Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1888 — THE FIFTIETH CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

THE FIFTIETH CONGRESS.

Both branches of the National Legislature T - covened on ihe 4th. In the Senate petitions were presented protesting against any change in the fisheries treaties, and in favor of the rights of American fishermen under existing treaties and legislation; in favor el the present tariff on lumber; from the Illinois State Grange endorsing the inter-State commerce Jaw, favoring Government ownership of telegraph lines, denouncing gambling in futures, favoring restriction in immigration, opposing the abolition of tax on whisky and tobac< o, and favoring the placing of salt, sugar and lumber on the freelist. Mr. Brown offered a resolution declaring that the practice of the Government wag correct for the first three-quarters (f a century of its existence, when it collected the necessary revenues at the ports or other boundaries, by tariff, exeept in case of war or other great emergencies, when internal revenue, or direct tax laws were imposed, but w-bieh were repealed as soon as the emergency ceased; also, that the present internal revenue laws were enacted as a war measure, and that It now became the imperative duty of Congress to enact appropriate legislation foi iheir repeal at the earliest day practicable. Laid over. Mr. 8 hem an called up his resolution to refey the President’s tf.essage to the financial committee aVa in support of ple of promotion. He was followed in a speech by Mr. Vcoihes, in support of theporition taken by the President.

The Bpeaker of the House was not ready to announce the committees and by unanimous consent the members were allowed to introduce bills ior reference, [The large number of bills being introduced into Congress, a larger portion of which are of a purely local or private character. and a large proportion of which never comes up for consideration, will prevent any reference to them in the limited space allotted to this department unless >u<h bf[ls arc reccgnizcci os of general public interest. Such bills as become laws will be"fully Tet forth—Ed.] The one of general interest on the 4th was introduced by Springer and provided for the organization of the Territory of Oklahoma from the strip of land known as No-Mnn’s-Land.

Several bills and petitions were introduced and presented in the Senate on the sth. The joint resolution for the appointment of a commission to select a eight for a naval station on the Pacific coast was called up, and Mitchell and Dblph advocated the measure. .. It was then referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs.—The Blake educational bill was taken up and opposed by Reagan, of Texas. Adjourned until Monday. The Speaker laid before the House his list of assignments to cimmittees. The ways and means committee is composed of Mills, of Tex. Chairman; McMillan of Tenn., Breckenridge of Ark., Breckeuridge of Ky., Turner of Gt.. Wilson of W. Va., Scottof Penn., Bynum of Ind.. Kelley of Penn,. Browne of Ind„ Reed of Maine, McKinley of 0., Burrows of Mich. Committee on Appropriations consists of Randall of Penn,, Chairman: Forney of Ala.. Bums of Mo., Foran of 0., Sayeis of Tex., Clements of Ga., Felix Campbell of N. Y., Gay of La., Rlee of Minn., Cannon of 111., Ryan of Kan., Butterworth of 0., Long of Mass., McComas of Md.; D. B* Henderson of la. The following are the chairmen of other committees. Judiciary, Culbertson. Tex. Banking and Currency, Wilkins, 0. Coin-' age, Weights and Measures, Norwood, Ga. Commerce, Ciardy, Mo. Rivers and Harbors, Blanchard, La. Merchant Marine and Fisheries, D«nn, Ark. Agriculture, Hatch, Mo- Foreign Affairs, Townsend, Ill: Naval Affairs, Herbert, Ala Postoffices and Postroads, Blount, Ga., Public, Lands, Holman, Ind. Indian Affairs, Peel, Ark. Territories, Springer. 111. Rail ways and Canals, Davidson, Fla. Manufactures, Bacon, N. Y. Mines and Mining,iO’Ferral, La. Public Buildings and Grounds, Dibble, S. C. Pacific Railroads, Outhwaite, Improvement of Mississipl River, Catchings, Mias. Education. Candler, Ga. labor, O’Neill Mo. Militia, McAdoo.N.-J. Patents, Weaver. O. Invalid Pensions, Matson, Ind. Pensions, Bliss, N. Y. Claims, Lanham, Tex War Clains, Stone. Ky. Private Land Claims, McCreary, Ky, District of Columbia, Ham pill, 8. C. Revision of Laws, Oates, Ala. _xpenditnrea in State Department. Morse, Mass. Expenditures in Treasury Department, Wheeler, Ala. Expenditures in War Department, Laffoon, Ky. Expenditures in Navy Department. Bcott, Penn. Expenditures in Postoffice Department, Dockery, Mo. Expenditures in Interior Department Hudd, Wis. Expenditures in Department of Justice. Cowles, N. C. Expenditures on Public Buildings,.!. J, Campbell, N. T. Accounts, Shaw. Md, Library, St&hlnecker, N. Y. Enrolled Bills. Fischer, Mich. Printing, Richardson, Tenn. Civil Servioe, elements. Ga. Election of President and Vice President, Ermentrou

Penn. Cennu, Cok, N. Y. Incla > Depredation Claim*. Wbitthorne, Tenn. Ventilation and Acoustic* Landers, 111. Aloobollc Liquor Traffic, Campbell, O. The House then adjourned until Monday to get the eonunittees in working order Bills, memorials and petitions were introduced on the 7th. Th. Senate then took up the resolution offered by Mr. Brown, on the 4th of January, for rep al of the internal revenue laws, and Mr. Brown addressed the Seuate in favor of the resolution He gave a history of Ae various internal meatures, and said they were all passed •during war periods, but the system of 1861, unike the others, has been continued beyond the emergency, and is now in existence twenty-three years after the war. The discrimination against tobacco and whisky made by the internal revenue system, he said, constitutes a strong objection to it. If poor men make whisky without a licens.' they have to go to jail, and they cannot get a license to make whisky in less amount ttian twenty gallons every three days. Thus protected against foreign whisky in the customhouse by 82 a gallon duty, and from the home distiller by a restricted license, the whisky monopolist has an easy time. And against the little distiller he has the whole power of the courts, including spies, collectors, marshals, district attorneys and the Albany penitentiary, It is said the internal revenue repeal will turn -whisky and tobacco loose without taxation; that neither is a nece sity, but both luxuries,'and It is better to lower the tariff and give the poor free trace-chains and free wool hats, which are cheaper than they ever were before, than to give them free tobacco and free whisky. Tobacco has become a necessity, and, even if a luxury, the poor will have it—and the money for tobacco is taken from the lamily support. Every dollar of tax, therefore, on tobacco, that is taken off, gives a poor man so much more to support his family, and will'probably be a greater relief than any other act of legislation could furnish which does not reduce tax to a greater amount. The same rule applies substantially to whisky. It may be denied that it is necessary, and yet, few families don’t use it, and they will continue to use it at any price. When we put ninety cents tax on what costs twenty cents a gallon, we put a tax of :’OO per cent, on what the laboring man will have, and a relief in this matter will help the poor. The Senator declared the internal revenue system to be an outrageous system of espionage, injustice and wrong that ought to have been abolished long ago. Laid on the table. Mr. Vest opposed the Blair educational bill. A bill was passed appropriating *1,100,009 for a Government building at Milwaukee, Wis. The House considered a resolution relative to the employment of committee clerks. Several bills were introduced.