The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-03-10
The Porty-Seyenth Congress.

by limitation on last Sunday at ! 2 n, |
and fully justified the verdict given by
the people at the last fall elections
which relegated The majority OF It's
members to private life. While its
sins of emission are many it is not
upon that ground they are condemned.
1t is trne they failed TO pass the river
and harbor bill, that Incorporating the
Nicaragua canal company, to pension
the Mexican veterans, permitting the
use of domestic material in the con-
struction of ships, to suppress the opium
traffic with China, and many other
merltorious measures, but they also
failed to pass, for want of time, several
very Objectionable bills, such as, to
limit the coinage of silver and suspend
the issue Of silver certificates, to author
ize the consolidation of the Southern
Pacific with other roads, to place Cen
eral Grant on the retired list, and many
others equally bad.
The American people with their usu-
al magnanimity may forgive congress
for not passing the good bills in con.
sidsration of their permitting so many
bad ones to fail, but no amount of char
ity can excuse the wrong 1t has wilful-
ly committed. Upon the meeting of
Congress last December, with the pop
ulAr voice ringing in their ears, the
Republican majority announced that
they were devoted to thee cause of re-
form, and in the matter of the tariff
would especially reduce the burdens
now imposed. That this was false
pretense the result has proved. It was
too late in the day to squander the
surplus millions in the treasury upon
the usual jobs, and it became necessity
I'd reduce this surplus by lessening the
burden of taxation upon the people.
In order to accomplish this the high
tariff Republicans proposed to abolish
the revenue tax on whisky and tobacco
and leave the tariff as it stood AS
this could not be effected, Kelly Of
Pennsylvania, prepared and elaborated
a bill III the House of Representatives
which was improperly styled bill to
reduce the tariff, In this bill, made
in the interest of the monopohes, the
tariff was reduced on all articles Of lux.
ury and increased on most articles in
general use by the people This bill
was by the united efforts of the Demo
Gratis and few Republicans buried
during the last days of the session.
The senate had passed bill substan-
TALLY as reported by the tariff com.
mission, which had been sent to the
House upon the defeat of Kely's bill
the House under the gag law took this
bill from the table, amended it by add
ing clause reducing the internal rev.
enue tax and sent the same to the
Senate, and conference committee
was appointed. This committee on the
3rd of March made report, which
was in reality a new bill, to both hous-
es, by which it was adopted by strict
panty vote. To show the infamy of
this bill we quote the remarks of Car
lyle of Kentucky, in the House:
lie believed public safety and public
interest demanded a reduction of the
tax, and he regretted exceedingly that
the conference committee had not
brought before the house such meas
ure as he could support He had an
nounced more than once his readiness
to vote for an average reduction of 20
per cent, on tariff duties, Justly and
equitably distributed The proposition
now submitted did not, he believed,
make reduction of more than one
half that. The average of % to 40
millions la the whole reduction would
come from internal taxes, leaving only
from twenty to twenty-one millions to
come to the tariff duties, of which elev-
en- millions would come from the single
article sugar. There were several ar1i-
clss on which the conference committee
had recommended duties higher than
either the house or senate voted. Com
mon earthenware is one of these alti-
clss. It now paid 40 per cent. ad va
and the conference committee recon-
mended 60 per cent; an increase of so
per cent, or allowing for the change in
regard to package, clear net increase
of 33 per cent. Another important
change was in the articles iron ore
The house after full and deliberate de-
bate, fixed the duty on iron ore at so
cents per ton. Tbe senate fixed it at
the same rate. The present rate is 20
per cent ad valorem, equivalent TO
about 81 cents per ton. These matters
ought to be explained to the house and
country. The rates of duty on wool,
raw material, were to be reduced about
Is per cent, but the duties on all WOOL
en- goods ware -incroasad from civ oap "a