San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-04-29
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, Apr. IL, 1886.
The report of the majority Of tn
ways and means committee on tn
tariff bill says that the annual reduc
ton of revenue, If it passes, vii
amount to about $24,000,000. Thu
duties intended to bo reduced art
those on articles used by our owr
manufacturers, which increase the
cost of their productions, SO as tc
mako their competition with foreign
countries hopeless. The placing O.
wood, salt, and hemp on the free list
is for the benefit of the home manu-
facturers. The question of wool il
discussed ut length. at appears,
says the report, "that the attempt tc
make wool growing profitable by the
use of the taxing power has not been
successful, while the tax has been
the great national hindrance to the
wool-manufacturing industry, rs well
as most grievious burden upon all
buyers of wooden clothing" The bill
proposes, they say, to lesson the cost
of shelter. food and clothing for the
people, and at the same time to bene-
fit domestic manufacturers. 1t is the
purpose of the bill, also, to correct
some of the classifcations, rid the
custom laws of the complications of
which the Secretary complains, and
80 change those laws for the better
that they will be capable of being ad-
ministered with impartiality to all our
merchants.
Tho minority report, drawn up by
Mr.. Mckinley and signed by all the
Republican members of tho commit
tee, takos grounds against o reduc-
tion of duties, and says: Nothing
is more unsound and fallacious than
to assume o reduction of duties is
demanded when average ad. valorem
rates show high per centage To
base O reduction of tariff duties upon
the present business condition and
the present low values and unprotit-
able prices is to assume that the
present unsatisfactory condition is to
continue and ought TO-" The report
claims that the bill is an assault upon
the farmers and tho fishing indus
tries, and protests against it's pas
sage.
In the Senate yesterday Mr.. Logan
took the floor in support of the
movement foropen executive sessions.
He preferred his own resolution, he
said, because it provided broadly for
open sessions on all matters of nomi-
nation and confirmation. Without
going into the history Of secret ses-
sions, Mr.. Logan would simply pre-
mise by saying that there was not
now, and never was any necessity for
secret sessions of the Senate.
He read from Storys Commentaries
on the Constitution a strong disap-
proval of secrecy rs to public busi-
ness and statement that it was not
in accord with the spirit of the Con
stitution. Mr.. Logan could not I'M
derstand what there was about the
character of any man nominated for
public Office that should require his
case to be considered in secret The
secrecy that might have been neces
,ary in the early years of the Repub-
ic found no basis in necessity nor
now. The House of Rep
had first opened it's pro
,eedings to the public because it rep
the people directly. The
Senate had stood out longer on the
,heory that it more properly repre-
Iented the States. Senators, how
aver, were responsible to the people,
90, and should let the people know
what they were doing.
The proposed admission of Dakota
nto the Union was considered by the
House committee on Territories We'd
lesday, without conclusion. The
Harrison bill, which has alread pass
ii the Senate, to divide the Terrific
y on the 46th parallel; the Springer
,ill to divide the territory north and
iouth on the line Of the Missouri
liver, and various other propositions,
II found adherents to press their
avorable report During the dis
ussion some Of the Republican men,
,ers said they regretted TO find n
Of the committee not to
dmit Dakota as a State for political
oasons. The Democrats took eTcep-
ion 10 this and a somewhat animated
discussion took place. L
The naval Affairs committee of The
House viii ask that the 2Oth Of April
nd such time thereafter as may be