Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-01-31
FROM WASHINGTON.
!Fro", oar regular corr.poHdsat.l
WAsHINGroN. ID. g. Jam. 20. Is,

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. %, 1884.
The American hog Is occupying
good deal of attention in Congress re-
Gently. This does not refer to Wander
bilt or his species, as some suppose, but
to q product more valuable TO the hu-
man race. The action of the French
and German governments in excluding
our pork from their markets, is the SUBJ
ject to which our statesmen are devOt-
Ing themselves. Just what remedy we
have for this discrimination against our
meat exports, has not yet been made
clear. Senator Logan strongly advo-
Gates retaliatory measures by placing
certain restrictions upon the trade of
these countries with us, but other Sena-
tors oppose such course on the ground
of its uselessness and inexpediency.
One of the greatest wrongs of the car
pet-bag era was the chartering the
Freedmen's Bank, In 1855, for the use of
persons heretofore held i'm slavery, and
their descendants. 1t was ostensibly a
savings bank, the deposits of which
were guaranteed by the United States
Government. The original trustees,
who We're mostly prominent abolition
lists, gradually made way for set of fl
nancial sharpers. They unlawfully es-
tablished thirty branches In various
parts of the South, and received large
sum in deposits from the poor, ignorant
freedmen. Having bagged a large
amount of money, the trustees became
tired of investing in Government Sc
curities, and had their charter SO
amended in 1870 as to permit their hold
ing, improving and receiving mortgages
on real estate in this District. Then
came some wonderful investments.
The money was loaned to officers of the
bank and their friends, of the carpet
bag, irresponsible stripe, and the paper
OF the Seneca Stone Company Kite
flying concern, the "Capital Publishing
Company" conductors of the ring or
gan, some hotel furniture and worthless
securities, with a lot of personal notes
not worth the paper they were written
on, soon represented all there was left
OF the banks capital, deposits and ALL
'Ihls OF course Is an old story, but its re-
suits are not yet passed. Congress has
wound up Its affairs in the most expen-
sive manner, paying Mr.. Creswell, of
Maryland, and other commissioners
large annual salaries, and there is nat
uraily great deficit. Hundreds of the
ueposltors nave never received any
tning, ana 1t will be no more than just
II Congress should pay every bona tide
depositor, as now asked to do, the full
amount of what he or she invested i'm
the savings bank. The officers of the
bank managed to get hold of some of
Mr. summers money, but his suspi-
cions We're aroused and he secured him
sell before the bank went to smash.
senator Van Wyck, of Nebraska. is a
perpetual thorn in the flesh of his Re
puDHcan associates, in that he is con-,
stanti offering resolutions of INQUIRY
into matters where official crookedness
ls suspected. His last call is upon the
Attorney Generals office for informa-
ton concerning certain unsavory trans
actions In connection with the Star
Route trial. Mr.. Van Wyck,s resoIu-
tion brought some of the RenubIican
Senators to their feet to ask why that
gentleman wished to attack the Attor-
ney General. Itmakes the average Re-
publican very mad to think that one of
their own party should lead off in ex-
posing official wrong-doing or delin-
quencies.
The Hon. r. T. Merrick, who is de-
livering course of lectures on the Con-
stitution before the Georgetown Col
lege law school, spoke last night before
a large gathering of the students on the
powers conferred by the Constitution
upon Congress to tax the people. I'm
der the Constitution, he maintained,
the people can only be taxed ito paw
the debts and provide for the common
defense and general welfare of,the Unit
ed States" The power granted to raise
money is limited by The purpose to
which it is to be applied. To 20 beyond
that and impose duties, taxes or excises
for the benefit of one part of the people
as against another was, as in the Topeka
case, Goth Wallace, p. 285, decided in
the Supreme Court, Mr.. Justice Miller
writing the opinion, to be nothing but
robbery. The time was fast coming
when the legislative power would be
confined to its constitutional limits, and
Congress would no more think of inn
posing duties to enhance the projects of
persons or to assist giant monopolies,
than an honest trustee would think of
using trust for anybody but the right
full beneficiaries. PHoNO.