Year: 1871

The XLIst Congress- will recOnvene at wash
ingtOn on Monday, Dec. A, and already Mem
bers arc vending their way to the Federal
Metropolis. A larger proportion than formerly
keep housen around the Capitol: these will
generally tend thither a week or two earlier
than others. Several important COmmittees-
especially those ON Reconstruction and the
Reyenue-have been at work during the re-
cess, some of them distributed into sub-Com-
mittees; and these meet at Washington
this month to perfect the reports which
they are expected to submit at an early day.
A few 90 carly to secure a choice of lOdgings
so that, for one reason or another, hundred
or moro are likely to be pacing PennsyiVanla-
ave. q week or more before the Session opens
Each House, we presume, will report large
quorum when its roll is called at noon on the
I" first Monday" aforesaid. Weinfer that Speaker
Blaine will announce ibis Committees forth
with, thus ending the prOtracted and anxious
uncertainty as to the Craftsmanship OF the
Ways and Means


Inevitably, the Revenue question will be
prominent throughout the approaching Ses-
sion. The state Of the Finances will justify
moderate reduction of impOsts, and we hope
for q sweeping away of all internal taxes save
those on Stamps, Liquors, and Tobacco. This
ought to insure a consolidation of the districts
into half their present number, with at least
a corresponding reduction in the number of
officers. No other diminutiOn of the public
burdens will be so generally welcomed as
general abolition of the vexatiOus, inquisitorial
Direct Taxes.


Congress might wisely halt for session,


kha 10 aft nv
signal a change But it is probable that the
demand for Free Coal" "Free Salt" &C.,
will be 80 urgently pressed that it can hardly
be resisted with success.


AS to Coal, we have repeatedly aVowed our
hope that it may be admitted free of duty so
soon as the Treasury can spare the income
from this source. We wish the truth
to be made plain that the duty on i'm
ported Coal has no more effect On the
average price of our home product than look
ing over the fence by q white-faced OK would
have on the growth of q hundred-acre field OF
corn. There are 90 many who ignOrantly OF
knayishly ignore this truth that we are some
what impatient to see the experiment tried
and the fact rendered indubitable.


We presume that a reduction of the present
duty on Salt by one half would not diminish
the revenue from that source, and that some
such reduction will soon be effected.


Our Revenue RefOrmers," who cOOIly pro-
pose a repeal of all duties On Pig Iron, Wool,
&C., will have a good time when they achieve
their darling purpose; but that will not be in
1872. They must "learn to labor and to
"wait"


Nor do we believe o further reduction of
the duties on Tea, Coffee and Sugar, yet In
order. These are main sources of income to
the Treasury, and must not be lightly tam
pered with. Whenever the revenue can be
spared, these duties will doubtless be reduced.


We wish that, for the present, the policy 30
wisely initiated by Gen. Schenck, of adding
largely to the .free-hst, may be persisted in.
Hundreds of articles, on which the duties pre-
viOusly imposed added little or nothing to the
revenue, were transferred by his Committee to
the free-Hst as we doubt not many" more
might now be. This diminishes the necessary
cost of collecting the revenue from Customs,
and we trust the actual cost ss well. II 1t
does not, the People will insist on knowing
why. We presume there are still impOsts on
the statute-bOOk which involve more cost than
profit to the Treasury.


There ara other topics likely to command
the early attention of Congress on which we
shall comment hereafter.