The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-02-02
THE NATIONS CAPITAL.
THE TAX REDUCTION ON BRANDY
AND TOBACCO.
A Description Of the Beautiful Effect Of
the Eclipse OF the MOOn--Candldate
Tor Governor, &c.

Especial to STATE CHRoNICLE.]
WASHINGTON d. c., Jan. 81, 1885,
The favorable report of Mr.. HenderSOn's
Internal Revenue bill, favorably reported
by the Judiciary Committee to the House,
and the mastery way in which the points
IN 1t are presented, has received consider
able notice from New York and Washing
ton papers. 1t has also greatly enhanced
Mr.. Henderson's reputation. A member
from distant State who has been here
nearly eighteen years, said Yesterday
- FOUR North Carolina member, Mr. Hem
derson, Is going to make a National repu-
tatlon on his two internal revenue meas
ures. he is the ablest Representative your
State has had here since | have been in
Congress, and his sterling ability is ad-
mlrably supplemented by his high and
honorable character as a man and gen.
tleman !" | have known and said this all
along, but | confess was little proud to
hear 1t from the lips of one Of the oldest
and most widely known members of the
ooth Congress. 1t is not praying. g.matter
perhaps, but l risk hoping and prayiIag
that the voters of his district may have
sense enough to make him stay in Congress
long enough to show the United States that
we nave men who are the peers of the best
Every word of commendation written
by our correspondent of Mr. Henderson
has our fullest endorsement. We think.
however, that the correspondent some
times, in praise of Mr.. Henderson, omits
to give full credit to the other North Caro-
lima members of our delegation who are as
faithful and as efficient in the discharge Of
their public duties. The two old mem
bers, MeSsrs. Cowles and Johnston, are
certainly doing all in their power-as is
Mr.. Henderson-to secure needed legisla-
ton, and the same is also true of our new
members. OF course Messrs. Johnston,
CoWles and Henderson, by reason of longer
service, are able to do more for the State
than our new members. .-EDITOR
A gentleman here who has direct access to
the opinions Of Mr.. Cleveland and Mr. Car
Isle, thinks the tobacco tax will be repealed
and the brandy tax reduced from 90 to 10
cents on the gallon. | think he is right.
| have some means of knowing how some
things are done here, and l do not think
more than this will be done. 1t is miser-
able policy TO make vain promises to our
people. 1t is far wiser to take conserva-
tive view of the subject and tell them the
truth in the beginning. This concession is
a broad one, and in time hope to see the
entire Internal Revenue System a dead
letter But this will not be accomplished
during this session of Congress, and that
this is true ought not to cost the Demo-
cratic party the vote of q single man,
whether he makes "moonsl ine' whiskey
in the West or plugs of yellow tobacco in
the East.
Saturday the representative of the pilots
of North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and
Georgia appeared before the House Com
mittee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
Mr.. Cooper, a Maryland pilot, spoke for
the Association of Pilots for that State
Mr.. Marshall, a Portsmouth lawyer, ap-
peared for the Virginia Association of
Pilots. There is no North Carolina Pilot
Association, but the pilots of the Cape Fear
were ably represented by the eloquent AL
fred NJ. Waddell. Represe entative Nor
wood, of Georgia, spoke for the Georgia
Pilots. The pilots on the Atlantic sea-
board are fighting the Dingley bill, pro-
permits ship to pilot their own
vessels into port.
Saturday night there was a total eclipse
of the moon, and all the instruments at
the Naval Observatory here were brought
into requisitlon so as to assist in getting a
very nearly accurate calculation of the
moons parallaX, which means its angle Of
observation above the centre of the eanth.
From this is easily obtained the semi di-
ameter, and from that its true size The
phenomenon is one of common occurrence,
but this one has especial interest both from
a scientific and aesthetic standpoint. Prof.
Otto Struve, brother of the Russian
Minister here, and Director of the Impe-
rial Observatory at Pulkowa, has been
busy long time making preparations for
the event. When the moon is in total
eclipse her light is almost blotted out, and
the presence of stars that happen to be
near by is made visible. These are called
occultations. Struve has been getting up
maps showing the occultations that are
probable at this time, and calculated to
suit the location of nearly every observa-
tory in the world. The result of all these
observations will be looked for with inter-
est by all students of astronomy. In
Washington the effect of the eclipse was
unusually beautiful. For about two hours
the moon looked like red ball of fire sus-
pended in the heavens, while myriads of
attendant stars far Outshone her. The
earth and house tops were covered with
snow, on who's frozen surface glittered an
opalescent light which seemed to borrow
a glow of crimson from the fiery globe in
the darkened sky. The white marble of
| the Capitol and the stately monolith on the
| banks of the Potomac caught some of the
Welru uSuG anu pFeSeulcu al CuCuduIlIlS
| picture as they were outlined against the
! dusky background of cloudless but SEEM
ingly supernaturally shadowed horizon.
The air was cold and clear, and the stars,
| unrivalled for while by the brighter sheen
of the full moon, blaZed with unusual bril-
liancy in the purple vault. AS the shade
began to pass from the moon and a part Of
her silver disc appeared with undlmmed
| lustre, l recalled the fairy tales used to
hear, and could almost imagine some of
the Gnomes that people the imagination of
childhood, of poets, and of the uncivilized
had been waging war in the Infinite
| Space with the Queen of the Night, and
questioned for moment her royal supre-
macy.
| Poets have often written of good and
evil spirits in the vast spaces above US,
and in the "Culprit Fay" are most vivid
descriptions of conflicts with "cloud
| fiends," $ storm spirits and "misty spec
tres" and of timely aid rendered by the
| sylphs of heaven who sing
1.-The song that makes the dew-mist melt,
Whose
"Harps are of the amber shade.
That hides the blush of waking day,
And every gleamy string is made
OF silvery mOOnShineS heightened ray"
You also intimated that every North
Carolina Washingtonian had a candi
date for Governor. May l say that mins
is Col. Thos. NJ Holt, now, has been fol