The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-11-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. Noy. %. 1888.

Oak View in order to prepare his
last annual message to Congress.
There IS little doubt that Mr.. Cleve-
will manfully stand by the position
taken by him ON the surplus and
the tariff last December. He will
make more emphatic his former
declaration that it is a condition,
not theory, that confronts us. !"
He will still advocate the Demo-
cratic policy of reducing the tariff
on raw materials and the necessa-
ries of life, but above all he will
insist that the income of the Gov
ernment should be reduced in some
manner. 1t is thought by some
that so urgent does he consider the
necessity for reduction, that he will
advise the Democrats of the House
to accept the Senate amendment to
the Mills bill, rather than have no
reduction until the next session of
Congress. In fact the signs are
rapidly Multiplying that the policy
of the Democratic leaders ut the
coming session will be TO secure if
possible the passage of some sort of
a tariff bill that will reduce the
surplus, and if they have to accept
the Republican plan to do so under
protest, as being better than no re-
duction at all. This policy will,
if adopted and persistently carried
out, block the Republican plan of
letting the whole tariff question go
over to the Fifty-frst Congress,
which they will control in both
Houses.
Mr.. Cleveland has already stated
that he wonld sign any measure
which should come to him, making
a reduction in the revenue, whether
in the tariff schedule or the internal
revenue taxes unless there was
something very vicious about it
1t is certain that he would sign the
Senate substitute for the Mills bill
just as it was reported to the Sen
ate, but it is extremely probable
that the Republicans will make
many changes in that measure be-
fore it passes.
The annual reports of the cabinet
officers will make interesting read
ing for Democrats this year. They
will present a concise history of the
four years of Democratic admins
tration, and will make showing
that every Democrat will have a
right to feel proud of. A cleaner
and better administration, taken as
whole, the country has never had.
rho first meeting of the House
committee on appropriations was
held Wednesday. They have buck
led right down to work, and expect
to have the District of Columbia
appropriation bill ready to report
to the House the first day of the
session. Mr.. Randall, the chair
man of the committee, was not
present, but his health has SO great
ly improved that he expects to
resume his duties at the opening of
the session.
The deadly quarrels that the Re-
publicans have already developed
among themselves over the division
of the spoils, goes long ways to-
ward reconciling Democrats to de-
feat.
The negroes of this city have it
in their heads that the election of
Harrison has put them on top, and
they are already making all sorts
of demands in relation to the local
offices. Fred Douglass wants. to be
Recorder of Deeds, the notorious
Perry Carson wants to be District
Commissioner, but is willing to
compromise ON the Chef of police.
Several other negroes are eandi-
dates for Commissioner and other
prominent District offices. 1t is
only fair to say that the white Re-
publicans are dead opposed to Civ
ing single one of the prominent
offices to negro, but the negroes
here are a noisy gang, and if Har-
rison fails to give them some of the
plums they will make a big fuss.
The new bureau OF correspon-
dence of the Agricultural Depart
ment, authorized by the last session
of Congress, has begun work under
the direction of Professor w. o.
Atwater. For the present the work
of the bureau will be confined to
furnishing the agricultural exper-
iment stations throughout the coun-
try with information concerning
the experiments they are engaged
in.
Will thera he q strset f1ht no