Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-26


the Hayes Administration.
Correspondence ofthe KorafR0 Aeaes.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24.-The hum of the
approaching session of Congress is in the
| air. The statesmen visit us quite fire.
| quently and talk very freely. They make
no more bones about being interviewed
| than they do about having a good time
| generally while here. From observations
made it is pretty easy to predict the ques-
tiOns which will be the most important
in the attention which they will
receive at the hands of the new
| Congress. In the first place there
are the Speakership of the House and the
| subsequent organization of the commit
tees. On the settlement of these two i'm
| portant points, of course, a very great
deal with respect to the character of sub
| sequent legislation will depend. After
! these the most important question will be-
| what shall Ibe done with the surplus :
! The accumulation of money in the Treas
ury brings. with it collaterally and in
close alliance the tariff and internal reve-
nue. problems. 1t will be formulated some
thing in this way: 'EShall the surplus be
reduced by cutting down the tariff or bv
attacking the internal revenue laws?
This will give rise to no end of talk. 1t is
practically apparent, however, that the
majority is In favor of looping off the in
ternal revenue receipts and not handling
the tariff to any considerable extent. Two
of the leading tariff questions which will
| be discussed are the duties on wool and
rice. The present duties are highly un-
satisfactory to the wool and rice growers.
1T is almost certainty that the duties
on those two articles will be read
justed in favor of the growers. In
regard to the internal revenue re-
duction there seems, while there
is widespread sentiment in favor of q
large cutting down, to be comparatively
few who are in favor of entirely abolish
ing the system as first proposed by Judge
Kelley two years ago, and recently pub
licly advocated by Mr.. Randall in the
Ohio campaign. 1t is thought that to en-
tlrely remove the tax on whisky and
tobacco, which are luXuries. would not be
popular with the people at large. 1t will
thus be seen that, as at the
last session of Congress, the customs
duties and internal revenue taxation
are to be the leading questions. 1t is to be
noticed, however, that they have shifted
position. At the last session the tariff
was the most important question, with
the internal revenue as secondary. Next
session it will be the other way. The
matter that will probably be third in
point of Importance promises to be that
OF dealing with those land grant railroads
which have not complied with their con-
tracts. This will bring about a big fight.
1t will very likely have different termi-
nation than the past efforts to make
these roads forfeit their unearned lands.
| This prediction is made on the SUPPOSE
ton that there is no probability of the Pa
cific Railroads committee of a Demo-
cratic House being packed in the interest
of the roads, as that committee of the last
House undoubtedly was.
THE PROPOSITION TO ESTABLISH POSTAL
SAVINGS BANKS
will be revived. but it will hardly prevail.
The scheme has II gathered much
strength since it was first brOached In
fact, it seems to have gone backward. The
most important financial question, as has
heretofore been stated in this correspond
ence, is whether anything shall be done for
the national banks III securing the per-
manency of that system. Since the agi-
tatiOn Of this question was commenced
short time ago good deal of opposition
to doing anything for the banks has been
developed IN certain portions of the cOun-
try. In connection with this subject the
questions whether the legal tender quail
ty OF the issue of United States notes shall
be taken away; whether the coinage of
the standard silver dollar shall be discon-
tinued or reduced; whether the smaller
notes shall be withdrawn so as to open an
avenue for the circulation of the
standard silver dollar: and whether
the old fractional paper currency
shall be resumed, will come up. The out
look for financial discussion is thus by no
means meagre, Another attempt will be
made to provide more complete scheme
for Presidential succession in case of the
death of the President than is contained
in the Constitution. Whether the treaty
which General Grant negotiated with
Mexico shall be ratified will be the most
important question distinctly Senatorial
that will occupy the attention Of that
body. The general impression seems
to be that no attemDt to
pass bill to regulate Interstate COM
merce will be made. A question that
will provoke Il great deal of discussion,
but which will not amount to any practi-
cal result, will be the attempt to tack civil
rights legislation on the Constitution in
the form of further amendment to that
instrument. These embrace the most i'm
portant matters that will be before the
next session of Congress.
THE PRoTEUs EXPEDITION
will be Investigated by court of inquiry.
Whenever United States vessel is lost
there is always a court of inquiry 1t is not
expected that anything very damaging to
the officers in command of the Signal
Service expedition under Lieutenant Gar
lington, or to the officers of the Yantic,
which was sent as the convoy of the Pro-
teus, will be developed. The most
that is expected to be brought out
is that the expedition was not handled as
it might have been. But as nobody could
know everything, it will be found difficult
to blame anyone on the expedition. The
inquiry into the PrOteus failure will be
similar to the Jeanette inquiry. The
court Will take mass of testimony show
that there were differences of opinion, and
finally wind up by telling how the vessel
was lost. There is disposition to blame
General HaZen, Chief Signal officer, for
the whole thing. But there is ALWAYS a
disposition to blame Hazen for the failure
of anything with which he is connected.
1t might be stated that General Hazen is
pretty much all the while being blamed.
THE RECENT REPORTS
about differences in the Cabinet illustrate
very well how such stories run their
course. 1t was first stated that the Presi-
dent and Secretary Chandler had quar-
relied and almost had a hair-pulling
match. This was promptly denied. The
quarrel was next fixed on Secretary Fol-
ger and the President. They were said to
have had it very lively about the appoint-
ment of successor to Supervising Archi-
tect Hill. This was as promptly and en-
phatically denied as the first report. But
it has not stopped there. They are de-
termined to have a row in the Cabinet
whether there was one or not, The
latest story says that it was Secretary Ere
linghuysen and the President. Secretary
FTelinghuysen is said to have been the
aggressor. The subject of the quarrel is
said to have been about Il lady. 1t is but
an attempt to revive the groundless scan
dal of last winter, which coupled the Pre-
sident's name with that of the wife Of one
of the assistant Secretaries of State, There
is no more truth in this report than there
was in the first two. Probably the next
story will be that the President, in Cabi-
net meeting, kicked Attorney General
Brewster's furred and pretty hat about
as if it were the sphere of a base ball
game, and tore from his chief legal adj
wiser his very beautiful rutfles.
THERE IS NOT MUCH sPEAKERSHIP TALK
here nowadays. 1t is the quiet before the
storm. 1t will not be very many days before
the contest will resemble a bee hive. The
latest gossip is about men who have been
mentioned for the place but who have
never shown any great strength. 1t is
said that DOrsheimer, of New York, who
has been generally reported to have about
his person deep-laid scheme to bag the
office, has withdrawn, and will favor S. S.
Cox. Converse, of Ohio. is said to have
abandoned all hope, and to now advocate
Randall. Blackburn is reported to be
more than half willing to do what
he can for Carlisle. Holman is
put down as having informed Randall
that he is for him and has no pretensions
for the place. Probably the boom which