Year: 1873

tiOn, and therefore as Congress cannot
| levy taxes for merely local purpose as
contra distinguished from a national
one, it caunOt appropriate money for
such local purposes" The Minority
Committee, consisting Of Senators Ed
munds and Wright, in the course Of
their dissenting report, say that
| 'if it be the Judgment of Congress
that the general welfare be promoted
by the free Importation Of goods to be
used for particular purpose, in par
| ticular place, or in a particular State;
but because the object to which they are
to be devoted happens by accident TO be
one effectual in some state or place,
| there can be said to be no preference
/ to that STATE or place as such, as the
same goods, and for the same purpose,
could not be tised on that occasion IN
any other State or place. Its real
spirit and essence in sDch a case
| is not to interfere with the uniformity,
or create a preference between the
States or parts, but it is to accomplish
the general welfare by aiding a particu
lar object, or a special enterprise, which
of necessity must be located some
wiiefe, and not everywhere III the
country as we have seen it. Therefore
such law does not violate the letter of
the Constitution; it is equally clear that
is does not violate its spirit, which, as We
have seer, was to prevent the oppression
of particular State for the benefit
of others, and not to prevent
Congress when the general welfare
required il, from allowing all the citizens
of the country to bring in goods in aid
Of some special object which happened
to be attainable by their use in partic-
ular place." The minority cite many
acts Of Congress relating to import du-
ties, in conformity with the foregoing
construction of the constitution, the es-
sential idea being that the test of uni
fOrmity is answered by the application
of the rule to the particular thing upon
which the duty on import is laid In
a given case named in the law, without
looking to the fact that its ultimate use
or destination may happen to be one
which indirectly or incidentally marks
a benefit to some particular town or par
ticular State. The minority say that
the report Of the majority treats the bill
in question as II It were a bill declaring
that all goods used In Boston should
have a draw back, which is not the
case, and therefore the argument direct
ed against such proposition has no ap-
plicatiOn TO the present bill.


LOUISIANA AFFAIRS.


The House Committee on judiciary
will proceed to the consideration OF
the Louisiana difficulty III day or two.
The credentials of General Mcmillan,
elected Senator for the short term by
the Fusion Legislature, and of John
Ray, elected by the Pinchbeck Legisla-
ture, will be referred to the Senate Cem-
mittee on Privileges and Elections, and
the determination of their rival claims
will involve an examination into the
subject.


PHELPS, DODGE d co.


The officials of the Treasury say the
proposals of fPhelps, Dodge & Co., to pay
the Government twenty-fOur thousand
dollars in lieu of alleged duties unpaid,
is not likely to be accepted by the de-
partment.


KUKLUX PARDONS.


The cases of several of the kuklux pris-
oners is now undergoing consideration
by the AttOrney-General, and it is prob
able that very soon few additional par
dOns will be issued.


DEAD.


Mrs. Mary A. Walker, widow of the
late r. J. Walker, died here yesterday.
She was a granddaughter of Benjamin
Franklin.