Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-11-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Iron our Regular corr.pons..,.l
RAsHINaroN, D. G, Nov. q. 1ss2.


hand TO indorse his proposition for free
whisky. the abolition of all internal rev.
enue taxes-in 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
after Congress assemblies. There is little
likelihood that Q majority OF the commit.
tee VIII ever be brought to favor this pro.
position. Another reason why the com.
mittee thought they could do nothing in
advance of the session was the lack OF a
report from our absurd Tariff Commits.
sion, which has been rambling about the
country all summer. Hence Judge Kelly
and his colleagues of the committee
amused themselves by chatting each
other on politics and the results of the
late elections. Well, perhaps the whole
thing 3 very funny to these Congress-
men, but it is not so amusing to the soreIy
oppressed tax payers, who want some re-
Iief from the unreasonable imposts they
are compelled to pay--not on their whisky
put upon the necessaries of life. There
is memorable historic portrait of a
Roman Emperor fiddling while Rome was
IN names, to which the levity and inac-
tion OF this Ways and Means Committee
seems to give fresh point as an iliustra-
ton.
Speaking ofthe Tariff Commission that
illustrious body, aside from all the ridi-
cule it has earned, stands fair chance of
finding itself suitor before an indiffer-
ent Congress for a bill of expenses neither
PROVIDED Tor nor contemplated in the act
creating it. Estimates of the expenses of
the hippodrome outside of salaries
at $40 day each, show that the aver.
age cost per witness has been about $3.50.
which even the commission confess to be
rather steep considering that several of
the members have been pronounced in
their opinions that the witnesses gen.
orally had nothing to offer in their testi.
monylof the slightest importance. This
average has been helped materially by
items in the expense account of over
~, O00 for palace car accommodations. A
deficiency will need to be reported for
these expenses And then what do we
get for it all. After summering for five
weeks at Long Branch and making a
pleasure tour "about seven thousand
miles" long. through seven agreeable
cities to visit at public expense, it is an
nounced that the Commissioners will re-
port "in favor of making the least possi-
bie Lumber of changes, and none of them
important, in the present tariff, and
that 1.-THE present probabilities indicate a
postponement of general tariff re eyision
until the regular assemblage of the next
Congress in December, 1888" This is all
strictly In conformity to the original lido
nothing programme of the inventors Of
this ridiculous and costly commission.
The opinion prevails here that the threat
ened shutting down of iron ,manufactur-
ers il preconeerted movement to bull
doze Congress into letting the tariff alone,
but if investigation proves this to be true
the effect will be very different from that
intended.
People are beginning to grumble about
the delay in completing the reports of
the census of 1880. Two years and half
have now passed since the taking of that
census was begun, but no reports of the
statistics gathered have yet been distri.
buted among the people. A mass of
bulletins and some special reports have
been issued by the census office, but they
have been sent only to favored few.
Last session Congress appropriated 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 pub
lie. 1t is now announced that "com-
pendulum will be ready for issue 'sabout
the time Congress meets" AS ''about"
is very elastic and indefinite word it is
rather uncertain when even this compen.
m will appear. Besides it cannot
take the place of the full and final re-
ports. The value of statistics depends
largely on their freshness. Those of he
census of 1890 are likely to be three years
old before they are published and may
be good deal older. Further, there has
been good deal of talk about inaccura-
cies discovered not long ago, and which
Mr.. Supt. Walker explained as mere
clerical errors palpable on their face,
But the census has cost enough in its
compilation to be absolutely perfect as
far as it goes. If it is inaccurate as well
as out of date, when it comes out it will
fall short of a full measure of appreca.
ton.
The second trial of the Star-route con-
spirators is set down to begin early next
month, and if the government has got
rid Of all the spiesand tools of the thieves
in its employ, and if an honest foreman
of the jury is secured, perhaps there may
be better result this time. Ex-senator
Dorsey is back in town, looking ill and
worn. It is said that he and Brady have
had final falling out, and that ex.Sen-
ator Spencer will turn up to testify next
time. One hears a great deal of ."they
say" in regard to the trials-that Judge
Merrick is excessively angry at the prose-
cution neither going on nor leaving off,
and has lost his temper two or three
times; that they want the next trial to
come off before Judge Macarthur, Judge
Of the Circuit Court, instead of Judge
Wylie, and great deal else that may or
may not be true. But this much is GER
bain-a scamp, or gang of scamps, is
thought to stand much better chance
before Judge Macarthur than Judge
WylIe. Judge Wylie stands the abuse
that has been heaped upon him with
gre at equanimity, and broad and capa-
cious smile illuminates his countenance
when he reads that he is a blockhead,
iunce, scoundrel, ETC., ia the Star-route
journals. The people of bad character
1on't seem to understand how exceed
ngly robust good character is. PHoNo.
Here is personal taken from New
York letter in tho Atlanta Constitution.