National Republican., 1882-12-08
THE THIRD House.
A Remarkably Full Attendance Of Members
Expected This Session.
The Whisky, Tobacco, and Iron Interests
Already Well Represented.
Their Pull Must Be Short, But 1t Will Be Strong,
and They All Pull Together.
what the Lnnd-Crant Railroads Are Anx-
ioris About.


iron interest, another the whisky interest,
and another the tobacco interest. Indeed, the
apparent certainty that there will be legisla-
ton on the subject this session has already
brought numbers of people from different
quarters of the country to influence legisa-
tion their way. Distillers organizations are
burdcning the mails with circulars for the
enlightenment of statesmen on this particular
industry, and telling what they want and ex-
pect, and the tobacco men arc doing the same.
The first installments of
WHISKY CIRCULARS
are to the effect that the gentlemen engaged in
the manufacture of spirits .fermeni are will
ing to assist in the diminution of the revenue
by reduction of the tax on spirits from
ninety to fifty cents per gallon. They are
also exceedingly anxious to secure an extern
sion of the limitation of the bond on whisky
now in store of two years, holding, as they
did last session, that there is enough on hand
to last six years, and that failure on the
part of Congress to grant them the extension
asked will entail "A tremendous loss upon
them. The patriots who arc seeking a solu
ton of the problem how to keep up S20OOO
establishments on $4,000 salaries will well
come the coming of the parties who wish to
impress their views on Congress. Nothing
short of a complete wiping out of
THE TAX ON TOBACCO
will suit the tobacco lobby. The iron lobbes
will be perfectly willing to assist the whisky
and tobacco men in making their points, but
they will elevate their voice the minute any
thing is said or done about cutting down the
tariff on the the metal in which they operate.
They have organized for war, and they mean
business. gentleman interested in
THE IRON AND STEEL TRADE,
in conversation with a REPUBLICAN repre-
sentativeslast evening, outlined the policy of
the iron men in this wise: IAN enormous
amount of money is invested in iron and steel
works, in mining, and in railroads which are
dependent for business largely upon the iron
regions, and all of these immense and diversi-
fed il tcrests will suffer if we are brought in
closer competition with England. If Congress
gets cranky and undertakes to legislate
against the iron interest the result will be that
every rolling-mill and bast-furnace in the
country will shut down instantly. This will
throw out of employment great army of
men in the middle of winter, and n terrible
commotion will arise. Congress can never
enact hostile measures the immediate effect of
which will be to throw 100000 men or more
out of work and take the bread from the
mouths of half million people, besides in
volving the country in the possibilities of a
terrible panic. We do not care how much the
TAX on whisky anu loDdccO ID ICuucSu, pup
Congress must let the tariff alone.
A VERY CONSERVATIVE MEMBER.
from Western State, in discussing the same
question: said that he did not believe the sem
timent of the country would approve of too
sweeping reduction in the taxes on spirits,
and that if the revenue could not be reduced
to safe limit, or to the extent that is re-
uuired, he thought the iron men would have
to submit to scaling of the tariff on their
protected interests. II am in favor of a COM
pete read diustment of the tariff and internal
revenue laws" ho said, /" and stateSmanship
that can best distribute the reduction in; reve-
nue. are bound tomake most equitably among
the diversified interests of the country is
what we want. | do not, know what value
the recommendations of the tariff commission
possess, or whether they have any, but
should be in favor of embodying this whole
matter in one bill, in order that Congress may
act upon it intelligently, knowing exactly the
relations of one part to the Others, and exactly
what the result sought to be obtained will be.
This cannot be accomplished satisfactorily if
the thing is cut up and action taken piece
meal. Among other things should strongly
advocate the absolute abolition of ad volorem
duties, which are cover for great swindles
on the government. For instance, an
importer of clothes sends an agent to
Europe to buy large line of goods
He goes to manufacturer of a certain
article. The manufacturer charges him So q
yard and tells him his principal will lose
money if he buys the goods, but he adds in
parenthesis, if you want to buy | will put
them down for you in New York, duty paid,
for $3.50 O yard, which will be fifty cents a
yard less than you can put them there for
OF course the customer takes up the offer.
The manufacturer then sells the goods to his
broker OF agent in New York at 81 yard
losing large amount on the sale, but reduc-
ing the duty one-half, and making up the loss
on this side of the water, at the same time
providing a way to relieve his elastic Con-
science of the onerous burden of perjury. Not
an importer in the United States pretends
to pay duty on the full value of the goods he
brings into the country, and the methods en-
ployed are the same in every instance. The
importers agents never buy in Europe. They
merely indicate to the manufacturer what
| they want, and he sells to his American agent
Mt greatly reduced figures, who in turn sells
it to the importer ut an enormous advance
| over the sworn price as shown upon the GUS
| tom house records. This is one of the abuses
| which could be remedied by imposing specific
duty on cloth, requiring the payment of a fixed
| price per yard on all fabrics and a fixed price
on all articles of mercandise brought from for.
| eign countries If the present law regulating
tariff is examined intelligently it will be found
full of provisions which should be amended"
1t is known that strong effort will be made
this session to enact laws which will compel
the railroads to whom
LAND GRANTS
have been made to take out patents for tho
land. This is veXed question which has
been gone over many times and discussed in
all its phases. but, like niatrimony, it is even
new and of vital Importance 10 the country
and the inhabitants thereof. According t
the report of the Secretary of the Interior
Mr.. Teller, about 30,000,O00 acres of land have
been granted various railroad corporations
in the way of subsidies, and patents
have been issued in the land Office fol
considerably less than 100000 acres The
companies escape taxation on thoir land sc
long as patents are not taken out for it, and
in many cases this is working positive hard
ship to the settlers on government land and O
gross injustice to the general government
The Kansas Pacific and other subsidized com
panes hold out special inducements to immi
grants, and agree 10 sell land on eleven years
time, and even longer in many instances
Withholding the deed until the expiration o.
that period, when patent is taken out fol
the land and turned over TO the Duyer, who II
thus enabled to escape taxation, while hi
neighbor on land bought from the govern
ment or settled upon, is compelled to pay fOl
all these years The railroad companies in
question are not only staring gift horse il
the face, but they are actually striking tht
poor beast and abusing him terribly, Tht
companies are strongly fortified by decison
of former Secretaries of the Interior and by
Supreme Court decisions, and will unques
tionably make stubborn resistance shoulC
Congress attempt to swerve them from theii
selfish course and undertake to teach then
primer lessons in decency. Several Western
members are