The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1883-01-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.

been in session thirty-fve days, and has
forty-three days, not counting Sundays,
remaining The appropriation bills will
consume much of the remaining time, and
and the tariff and revenue bills will not be
passed without lengthy debate. Before the
end of the next week the Senate and House
will have separate revenue bills under con-
sideration. 1t will require energy, tact,
vigilance, and, might say, genius and sto-
icism to secure the passage of a measure
reducing the revenue. Indeed it is diff
cult to see how so many "clcnched antag-
onisms" can be reconciled, but Congress
realizes that the demand for the reduction
of taxation is peremptory, and taxes and
the tariff will be reduced in spite of the
most formidable protesting lobby that ever
besieged the-Capitol. The total reductions
proposed in the bill reported from the FL
nance Committee, and now pending in the
Senate, amount to SIS, S39 1924, of which $40
049,OO0 are to come from the tariff, and Ssh
790,32i from internal taxation. All inter-
nal taxes, save those upon tobacco, in its
several forms, spirits and beer are abolish
ed by the bill. Mr.. Morrill,, who is one Of
the most careful students of national fnan-
ces in Congress, thinks this is as far in the
way Of reductions as it would be safe to CO.
He has some apprehensions of another
monetary crisis,and thinks Congress should
pay heed to the storm signals which have
Of late been frequently visible in the finan-
cial horizon. The surplus estimated by
the Secretary of the Treasury is $74,719,-
S37, or about $5000,000 less than the
proposed reductions. A reduction of let
ter postage to two cents will cause fall
ing off in the revenue of about $S550,Gl6
(estimated), and the pension expenditures
are increasing to such proportions as to
make it uncertain how much can be spared
from the Government revenues 1t is per-
haps, qnitr safe to predict that the Senate
will 90 full as far as the Finance committee
recommend in the direction of reductions.
In fact, it is probable that that body will
60 beyond the committee in this respect
The bill is not satisfactory to those who
advocate liberal cutting down ftarif du-
ties, and they will make every effort to
amend it so as to embody their ideas of
what tariff bill should be. This element
seems to be stronger in the Senate than in
the House, and hence the tariff reformers
prefer to start tarifflegislation in the former
body, The Republicans feel that they
must, us matter of party policy meet the
popular demand for tarifflegislation at this
session, and rather than have such legisla-
ton fail by reason of the determined oppo-
sition of the tariff reiormers, they will prob
ably make concessions, in the way of re-
auctions, which they would not assent to
if they were strong enough in Congress to
enact such law as they prefer.
Now that the civil service bill has passed
both houses of Congress and is certain to
receive the approval of the President, cam
did opinions are being expressed about it.
The bill is getting more kicks than compl-
ments. Republicans regard the measure as
one policy more than principal In sup
porting it the Republicans were not obey
ing what was considered the popular will,
but they felt that at the same time they
were making a good stroke for the party.
In the event of Democratic success in 1884
he law would serve to keep Republicans
n office. 1t cannot be expected that bill
passed under these conditions and circum-
stances would be by any means perfect. 1t
S admitted on all hands that the bill is
rude, and many who gave it active sup
bort excuse its shortcomings by saying it
S but start in the right direction; that it
merely blazes the way for other and sue
'eeding Congresses to follow through
rackless and untraveled forest. What the
ill may accomplish depends largely upoa
he President. He is really invested with
'ower enough to make it fair success or
total failure.
For two days we have had the phenome-
on OF fine sleighing in Washington, and
is astonishing what large number of
leiShs many of them elegant structures,
ave appeared on the avenue. To-day
lere was sleighing carnival on the Ave g.,
ne, which, although a very impromptu af-
Iir, was quite successful in grotesque and =
omic effects. Three prizes were offered
the three turnouts presenting the most =.
riking tableaux. Hundreds appeared, y
Ich filled with masked groups, and the =.
'enue was lined with as many as twenty y
lousand. spectators. o o
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