The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-05-25
Washington Letter.
fFrom our Regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON, ID. c., May u, 1882. |
Immense pressure is already
being brought to bear upon the
President in behalf of persons
anxious to serve on the tariff COM
mission; and the applicants do nos
consider that they know nothing
about the subject of the tariff, but
are completely absorbed with the
idea of $40 perdiem and expenses.
The President will, it is hoped,
put some experts on the commits
sion, but it will require all his
nerve and determination to with
stand the appeals of politicians.
1t is generally accepted here as
CONCLUSIVE that the commission
will perpetuate its existence for
several years to come, and it 1t
makes any report at all at the be-
ginning of the next session of Con-
gress, it will be merely one of a
preliminary character. Indeed,
the longer the protectionists can
keep the commission in existence
the better they will be pleased.
1t may be set down as dead GER
tainty that nothing will be done
with the tariff during the life of
this Congress, and if the Demo
Gratis OF the next Congress sur
render to the straight-out protect
ionists as they have now, any
hopes the tariff reformers may
have of revision of the present
tariff prior to the Presidential
election of 1884 will prove ground
less.
Unless the sentiment of the
Senate is very different from that
of the House we shall soon have
a new Cabinet officer, to be known
us the Secretary of Agriculture.
The work so energetically pursued
by Mr.. LIE Due while he was Com
missioner is likely to be crowned
with success long after that worthy
but visionary person has followed
into obscurity bis non-producing
tea-plants and experimental toad.
stools. But LIE Due is not the
first Commissioner who aimed tc
exalt the honors of his Office
Ever since the creation of the De.
partment Of Agriculture the Com.
missioner of that bureau for the
time being has been ambitious tc
be made a Cabinet officer, ant
through himself and his friend.
has constantly agitated the sub
ject before Congress. The frs
Commissioner, Mr.. Newton, tool
the view that he was entitled t,
rank as Cabinet officer under tn,
bill creating the Department @
Agriculture, and demanded tha
he should be admitted to the Cab
met councils as full membei
The President who appointed hir
did not recognize his preteution
aud he had to 20 to Congress
Bills have been frequently intro
duced in the two House, to max
the head of the department cal
iIet officer They have been di,
cussed from time to time, but hav
generally been looked upon NOR
with ridicule than with seriousness
When DR.. Loring, the present con
missioner, was appointed, b
friends said he never would re-.
until he had succeeded where a
his predecessors had failed. He
man of wealth and fine addres
and, since his incumbency, has ell
tertained as handsomely as almo.
any one in Washington. 1t is a
adage as old as the hills that argl
: ments addressed to the stomac
are most forcible. 1t may be thu
the truth of the old adage is agai
. made manifest in the fact that ii
house, with only seven dissentiu
votes, passed bill to make Il
commissioner of agriculture cal
met officer, or it may be that Il
motive and the cause of such r
markable unanimity was an inte
est in the welfare of the agricul
urists of the country. Just he
they will be benefited by makil
cabinet officer of the commi
sioner of agriculture will rema
for the future to demonstrate.