The Indianapolis journal., 1883-02-12
Hope that thei Lenten Season Will Give the
President Time to Make Pending
Official Appointments.
Action of the Senate Reducing the
Tobacco Tax to Be Opposed.
Elaborate Arrangements by the Members of
the Indiana Club for a Social Recep-
ton Feb FL.
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
Probability that Bill May Pass the Present



Session.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Feb 1l.-Up to within few
days avery strong suspicion has existed that
Congress did not intend to pass tariff bill
this session, and that talk to the contrary
was insincere. 1t looks now as though bill
might pass. 1t is probable that the House
committee on rules will report favorably on
the Kasson resolution, which provides that
the House may suspend the rules by ma
Jority vote and take up any tariff, internal
revenue or appropriation bill and that the
rules will be so amended that the tariff bill
can then be passed under a suspension of
the rules and sent to q conference COM
mittee. The Senate will probably pass
the bill, Tuesday or Wednesday. By
that time the House will be through
the metal schedule, and in readiness to con-
fide its half-digested work to a conference
committee. The discussion which has been
going on for the past month has brought to
light the fact that neither the extreme free
traders nor the extreme high protectionists
have the strength they thought, and that a
very strong middle sentiment has been de-
veloped. The senators and members who
have put themselves on record as favoring
protection with moderation are found to be
largely in the majority, and it is not thought
that the high protection element is strong
enough to defeat the passage of the bill
this session, though many of them
would be glad to see the Senate and House
fail to come to an agreement. They
will scarcely dare come out in fat-footed
opposition to any bill which might be re-
ported by a conference committee. The
Democrats of the Beck Vest. Carlysle and
Morrison stripe want the tariff an open issue
in 1884, 4,and they will oppose legislation look
ing to temporary solution of the question
by this Congress They imagine that the
Democrats can elect President next year
on the platform of 1884. This view is enter
tanned by Messrs. Bayard and Mcdonald,
prospective presidential candidates, who are
willing to hazard their political for
tunes on this issue. On the other
hand, that class of Democrats of which
Sam Randall is a type, who represents
manufacturing constituencies would be very
glad to see the question out of the way, and
they will vote for measure which will en-
body this idea of moderate reductions They
do not like the Senate bill but will vote for
it rather than trust the next Congress- They
have holy horror Of tariff agitation in
their districts which will greatly diminish
their chances for reelection. A conference
committee will probable report a bill not
differing very greatly from the Senate bill,
which has been carefully gone over
and revised. II may not be free from
iinperfections, but it will be IN the way of
horizontal reduction generally and it will
show to the people that Congress has been in
earnest. Congressman and visiting repre-
sentatives of liticalindustries are talking of
little else than the tariff. Heretofore they
have discussed the passage of bill as far
away dimly-distant possibility. They speak
of it now as near possibility. Congress
has dawled lazily along, tirng itself and
wearying the country with tedious talk, but
as the day of decisive action approaches the
subject suddenly becomes a live issue,