Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-08
Especial Telegram to the Globe. /

bill, the house to-day resolved to hold even.
ing sessions from now until the 4th of
March. A well posted Republican mem
Der said to-day that the plan would avail
nothing. 1T is my judgement that the
passage of tariff bill is impossible" said
ne, 'and I'll tell you why. We have made
mistake in blindly following the leaders
kelly in the house, and Morrill, in the
senate. We have been whipped by the eau
cuses into supporting every proposition
put out by Kelly or Nor
rill, and opposing every amendment
offered by the Democrats. This has made
it partisan question, and the rejection of
every amendment coming from the other
side keeps the Democrats in bad humor.
It would have been better to concede
something to the Democrats, and keep
them better natured, or less inclined to be
as ugly as they are now. There are many
items in the bill which would make no
difference of consequence,w whether the rate
is increased or not. Another reason for
believing that the tariff bill will not pass
is the knowledge which the high
protectionists have of the fact that
the next congress contains large
increase in free trade sentiment. There
will be sixty Democratic majority, and
that majority will not be in the hands of
Democrats from highly protected states
Whatever we might do in the revising of
the tariff this year, the Democratic free
traders in the next congress will want to
go still further, and, therefore, the high
tariff men conclude that it would be better
not to revise this year, when it is fore
gone conclusion that the work will all be
gone over again year from now. They
would avoid this annual disturbing of bust
ness interests by postponing revision un-
til 1884. It is also my
judgment that if this congress
fails to revise the tariff at this session we
will lose the next presidential election"
THE LABOR INQUIRY.
Senator Morgan, who introduced the
resolution authorizing and directing the
state education and labor committee to
inquire into the causes of labor strikes in
this country, said to-day that if the COM
mittee had time and gave full and fair
hearing to all who applied to be heard, he
had no doubt that the truth would be
reached. Being asked whas, in his opinion,
the truth was, he said: THE truth is that
the people are overtaxed. They
are not taxed directly, but indirectly.
They make money enough, but what they
make does not supply their wants, because
of the great cost of almost every article
they need. They are continually demand
ing more wages, because they cannot mako
both ends meet. In the South, before the
war, with about the same number of acres
of cotton in cultivation, we made only
100000 bales, and yet the planters were
well-to-do, and the negroes were better fed
and clothed than they are now, and last
year we raised 100000 bales, and there
are evidences of poverty every
where. The committee will hesitate, I
think, about reporting that oyer-taxation
is the cause of the labor troubles, but that
is the truth, and they will be forced to 80
report if they continue the examination
open long enough"
PENSIONS TO MEXICAN VETERANS.
Mr.. Rice, who has charge Of the bill
granting pensions to the Mexican veterans,
was to-day asked about the probability of
getting the bill through this session. He
said: II have been talking with Mr.. Kiefsr
about the matter and he seems as anxious
to have the bill passed this
session as am. He told me
that if it became evident that the tariff
bill would claim the attention Of the house
through the remainder of the session he
would try and give me an opportunity to
get the pension bill up during the tariff
discussion. 1 think, however, that there is
not much chance of getting the bill
through this congress. have a little hope,
but not much confidence. Being asked
what amount of money annually
it would take to pay pensions
to Mexican veterans, Mr.. Rice saidthat
the estimate was about $1,300,O00.
JOHNSTON AND THE DISTRICT COMMISSIONER
SHIP.
prominent Democratic senator was
asked to-day if it was fact that num-
Der of Democratic senators had recon-
mended to tine president the appointment
of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to the place
of commissioner of the District Of Colum
bia. He replied: eyes, and Senator
Hampton and Senator Jones, of Nevada,
called on the president and made person
lal appeal in Gen. Johnston's behalf. The
president said that he would willingly ap-
point Gen. Johnston but for one fact,
and that was that he was ineligible,
not having been q resident Of the
District the length of time required by
law"
'Then the fact of Gen. Johnston's ineli-
gibility is not new?"
sNo, that fact has been known to his
friends in the senate almost ever since his
name was mentioned in connection with
the commissionership."
ME RIVER AND HARBoR BILL.
A week or so ago the outlook for very
fair appropriation for the rivers and har-
bors was rather promising. The friends
of the Mississippi river particularly
were congra.ulating themselves that
they would probably have no
trouble in getting a sufficient
sum appropriated for carrying on the
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