The National tribune., 1885-12-17


with salaries of Sl7,500 year.
A GRACEFUL ACT.
The utmost cordiality and kindly feeling ex-
| lists between those two ogallant comrades in arms
| Gen. Logan and Gen. Manderson, Senators, re-
| spcctively, from Illinois and Nebraska The
| choice seats in the Senate Chamber are almost
| always gained by a series of promotions based
on seniority of service A new Senator does not
| " inherit" the big chair of his predecessor, but
has to start in with seat in the outermost row.
Watching his opportunity, from time to time,
| as more desirable seat becomes vacant by the
| retirement of a Senator, he gets a chance TO
move up toward the front. A Senator frequently
changes his seat several times before he secures
| the one ne wants. If the reelection of Sena-
| tor takes place, as is usual, before his former
term expires, he retains his seat if he desires,
| and. by Senatorial courtesy, his claim is good
| against all corners. Within year it has hap
| pened in three States-Illinos, New Hampshire
| and OregOn-that on account of Legislative
| dead locks" aud protracted contests, the va
| cancies of Senators whose terms expired were
not filled for weeks or months. Logan, of Hi
nois, and Blair of New Hampshire, were finally
| reelected, while in Oregon a Republican was
elected to succeed Democrat. In each of these
cases, according to the rules of the Senate the
| seat became vacant at the expiration OF the
| term of its former incumbent.
| Gen. ManderSon entered the Senate year
| ago. His seat was one of row of four at the
extreme verge of the Republican side. As all
| the rows are raised a few inches, succeSS!yely,
like the seats in circus tent, this little bunch OF
| four statesmen-Manderson, of Nebraska; Pal
| mer of Michigan; Hill, of Colorado, and Pike, of
| New Hampshire-were perched up higher than
| any of the Others, except group, hanked by
| Fair, of Nevada, occupying a corresponding
place on the other side of the Chamber. They
named the row Pixies Peak" after the New
| Hampshire Senator. When Gen. Logans seat, a
very desirable one, became vacant, and his re-
turn to occupy it was matter OF uncertainty,
Gen. Manderson applied for and obtained 1t, oc-
| cupying it during the extra session last March.
| When Logan entered the Chamber at the be-
| ginning of the 49th Congress, Gen. Manderson
| met him with a cordial grasp of the hand and
conducted him to his old seat Henderson, al
| though his title TO the seat was perfect, relln-
| quished it to its former occupant, and returned
| to his old place on pixies Peak" Gen. Logan
expressed in the warmest terms his apprecia-
| tion of this graceful act on the part of Gen.
! Henderson.
Senator Blair was not so fortunate. His vacant
seat was taken by Senator Warner Miller, of
New York. When Blair came back he en-
deavored to negotiate with Miller for his old
seat, but Miller thought New York was bigger
State than New Hampshire and declined to
vacate his position. Senator Blair had to take
| one of the back seats.
| THE UNITED STATES TREASURY.
| Hon. Daniel Manning, Secretary of the Treas
ury, in his annual report states that the surplus
of receipts over expenditures for the last fiscal
year amounts to ST, ,S59, 1854 AS compared
| with the fiscal year 1884 the receipts for 1855
| have decreased $24, ,S29 1854. In the custom
receipts this decrease amounts to $13 595, AZ;
internal revenue, $685., 1867; sales of public
| lands 81, ,104, 1857; tax on national banks,
| $194, ,507 IS; sales of Government property,
| $243, 752.67; revenues of the District of Colum-
! bia, S41 ,42S.02, and other items There was an
increase in the expenditures of $40, 100,690.7S,
as follows: War Department, $3,240,97511 !;
| Interior Observation-Disclosures, SO, 1854 In
! terror OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, S673, ,039.43; civil
and miscellaneous, SIG, ,573, ,S246S. The decrease
! in the expenditure of the Navy Department
| and the interest Oh the public debt amounted
| to over S4,000,000. The estimated surplus for
| the fiscal year 1856 of receipts over expendi-
| lures is $24 425OOO0 For the year 1857 the
year ended Oct. 81, 1855, the reduction i'll the
| annual interest charge on the public debt
amounted to $309, 5000.
The report calls attention to the disorder of
| the currency arising from the coinage act of
| 1878, which is overlooking the mints with
| uniSsued, the sub-tTeaSurieS with returned, sill
| yer dollars, and will unav0idabiy convert the
| funds of the Treasury into those deprecated
and depreciating coins" Also, the disorders
| to the currency arising from the Act of May
81, 1873, which indefinitely postponed fulfil
ment of the solemn pledge March 1S, 1862
not only of redemption but also of payment
of all the obligations of the United States not
bearing interest legalized as S3i6, 100000 paper
money of unlimited legal tender, and required
the post-redemption issue and reissue of these
| promises to pay dollars, as equivalents OF our
| monetary unit"
The Secretary suggests that reform could be
| promoted with advantage by repeal of the
| clause requiring Treasury purchases of silver
| bullion, and repeal OF the act making compul-
| sorry Treasury issues and reissues Of the legal
| tender notes"
The report states that the 215, 100000 of sill
yer dollars are here and cannot be expected to
sensibly decrease. They cannot go abroad on
account of their legal tender character. No
| BODY will melt them, as the silver melted is
worth 20 10 Is per cent. less than the silver
minted. No silver to be used in the arts and
| industries Will be drawn from this stock. 1t
| Is not expected that Congress will Withdraw
from these silver dollars their full tender quail
| ity, or redeem and melt them and sell the
| metal. The Secretary urges in the strongest
| possible language that the coinage of the silver
| dollars be stopped. In discussing the question
of coming heavier dollar, the Secretary says
| it is proposed to treat silver as a commodity.
| H. however, the silver of the dollar is to be
| dealt with as part of the monetary metal of the
! world, 71.25 grains of fine silver can be made
equivalent with 23.22 grains OF line gold as
efectually as 500 grains Of fine silver can. The
report goes on to show that stopping the coinage
| will not affect prices, and that poorer dollar
| reduces the wages of labor
| The Secretary takes up the subject of reform
| in taxation, and states that, like the currency
laws, the tariff laws are legacy of war. "As
| nothing i'll the ordinary course of business is
| imported unless the price here of the domestic,
as well as of the imported, article is higher by
! the amount Of the duty and the cost of sea-
transit than the price abroad, the preference Of
the taxpayer for duties upon articles not pro-
/ duced in the United States is justified by the
| fact that such duties cost him no more than the
| Treasury OF his country gets. AS for duties
affecting articles that are also produced in the
| United States, the first to be safely discarded
are those upon materials used by our own
| manufacturers, which now subject them to
| hopeless competition at home and abroad with
| the manufacturing nations, none of which tax
/ raw materials. 1t is not to be doubted that in
any reform which shall finally receive the ap-
| proval Of the two Houses ofCongress, they will
maturely consider and favorably regard the
interests which can only gradually and care
| fully be adjusted without loss, to changes in
| the legislative conditions for their advancing
| prosperity. With this view, have invited, in
| some 1000 circular letters to our manufacturers
and merchants, their enlightened cooperation
in the Improvement of our fiscal policy, and