Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-01-26
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Large Number or Bills Introduced-Gath- ering of Commercial E0dies to Con sider Uniform system Of Bank ruptcy-The TariG-What
 Gen. Gordon Thinks of
 Huntington
WAsnINaroy. January D.

" A,hlNNION. J JdLUGrF 10. In Congress the week was marked by the introduction of nearly fourteen hun
 dred bills, important committee meet
 ings and work. free trade orations in the
 Senate by Democratic Senators. notably
 one by Mir. Morgan of Alabama; anti
 polygamy eloquence from Senator Cul-
 lom of Illinois, calling forth hearty con
 gratulations from both sides of the
 chamber; debates in the house bearing
 on the Mississippi river improvement,
 which developed the views Of a number
 or congrCsslacr aa h qus -io.' that hal
 long attracted national attention; and
 the passage by the senate of @ bill for
 the immediate appropriation of one
 million dollars which the Mississippi river commission vents nOw. in order to
 secure the improvements m progress ! from destruction by freshsts
 One important matter that i5 being prepared in committee f2r an early con sideratIon of congress relates to bank ing and currency, and the subject is likely to call forth almost as much dis cussion as the appropriation bills and | the revenue questions. However, Judge BuckDer, of Mississippi, chairman of | the house committee on Banking and ! currency, says he thinks the people of the United States practically agree on | two things, namely. the gradual extinc- l ton of the public debt and the retention l of a paper currency of uniform value in ! every part of the country. Six years | ago nearly every member from the | south offered a bill to repeal the tax of ! ten per cent upon the circulation of | state banks, and only one bill for that | purpose has been presented il the pres | ent congress, which fact Judge Buckner | cOnstTues as @ demonstration of the ad- | vantages of a paper currency of equal l value everywhere. In committee last | Wednesday plans were discussed for | preventing a contraction Of the national | bank currency, and Nessrs. Hunt, Potter | and Ermeutrout, democratic members, | expressed themselves as decidedly in fa- vOr of such legislation, and as friends of | the national banking system. The chair man reirains from predicting the action of the committee. but every member IS 70 v his own ideas gs to what must be done tO meet the crisis which Is approach ing nearer with each reduction of the public debt The committee first proposes to get all of the bills before 1t and other necessary information, and then endeavor to agree upon some meas ure that will secure a paper currency uniform value throughout the United States after the debt has all been paid, and that will prevent undue contraction while 1t IS being extinguished
 A national convention of commercial bodies will meet Wednesday in this city, at Willard's hall Co consider the ques- tion of a uniform system of bankruptcy. It will be attended by at least two hum dred delegates representing exchanges, chambers of commerce, boards of trade, and mercantile associations in the most important commercial circles n the United States. The object is tO present to the Judiciary committee of the two Houses the formulated sentiment of the business men Of the country with regard to a bankruptcy bill that will be equita- ble alike to the debtor and creditor bus mess. The framework of a bill has al- ready been prepared, and is proposed a committee tO be appointed at the meet tug shall present this for the c0nsidera- ton of Senator Edmunds and RepTesen- tative Tucker, who are the chairmen resp pectIvely of the Senate and House Judiciary committees. It Is expected after a general interchange of views, that bill can be prepared, to meet the approval of both chairmen and of all interests concerned. This measure will then be submitted to Congress, accom- panied by an earnest appeal for its m- mediate consideration.
 Another matter that demands early legislation IS in regard Co Indian affairs. Under existing treati es the tribes of the northwest are intOlerant of the rapid en- croachmentOf civilization on their reser- vatiOns, through the advancement of railroads, and threaten to give serious trouble unless some satisfactory policy shall be settled upon without delay. The committee in charge of this grave problem confess themselves perplexed | as to what measure will be expedient. | Several Indian tribes of New Meuco | have been in Washington during the | week interviewing the Secretary of the | Interior concerning the affairs Ot thelr | agencies. Some of them wanted apprO- | priations, others complained of fraudu- |
  mission to change their reservation.
 For the first time in the history of the | country party lines lail to divide, and | while there is not much fuss made 4 about it now. it IS quite evident tO the | observing man here, that if something | is not done during the present session of Congress to draw the democrats a little nearer together, there will he good many assertions from the rank and file. The name of "demOcratIc party will no longer hold the protective tariff men Of Pennsylvania and other eastern and southern states, if free trade plank is put iu the democratic platform. On the other hund, it is doubtful 4 the party can hold the free trades unless the tariff on many articles Oi cOnsump plIOn, l. reduced. Nor does inc tarli dlilcul- ty end here. While the repunIean party fav)rs a protective tariff, there are many free traders ID the west, who are getting warmed up on the question ana if a vote was taken today, on on Issue as between free trade and protectlon tariff they would be found with those voting in favor of the former. But the developments of the past lev cays show that both parties are WnilhS 70 let tLe tariff question alone for the present. Indeed the time Is too short co discuss and act upon the question lniel- l1gently during the present session or Congress, and then carry 1t before the people for the purpose Of making presidential campaign upon shat Issue.
 General Gordon. of Georgla- whose name was mentioned by the Huntlng- ton correspondence, instead Of taAlng back water as many of his late as- sociatas have done, comes out boldly | md iusfifies hIs cause in Congress. lie bas written Co John J. Whitney, ot Atlanta. in winch he takes "the bun | by the horn,' and says b. has no apology to make C. the people Of Georria for voting against Tom Seo'ts bill which asked the government to sn- 1orse Sj0000,000 of his railroad bond, and that too, to road that car-ed | everything to the north and east. Be is of the opinion that had Tom Sc1.t
 succeeded in his effort t0 have the g1r e-nment endorse bis bonds, that N would have been the most damaging sci for the South that could have taEa place. Huntington asked for nOth-l- All that he wanted was to be let slo1e Huntingdon declared at the time. tha- 2 1 he was permitted to buIld his road, tl5, : he would make the eas ern terminu- o- ! a his lines - southern ports, which he 1s- [ since done, and today Galveston, NeT Orleans, Brunswick Savannah, Charlfs- r ton and Wilmington are reaping th5 r benefits of the great Southern Paci5c, . and they are further destined to be !