Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-05
CONGRESSIONAL.
IL PROCEEDINGS IN BOTH HOUSES ON
YESTERDAY.
IN sherman Fires His Losg-promised
Gun at she Presidents Mes
sage-Mr, VOORHEES,.

NANhlNGfoN, january !, 1888.
Among the papers presented 20 the
Senate was letter from Allen & Co.,
sublishers, Of Augusta, Me-, urging the
Necessity Of the issue of fractional cur
Rency. MIR. Frye, who presented it,
fstated as q fact astounding TO him that
this firm often received in its business
one thousand dollars day in pos
/ ttsge stamps in payment Of fractions of
dollars. Also, by Mr.. Hale, petition
against any change in the fishery treaties
| and IN favor OF the rights OF Ameri-
can fishermen under existing treaties
! and legislation. Also. 10y Mr.. Voor-
heeS, in favor Of the present tariff on
lumber. Also. 10y Mr. Cullom, several
petitions of the Illinois State Grange
endorsing the inter. State commerce law,
favOring the Government ownership of
telegraph lines, donouncing gambling IN
j futnrcS. favorinQ the restriction of im-
migration as proposed in the Regain bill,
opposing the abolition OF the whiskey
and tobacco tax, and favorng the
placing of salt, lumber, sugar, etc, on
the free list.
Among the bills introduced and re-
ferrcd were the following:
Bv Mr.. Cullom Amendments to his .
postal-tclegraph bill.
By M Blair: To encourage the hold /
iug Of a national industrial exposition OF /
ART. mechanism, and production OF the /
colored race throughout the United /
States IN Atlanta. Ga. IN 1883 and 1889. /
Mr.. Brown offered a resolution de-
clariug that the practice of the Govern
mcnt was correct for the tirstthree quar-
tiers of a century OF It's existence when 1t
collected the necessary revenues az ports
or other boundaries 10y the tariff, except
in ease of war or other great cmergen-
cics when internal revenue or dlrect-tax
laws were imposed, but which were re-
pealcd as soon a. the emergency
ceased, also that the present inter
nal-rCyenue laws were enacted as
8 war measure, and that il has now be-
come the imperative duty Of Congress to
enact appropriate legislation for their
repeal at the earliest day Practicable.
He asked that the resolution be laid on
the table and SAID that on next Monday
i De would submit remarks upon IL.
The Senate then took up the resolution
for the distribution of the President
annual message, and was addressed 10y
Senator sherman.
MIR. Sherman criticized the message
for lis failure of all reference to our
foreign relations and 10 inter- sting
questions on national affairs. and for IFS
postuoning all things celestial or ter
Iostrlal until the surplus revenue Inc DIS
posed Of IL was I'D extraordinary mes
sace There was nothing new or strange
about the Treasury surplus. President
Jefferson and President Jackson had met
il in their day. and Republican admins
trations had on many occasions since the
war crap9led with it either by the pay
mcnt of the public debt or by reduc-
ton Of taxes. The Democratic party
had had control Of the House of
Representatives for many years and had
not originated or proposed re-
duction OF taxes, and the Republican
Congress in ten years had by tine act OF
March, 1883, largely reduced both the
internal taxes and customs Why had
not the President followed the example
OF his predecessors by using the powers
conferred on the Secretary Of the Urea
suTy and applying the surplus TO the re-
duction OF the public dent? II the
President had regarded the surplus as a
danger why had he not brought his IN
fuence Il bear upon Congress TO provide
l. reduction Of taxation and why had not
Congress applied the remedy? The
only answer was that the controlling ma
iorlty of the Democratic party would not
allow the bill to be reported unless 1t
q contained provisions which would greatly
u iniure or DESTROY domestic productions Ii
~ II had been the desire 10 reduce the taxes
without reducing American productions
Il the task was easy. but the Speaker OF
q the House had used his enormous power
q with the hearty support OF the President
10 prevent even the reporting OF
such bill Even without reduction
OF taxation the surplus revenue might
have been applied for great national
objects but for the vetOes of the Iresl-
dent. for the failure of the Secretary
OF the Treasury 10 exercise the PLAIN dis-
cretiouarv powers conferred upon nm
bv law, and for the failure of the Demo
cratic House oil Representatives, to make
appropriations for some of the higher
national objects. Among these Mr. Sher-
man mentioned the Blair educational
iill. the dependent pension bill, the
river and harbOr bill, and other leglsll-
tive projects II the appropriations hai
been made Tor these purposes and Tor
"a coast defenccs the present condition OF
the Treasury, which now 50 alarmed
the President. would not have existed.
He also asked why the President had
not convened Congress IN special session
last summer instead of nov eudcavonng
10 drive Congress pell-Iuel by an outcry
N reverse the policy OF the country ioI
thirty wears. When the President and
Secretary Of the Treasury tried to alarm
the country so as to induce Congress "a
break down great industrial interests ne
uointed them TO the neglect of their pub.
tic duties They had power now and
power neglected was often as great q
crime AS power usurped. But an artlri
cial scare could not be made TO cover the
faults and defects OF tine Administration
MIR. Sherman then proceeded to dis
cuss the tariff question and gave figures
10 show that as 20 more than one th1rc
OF the present impOrtatons (by value
there vas absolute free trade. These
were mainly such products a. by reason
of climate could not be produced here
With that kind OF free trade ne (Shcr
mani was in hearty sympathy. 1t wa'
exactly the opposite policy that was pro
1osed by the President and the schOo
q which the Presden, belonged.
the object was 10 reduce surplus revenue
what better mode Che asked could
be suggested than to repeal on.
half Of tie duty on sugar and
thus directly relieve the people
from twenty eight and a quarter millions
of taxes on an article in most genera
use aud now bearing tax Of 81 per cent
No such suggestion had been made 10y
the President aud Secretary OF the Irea
sury. Why not give relief TO the people
by reduction Of tax on sugar? Still he
would not cripple the sugar-cane belt o.
sorghum industry, and would sugges
giving 20 the producers OF domestic