Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-05
CORRESPONDENCE.

 Oar Washington Letter-The Tarif-The
 Star Route Trials-The Approach of
 Spring, Patti, etc., etc.
 WASHINGTON, Feb. 28. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Within five days of the adjournment of Congress, the consideration of the tariff bill tee of the Senate and House, thus throwing upon a very few the duty of giving that mat ter of vital importance the attention that the whole of each body declined to give it. Does not this seem absurd ? What are the essential and salient points in a tariff bill looking to the greatest good of the greatest number? Briefly (and here I quote from 8 paper prepared for the Metropolitan Indus trial league by MT. E. H. Ammidown.)
 1. That no duties should be levied upon articles which the country is not adapted to produce with advantage.
 2..That duties adequate to cover cost of production and stimulate increase of produc- ton should be levied on all articles which the country is capable of producing with req sonable advantage, and of which it does not produce enough to supply the home demand
 g. That whenever the home production of any article is equal to the consumptive de- nand the duties on that article should never be insufficient to protect the cost of it. but may without detriment be very much higher than is sufficient to protect cost, inasmuch as competition among producers is in such cases enough to prevent the article from advancing far above cost, no matter what the rate of duty may be, and may often reduce the price below cost.
 If these tenets were adhered to closely by the members of Congress there would be Q koriH hill haorfifu1 in ifa tions so equable in it's every detail, as te war rant the utmost apprehension in the minds of those who are unwilling to have the world come to an end and to shuttle off this mortal coil, since such absolute perfection can only be hoped for as an immediate forerunner of the Millennium. Yet the principles have quoted above are claimed to be the very ones that move the rabidest "free-trader" and the closest ''monopolist'' alike who on the ques- ton of tariff remind one of some of the s'circus riders, " as the itinerant preachers are irreverently called in many rural dis tricts, who feel that it is incumbent upon them to start their preaching with 'text, but permit themselves to roam as far there from in their discourse as they may choose l to 20. It is just so with the Congressman now If one insists upon having an opinion Son the all-absorbing topic it is forthcoming, and (saye to personal friends and powerful constituents) is pregnant with ideas of which
 
 excellent epitome; yet there is no chance of securing 2 contamination devoutly to be hoped for.
 The present House is Republican and leans strongly towards protection, or, not to put 1 too fine 8 point on it, is subservient 1 to the will of wealthy men who reap hand some profits from the manufacture of articles 1 that come under the category of infantile growing industries needing to fostering care ? The next House will be Democratic and will lean just as far the other way and we may expect to hear everything it is possible to say about tariff for revenue only and the necessity of stopping internal taxation, which l is only stwar measure" In the meantime one side doesn't want to and the other side l is not willing to really do anything about the tariff yet each feels the necessity of seeming to do much, and we have any number oi tscenes' in the House. Members posing with beautiful bits of ware in their hands doing the heavy adoration act, while some howl their approval and others boot theil disapproyaL They are harmless idiots though, gentlemen, and as matter of fact mean nothing and will do less.
 It has been said, and fancy with good