The National tribune., 1882-12-07
The NToatfnr of Concress.

! Among the important matters that Will
/ come up for discussion and action may be
mentioned the report of the Tariff Com
mission already sent in; the bills 10
reduce internal revenue taxation; and
the pension measures which were pend
ing when Congress adjourned As far as
the tariff is concerned, we do not anticipate
that any material changes will be made
during the session, although the recommen-
dations of the Commission viii undoubtedly
be debated at length in both Houses, but
there is some reason for the apprehension
that sn attempt will be made to force the
Republican majority to reduce or abolish
altogether the internal revenue taxes with
view to forestalling the Democrats in the
programme which they are credited with
having laid out for the next Congress-
Among the recognized leaders of the Repub-
lean party there are some, we regret to say,
who seem to regard the result Of the late
elections az popular verdict in favor of
revenue reduction obliviou3 of the fact that
this question was nowhere made distinct
issue in the late campaign, and that
Democratic as well as Republican bosses
were swept away by the popular uprising.
They shut their eyes to the fact which is
patent to everybody else, that it was not
the principles of the Republican party
against which such heavy majorities were
cast at the late election but the prescriptiye
methods of its selfconstituted bosses, and
appear to think that to recover the confidence
of the public it is only necessary to reduce
the taxes. How absurd it is to place such a
construction upon recent political events,
when every person of ordinary intelligence
knows that it is not the general public but
the rich mOnopolist who viii be benefited
by reduction of internal-reyenUe taxation
But suppOsing it were true that the cleo
to an expression of public opinion in favor
of what those who are in favor of making
the Government poor are pleased to term
revenue reform" why should the present
Congress NEEDLE with the question? OBJ
viously it should be left to the consideration
of a Congress fresh from the people and sup
posed to be in close accord with their views
touching the issues Of the day. We are far
from believing that the voters of the country,
or majority of them, are in favor Of disturb
ing the present revenue system-except,
perhaps, in the case of matches, where it
works to the positive advantage of monop-
oly-but whether they are or are not, the
present Congress, the members of which
were elected before the question became q
subject of popular discussion, certainly
ought not to take upon itself the RESPONSE
bility of changing it,
AS for the pension measures that went
over at the last session, it is clearly the
duty Of the Congress in which they
originated to take final action upon them
Here is, indeed, an opportunity for the
Republican leaders in the Forty-seventh
Congress to make political capital for their
party. No one, for instance, can successfully
dispute the justice OF the provisions Of the
bill to increase the pensions Of those who
lost limb in the service, or sustained an
equivalent disability, or the equity of the
proposition to compensate ex-Uui0n pris-
oners of war for the cruelties indicted on
them at Andersonyille and other Southern
prson-pens, and we say to our Represent
atives in Congress that if they ore really
anxious to earn the respect and gratitude Of
their constituents they cannot do better
than vote for the enactment of these meas
ures.
There is, besides, one other bill of vital
Importance that VIII come up for action
during the approaching session, and that is
the regular pension appropriation bill. Fer
the requirements of the Pension Office dur
ing the present fiscal year Congress made
liberal provision appropriating therefor
100000 OO0-and to meet the additional
payments that will fall due next year on
account of arrears of pension, by reason of
the increased number of allowances that
will be made, as large an appropriation
will be needed Should Congress fail to
make it, the responsibility OF the Govern
ment will not be diminished in the slightest,
while those of our ex-soldiers who are en-
titled to- but as yet have not received their
pensions, will be subjected to fresh priva-
ton. We sincerely hope that our Congress
men will not become so deeply engrOssed in
the discussion of the tariff and taxation as to
forget all about the rights and necessities of
the soldier.
The Gettysburg Campaign.
In his interesting narration of service as
Adjutant- General of the Army of Northern
Virginia, Colonel Walter II. TavIor claims