Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-04-17
GOVERNMENT GOSSIP.
Homage to Gen. Grant--An Anti Morrison Circu.
lar-Indisn Tribes Relations--The Scheme
to Make the Patent Office Distinc.
tive Branch.
From our regular correspondent.

10 MAKE the fAteut Umce n Dlstlnt-
tive Branch.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, ID. g., April 10, 1884.
Whatever doubt there may be about
the proposition that the House would
never pay the homage to ex-President
Hayes that it did to ex-President Grant
on last Wednesday, it is pretty certain
that no movement of that kind would
originate with Sam Randall, upon whose
motion the House on that day took n
recess of fifteen minutes to shake the
hand of the hero of the Appomatox.
The General appeared on the floor with
his crutches, taking position in the circle
fronting the Speakers chair, the MEM
bers filing by, exactly as they do under
the call for tellers, where he not only
shook each members hand but accom-
panied the shake with some appropriate
word ofwelcome or old-time friendship.
Of course those who see mercenary mo-
tives in the every movement of public
man, bounced upon the report that the
Generals presence was a put-up ar
rangement to get on the retired list, and
surely they made the most of it so far
as spreading the rumor was concerned
While the General has never manifested
that innate modesty that prompts one to
refuse presents, it caunot be charged
up against him that he has directly or
even indirectly sought any of the official
honors that have been conferred on
him, and this fling just at this time,
when nothing has been said about his
third-term candidacy, is peculiarly
cruel, uncalled for, End baseless.
Some fellow, evidently of waggish
propensities, has been getting up sort
of anti-Morrison bill circular, in which
he pledges the Democratic majority as
opposed to any tariff bill that does not
reduce the burdens upon the people by
the abridgment of both customs and in
ternal revenue taxation. The circular
also calls for "such an adjustment of
the tariff as to encourage protective in
dustries at home, and afford just COM
pensation to labor, but not to create or
foster monopolies.' The appearance of
this circular, which is printed, has had
the effect of showing that the wag afore-
said builded better than he knew, for it
has already caused so much commotion
among the Morrison followers that
another caucus, intended to produce
definite results, is to be called at once,
and at which every Democratic member
is expected to show his hand, or that all
shall agree upon a general and incon-
tinental back-down upon the tariff ques-
ton. While this last move will be
peaches and cream for the Randall
folks, who have long since despaired of
anything but negative action, it will
shelve Mr.. Morrison and all of his kins-
tor the actual-necessity-rev bust
ness, and no other Even Springer,
with the shortcomings of the Depart
ment of Justice at his back, would be
of vastly more account in Illinois and
the West, than Mr.. Morrison, who could
have struck the right chord, but would
not for fear of Carlisle and the whisky
interest
The forthcoming report of Mr.. Dawes
touching our relations with the Indian
tribes on the border, bristles throughout
with unmerciful attacks upon our past
and present Indian policy. 1t repeats
the old charge of crowding the red man
away from the civilizing influences OF
the whites, stealing his hunting grounds
away, depriving him of his natural
means of subsistence, and all that sort
of stuff that has hoodwinked the Govern
ment for the last half century. The
fact of the business is that the Indians
from the time that we first began to
treat with them, have ignored every OBJ
legation that they have entered into
They have persistently resisted every at
tempt to extend over them the influences
of civilization, and the hundreds oil
thousands of dollars that the Govern
ment has expended in the vain effort tc
instruct them in the way of making
their own living with the pillow or the
hoe, has been worse than thrown away.
They have fully demonstrated to the
Government that they are bad lot, and
the only true policy is to treat them as
such.
Mr.. Platt's exhaustive speech in the
Senate advocating the proposition to
make the Patent Office distinctive
branch of the Government, with its head
in the Cabinet and its body out from
under the control of the Interior De-
partment, may work the desired result,
but here is the Department of Agricul-
ture which, to say the least, is of as
much Importance, has got to hoe its
own row, without any other head than
that of simple Commissioner-whi is
only hgure-head. For the last twenty
years the horny handed grangers
throughout the country have been in
sisting that the Department of Agricul-
ture should have separate and distinct
representation at Washington, not alone
because of the vast interests that are
embraced in that industry, but because
of its direct influence upon every other
industry and upon the whole fabric of
our financial and commercial systems.
What particular significance is to be
attached to the erecting of the Patent