Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-01-06
WASHINGTON.
q. A." Talks Of Tariff and It's
Advantages.
TlSkEalNs Win THE POSTAGE LAW
Randall Returns From His Southern
Trip and Expresses Himself
Well Pleased.
THE CONGRESSIONAL NEWS.
Special % As Rsqistr.

~FN~N~~ - SC AscFescEs
WASHINGTON, January 5. - RandalPs
southern trip is likely to prove most sig
nifeant incident in the history Of the tariff
struggle when that history shall be written.
The idea that the tariff is "local issue" is
fast going out Of vogue. The attempt of
free traders to annoy the manufacturing in
terests of the North and East against the
agricultural interests ofthe West and South
is destined to signal failure. Protection
benefits the manufacturers employees more
directly but not more certainly than those
of the farmer. The West long since recogn-
lied this fact and is radicalyin favor Of
the maintenance Of protection. The South
because Of the ineveitable, but at the same
time unpleasant existence of post bellum
irritation, has been slower to come to the
front in defense OF that system Of duties
which was FIRST introduced to raise money to
put down the rebellion and of which an in
cidental though not less important object
the South is coming. Already Georgia is
an out and out protectionist State. West
Virginia is as much interested as Ohio in
the maintenance of the duty on wool. Cot
ton mills needing protection are springing
up even in Alabama and the Louisiana
members OF Congress who voted for hori-
Zontal reduction have felt in the most
substantial form lhe remonstranees OF
the sugar planters, whose interests
would have been annihilate6 BY the passage
of the Morrison bill The reception given to
Mr.. Randall is an excellent gusse of the
progress made in the direction OF liberal
thought on the Tariff question by the voters
of
The South.
One of the most important bills now be-
fore Congress is that OF "Richelieu'
Robinson reducing letter postage rates to
one cent per half ounce. Mr.. Robinson is
very energetic in his deuuuciation Of hall
way measures, and is inclined to push al
once for the passage of his bill. But conf
dent as be is that the people are behind him
in his effort to reduce the unit rate, there
are many Congressman who do moi
agree with him that the amount
Of revenue collected viii not be
materially affected by such q rate reduc
ton and who are afraid of doing anything
to make the postal system q drain on the re
sources Of the government. 1t Is true that
the demand for postal cards was so dimin,
ished by the reduction of the postage rate
from three to two cents that $50, 900 less is
asked for this year to defrsy the expense ol
their manufacture. In other words, a very
much larger number of correspondents used
letters instead of postal cards. Possibly a
proportionate numbex would come oyeI
from the use of postal cards il
the letter rate were only one
sent instead of two. But in the opinion o.
those postal officials who have given the
most time to the subject, the interests of the
public would be better subserved in every
way by the substitution for the postal card:
or sheets of letter paper in the form of en-
velopes before they are put together and in
tended to be written upon on the inside anc
then sealed. The privacy Of correspondence
would be thus maintained and the weight o.
the matter placed in the hands of the Gov
ernment by an eq1al number of correspond
ents would be as one to three as compared
with that of the stiff and heavy postal cards
There is very little prospect that any bill fol
postal reform will be passed at the Presen
Sc ession of Congress. j. A.