou
, legislative enactment, and nothing can b
done in that direction on account @
congressional cowardlce, The time was whe
the companies interested in retaining thei
grip ON land grants approached congres
humbly, as becomes those who have iavoTs t
ask. Now they bluster and swagger, AN
D brazenly ask congress and the people, Nha
, are you going to do about itY You say 20
are going to oust us, but are you, an
, if so, how do You propose to do it
Congress owes it 10 the people to protec
: them from the railways, and its first and higt
l est duty is to declare forfeited the one hur
: dred million acres of public lands these con
n panies are attempting to steal that they ma
{, compel settlers to pay eXorbitant prices fc
= their homesteads Congress will have to pre-
/, tect the people from burdensomc and exto
! tionate charges for freight and passeng,
y transportation, and it will have
c legislate against combinations of cap
, tai beyond certain limit Thel
) issues are coming on us more rapidly than "
. imagine, and they will have to be settle
\ The towering fortunes which have been hui
4 up of late years by railway, mining, an