New-York tribune., 1872-05-23
CURRENT TOPICS AT TIE CAPITAL.

PROSPECTS OF THE KU-KLUX AND CIVIL hIuhIS
BILLS IN TIE HoUsE-CoNFERENCE ON THE
STEAMBOAT BILL-THE TARIFF AND TAX
BILL STILL IN COMMITTEE
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
WASHINGTON, Wednesday, May o. 1872.
bere ,ros n GOOD deal Of talk among members Of tho
House to-day as TO what should or coud De done with
tbe KuKlux bill II lies upon the SpeakerstaDe at the
bottom OF large pile Of Senate bills, ana can only DC
reached by going to business on the tapie anu WORKING
down TO it, disposng first Of everything tnat mas pre-
cedence Of IT, or by suspension Of tho rules. motion
to suspend can now be made at any tme there being
loss than 10 days left Of the session, but such motion
conld not get the requisite wohrds vote II the Demo-
Gratis resisted It, The Administration men despair OF
getting majority 10 pass the tno effort, and have
begun to proselyte among the RepuDcans VINO oppose
the measure They declare that is pa ResDuhcapps ~
stand together and put IL through NOt onG II tneh
makes any pretense of benevng ta' al ny s M t 4u.
there any danger Of their revival Win oIeey as the
candidate Of The opposition 10 Gr With each oiber 'o soev
upon the ground that 1t Will help 10 carry te eecton
ior Gaani bthT bev VIII make any Opposition TO sus.
pending the rules for the purpose OF getting tne b be-
fore the House or not II hey are ASSURED tbn IN ~ OK
the past few DAYS will vote against H. ih epe ol tue
attempts that will certainly be made 10 wnp them INTO
tie party traces they Will make no opposition 10 square
vote.
If the Civil Rights bill he reached on the Speakers
table before the session ends there far pros pet OF
its passage The Democrats will not be likely to hhbus
ter against it if they allowed little time for cebate
In its present shape it much less Objectionable to them
than i'm the form in which Mr. Sumner presented IT, The
coored members Of the House 40 not appear TO think
that the striking ont Of churches Jurors cemeteries ana
schools from the bill is matter Of serious importance.
One of them said to-day that the chlef injury
suffered by the coored people by reason OF the existing
denominations against them. the depryal OF the
privileges of hotels and hTst-cass accOmmouauons on
railways and steamboats,. He had hlnset Deen unable
10 IN York City for month, Nlcn ne Ndn I'M
portant business TO attend TO- because friend at whose
of no hotel where he could go TO and find lodging
without the risk Of being inued because OF his color
e boGt fne main thing in the bill was the security OF
equal jghs in hotels and III travelling accommodations
an" am odvancing pnbUc sentiment should grant IL.
an IN d ,ppc,nper said ~ friend Who Was i'm.
IN cIttns ont a good part OF Mr. summers bill while he
was asleep that he did not feel dispoed 10 complain.
Four things had been stricken out OF the b ana tfee
left in, and, he was glad TO get what was
Senator Sumner feeling very indignant at the course
Of the Administration Senators in passing his Civil
Rights bill deprived Of half its substance in his absence,
He said that If it had been private claim, or railroad
bill the Senators would have had the poteness to have
waited for him An attempt @ was maze 70 10 plag & sd
that that bill would be taken up at the fag end Of ses-
SION more than % hours long and rushed through Mr.
Trbu arrived just in time to have his vote recorded,
and Mr.. SchuTz, who was sick, was paired. but some
others not there who desired to be present when
that the Amnesty bill was not taken up in the Senate
this morning until several hours after the morning
papers, containing MI Greeeys letter, had been dis
tributed
The Conference Committee upon the Amendatory
Steamboat law sat great part Of last night and held
second meeting to-day, at which the remaining points OF
difference were arranged The result Is regarded as
satisfactory by the members of the House Commerce
Committee who were most active In passing The pll;
They say that the Conference report leaves undnrDeu
the principal features of the House bill These features,
az nod IN.
boat interest from the oppressive exactlOns OF IeW
patentees, whose inventions the old law enabled the
Board OF Supervising Inspectors 10 require TO be used on
all the steamers at any price the paentees might eAact
At the same time IT eaimed that the bill rea4es none
of the stringent provisions of the old law devised for the
protection OF life and property. The bill was the result
of prolonged and attentive hearings given by the Com
merce Committee to all the interests affected III mas
the support OF Mr. Cmger of Michigan who drew the
old law and who regards this amendatory Legislation as
steamboat interest by that law.
The lobby in the vicinity of the of the Committee
on Finance has been so crowded with who are in
terested in the Tariff bill that the passage through 1t
almost closed. The Committee, which was in ses
sion nearly all day, listened to great number OF dele
cations but did not reach vote any portion OF the
bill The hearing will be concluded at noon tomorrow
and then the bill will be taken M by sections and dis
posed of as rapidly as possible II is now thought that
some important changes will be made in the schedules OF
Tax PORTION Wiibe SO amended as TO abolh all taxes
except those ON WHISKY malt liquors and tobacco anu
perhaps one Kind OF stamps. The Committee hope ~ DC
able to report the bin tomorrow night
The Army Appropriation bill will go to conference
committee tomorrow This morning, the House COM
mittee on Appropriations agreed TO recommend non
concurrence in all the amendments of the Senate An
important amendment prohibiting the payment by the
Government OF any royalty on breechloading smaIi
arms, which was added motion OF Senator Logan,
will probably be thrown out by the conference MUCH
opposition Is expressed TO IT, the ground that IL woua
be unjust that inventors OF firearms should be sngeu
out as the only men who could receive compensation
yentors royalty when their devices used by
the Government The hardship OF the proposed law
would he especially great TO the for the reason
that the Government the chief and often the only Gus
toner that has occasion TO use their inventions
MI Garfield offered resolution in the House, to-day
recting the language used by Mr.. Fansworth' yester
day. about Supervising Architect Mullett and requesting
the Secretary of the Treasury to investigate the charges
made Mr. Farnsworth reiterated his statements b y,
yesterday, and offered amendment requiring h We
charges he preferred Cns sSe Sa iaG ifaoGoWed which
ended IN The adoption of Mr. Garnelds resolution Win
MT farnswoith's amendment The House then wen, , "a
Committee OF the Whole on the sundry Civil BILL ana
nearly finished it before adouning. The debate was Oh
very niue interest," and chiefly related 10 the ~,
tions Tor the repair Of arsenss in different portions Oh
the country. Messrs. slocum, Holman. and Others
arsenals for the qualification Of members of Congres,
among their constituents.
An important Indian bill. providing for negotiation
with the shohhones and Bannocks for hereDquishnen'
OF portion OF their reservations in Conference COM
mttee. Ihis bill was intended by the House Con''eo
on Indian Affairs to be precedent for future ACTON ~ ~
conducuhB indian negotiations The abandonment. VI Va
the treaty system rendered IL necessary to provae h
method OF negotiation In Its place. The bill piaceu he
power OF ihaklnk The contract with the tribes III ~.
hands OF the secretary Of the Interior and the
soner OF ihdlan Analrs but provided that suen
becoming valid The Senate changed the bill so Us 70
give The PRESIDENT alone the power to conduct tno
uatlon wthout any subsequent approval OF Svhtr n,
Gen. shanks, the Chairman OF the House Indian oom
nittee regards TINS as much than the oia u,aS
but the Senate had to raty them. whereas the
ton OF the Senate now Is that the President shai
conduct negotiations that equivalent 10 Heaucr,
without submitting his action TO the tepate or HOUSE,