Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-22
Especial TELEGRAM to the Globe. !

L
! the Republicans shall not get away .1om.
here without a fair chance to vote for or
gainst bill making substantial dH :;
tions in internal and customs taxation.
They are preparing bill of their own on
which they intend to get vote. The Re
publican game is to either get their own
bill through or put the Democrats on rec
ord as voting against reduction of taxa
ton. The Democrats have decided to make
honors easy by presenting like dilemma
to the Republicans. They expect that
next week, when the rules can
be suspended at any time, the Repubh
cans will attempt to pass either the house
or the senate tariff bill. The Democrats
will present theirs. The Re
publicans will charge them
with voting against reduction of tax
alton. To take the edge off from this the
Democrats will have bill readp and will
| then offer it and move It's passage under
suspension of the rules. The Republicans
will vote against it and then the Democrats
will charge them with defeating reduc-
ton of taxation. It is proposed to make
this substitute bill as little open to objec-
ton and cavil as possible. In the first
place the existing classifoations of imports
will be retained. Whatever faults this
classification may have its retention would
|have two great advantages. A perfect
comparison could be made between the
proposed measure and the present law.
Any one could see at glance what changes
were made in the rates of duty. It would
be possible to conceal any tricks or jobs
under an altered classification. In the
second place the present classification has
been adjudicated by the treasury depart
ment and the courts until all the ambigu-
Gus points are pretty well settled. change
of classification would involve customs
officials and the treasury in uncertainty,
and would compel the treasury and the
courts to create new body of interpreta-
tions and rulings. The substitute bill will
make no increase above present rates.
Wherever the Republicans are very tena
cious for an advance, the substitute Will
leave the duties as at present. Wherever
the Republicans admit the practibility of
making reduction, the substitute will make
considerable cuts. The cuts will be larg
est in the lowest classes of articles and
thus the manufactures, or many of them,
will be placated. The senate and house
bills have antagonized the entire manu-
featuring community in many lines by
cutting on all classes of goods in these
lines. The substitute bill will aim to dis
arm the manufacturers of finished prod
ucts by making most Of the reductions on
raw materials or coarse products will be
substantially reduced in duties imposed on
them. Among these are wool, iron ore,
scrap iron and pig iron. Every reduction
here will be of advantage to the entire
wool and iron manufacturing interests. The
tariff commission reported that public
sentiment demanded reduction of the
average duties from 90 to % per cent.
The substitute bill viii attempt to realize
this by cutting off $40,0OOOO0 or $4,000
600 of revenue calculated on the importa-
tons of last year, and to cut this off in
such way that everybody can see it, and
also in such way as to benefit the manu-
facturers OF all classes of finished pro-
ducts. The substitute will also contain an
internal revenue feature at least as liberal
as the bill which failed in the house yester-
day, though it will not cut down the taxes
in the same way. It will abolish
about $6,O00,000 of revenue drawn from
special licenses required of manufacturers
and dealers in spirits, beer and tobacco.
oil oo
abolished, but reductions will be made |
in them. This bill the Republicans will be |
invited to pass or go on record as voting |
against and the Democrats think they can |
fix up such simple and reasonable bill |
that it will be unhealthy for the Republi- |
cans to vote against it. There is not so
much expectation of enacting the bill as |
there is of making the record straight.
ALL ABOUT PosToFFICE.
The postoffice at Camden, N. J., is the |
object of hot contention between |
Senator Sewell and Congressman |
Robson. Both of these statesmen |
live at Camden and both are anxious to |
control the appointment of the postmas |
ter. Robson claims it on the ground |
that custom has always placed such pat |
ronage in the hands of the immediate con- |
gressional representative. Sewell holds |
that Robeson's defeat in a Republican |
district last fall was due to the odious |
reputation he had won as secretary of the |
navy and leader of the house, and that he |
has perfected his claim on the disbursers |
of patronage. Robson would doubtless |
like to carry back to his townsmen proof |
in shape of this appointment that he was |
bigger man at Washington than Sewell,
but as his political career terminates in |
about two weeks, while Sswell has four |
more years of Office holding, Mr.. Hatton |
will hardly consent to crafty him.
oBsTRUCTING NAVIGATION.
The United States engineers report to |
the war department that the copper mills |
in the vicinity of Houghton and Hancock,
Mich, have deposited in Portage lake
millions of tons of stamp sand, which in |
some cases extends far into the water way |
and Injuries the channel. The mills are |
annually depositing half million tons of |
sand, or about $4,000 cubic yards. To |
remove that amount of sand to point |
where it would not do injury to the chan |