Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-12-28

have been accidental unless some of the
senators were at the same time very mat
tentive and somewhat thick-headed. Moth
ing was more noticeable during the debate
than the failure of senators who disagreed
to agree On what they disagreed about.
Massachusetts and South Carolina have
had
high WORDS
in the senate before this, and a wordy con-
fiict between them tonight formed the
most animated incident of the evening.
Senator Butler asked what was CORFU pit
use of money in an election, and Senator
Hoar was brash enough to say that buying
shot-suus to kill negroes with was speci-
men. Mr.. Butler has more than once
vindicated himself from tie Hamburg
charges, but he is very sensitive to them,
and he made a retort that made the
Massachusetts statesman turn white with
anger. The alteration for few minutes
was highly entertaining, and when Mr..
Hoar said that he did not insinuate; that
when he had occasion to express his
opinion of the gentleman from South
Carolina he would 60 so unequivocally,
he was applanded in the galleries. With
a dozen or more printed amendments still
unacted on, and with an agreement to limit
speeches in future to ten minute, the SEN
ate, at a quarter of u. adjourned till
Wednesday.
House-OnIy about hundred members
were present in the house to-day, and, as
several members obtained leave to absent
themselves until the third of January.
there is no longer any doubt that congress
will not transact any business before that
date. The formality of meeting on
Wednesday next will be gone through
with merely 10 keep within the constitu-
tional requirement that one branch of
congress shall not adjourn for greater
period than three days without the con-
sent of the other. Mr.. Page, Speaker
Keifer's substitute, will adjourn the house
from day to day, or for three days, so as
to cover the whole time proposed for re-
cess In the resolution that was rejected by
the senate. The committee of ways and
means has dropped its work temporarily,
but the members have promised to return
next week, so that meetings OF the COM
mittee may be held on Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday, because the COM
mittee find that only by the exercise of
great diligence can they hope to have the
general tariff bill ready before the latter
part of Januar-. This is a result of the
attempt of the ma iority TO 20 through the
whole Of the tariff commission bill and
raise the rates recommended to a protect
i've standard high enough to satisfy the
clsmor Of the manufacturers.
THE ACTUAL TARIEF RRFoRMERs
on that committee seem to have become
more dis2usted the further the committee
proceeds, and they have about ma le up
their minds that the only possible chance
to secure any important reforms in the
tariff rates is to fight it out with the pro-
tectionists on the floor Of the house. This
means that the ajority will delay the re-
port to the house. The bill has so much
debatabie mater that ii viii be almost i'm
possible to pass any plan for general re-
vision of the tariff in time for the senate
to act upon it before the close of the term
Of the forty-seventh congress. The best
that the minority can do is to ma ke de-
termined fight in the house with view to
placing the country in possession of the
facts and were the responsibility for a
failure to revise the tariff properly be-
| longs. If the committee had not under
taken to revise the revision except as to a
| few items, and the commissioners revis-
ion had been promptly reported to the
house for consideration, there might have
been time TO get through with the whole
work. But only about
FIFTY WORKING DAYS REMAIN,
and in that time the speech producing
question Of civil-service reform must be
disposed of. And all of the most debat-
able appropriation bills are yet to be con.
sidered and passed by the senate. The
house has disposed of nearly half of the
thirteen general appropriation bills, but
| those not yet reported are the ones that
| usually take the most time to act on. For
some reason the naval bill is to be held
| back this session, as it was last session,
and there is general suspicion that some
| features betraying the taint of Robeson's 8
touch will again be thrust into the bill.
This would lead to long struggle over it.
The senate has talked two weeks over
| civil service, going over and over the
same ground. The same sort Of debate
will soon consume hours and perhaps days
of time in the house, to the prejudice Of
the important question of tariff revision,
unless the committee of ways and means
should show itself more in earnest in the
cause of tariff reform than anything it
has yet done would lead one to suspect.
The senate has four appropriation bills to
dispose of, and is very far behind the
house in its work. It will require extra
ordinary diligence on its part to get
| through with the bills on hand and others
that are rapidly accumulating to leave
that body sufficient time to debate the
tariff bill. Looking over the whole field
of tariff legislation, tbs friends of tariff
reform do not regard the prospect for
decisive action on that question encour-
aging.