National Republican., 1883-02-24
ON THE AVENUE.
Small Talk About Men and srcasu


and compared it item by itom with the ways
and means committee bill, and the conclusion
he has arrived at is that the senate went at
the work ~of tariff revision blindly. at Is
full of inconsistencies and errors, which
would disgrace any congress that would let
them become part of the law" he observed.
''For instance, the omission of semicolon in
one Of the paragraphs of the metal schedule
changes nearly tho whole schedule. As IL
comes from the senate the paragraph reads as
follows
dnd provided hnther That on oil kinds Of iron or
steel, or articles or manufactures of Iron or steel,
hereinbefure in this act enumerated, except fence
wire when galvanized or coated with any metal
or alloy or mixture OF metals, &c. one
fourth Of one cent per pound in addition to the
rates provided in this act
"The omission of q semicolon after the words
fence wire raises the duty on pig iron, bar
iron, bessemer and crucible steel, and oil
manufactures of bessemer and crucible steel
$500 per ton. 1t will make the duty on rail-
way iron and steel rails seq per ton, and
everything else in proportion.
"Then again, the senate has through mad
vcrtence fixed rate on the better grades Of
Swedish bar iron (which is charcoal irony of
$40 and $50 per ton. This iron is the basis Of
all the finer grades of cutlery iron and steel
used in this country, and it enters largely into
every class of manufactures. Tho house has
fixed a specific duty of $22 per ton on this
iron.
"The duty on all enumerated forms Of steel
is fixed in the senate bill at 40 per cent, and
on unenumerated forms at 80 per cent This
offers 10 per cent. inducement to foreign
manufacturers to change oil present forms
and names Of goods to give themselves lower
rate. The result will be endless litigation
and appeals to the secretary of the treasury.
"The rule of tariff construction heretofore
has universally been employed in placing the
lowest rate on crude matter and raw pro-
ducts. Under the provisions of tho senate
bill this order is reversed. Raw material
bears the heavy weight, and the finished
goods the light in many cases. Prohibitory
rates stand side by side with rates that are
not up to a revenue point. Again, duties on
raw material in some cases have been raised,
and at the same time duties on finished pro-
ducts have been lowered to the destruction Of
industries In other cases duties on raw
materials have been lowered, and duties on
the flashed products have been increased to
the actual prohibition Of importations.
" 1t would be criminal for the house to pass
the senate bill in its present ragged, lily con-
sidered, half made up FORM"
s%a
Another gentleman, also member of the
ways and means committee, summed up the
situation as follows last night: "a majority
of the republican members have signed an
agreement to vote for an amendment to the
rules, SO that majority of the house can
non-concur in the senate amendments
and send the bill to conference COM
mittee on one vote. Under the existing
rules this cannot be done on ono motion,
and the proposed amendment is to put it be-
yond the power Of a faction minority to fill
buster between motions 10 nonconcur and re-
fer. If the committee on rules reports this
amendment, as have heen given to under
stand it will, it will be carried and the bill
will go Immediately to conference commit
tee, which ought to be able to lick the senate
bill into shape in twenty-four hours. A vote
to concur in the report Of a conference COM
mittee passes bill. The senate, imagine,
will be only too glad of u chance to cure the
faults in its bill. This matter will come up
for action tomorrow or Monday, / think"
s%s
Said one congressman TO another as they
walked away from the heated atmosphere Of
the house to treat each other:
"Tll bet the drinks that you cannot name q
dozen members Of parliament, and there are
600 of them"
80, yes, can; there's Gladstone, and
Bright and Parnell, and Dillon, and Davitt,
and Bradlaugh, and Hartigan, and-and-
well, Pm not so id sure they are all in par
lament. I'll pay the drinks"
al knew you couldn't name a dozen. Now
how many members of the United States con-
gress do you suppose a member of parliament
could name?"
81 don't know. Let's talk about dogs or
something else besides fame"
10
The Michigan members have kept very
close watch on the senatorial contest in Lam
sing. Mr.willits received a telegram from there
yesterday, which he took over to read to
Messrs. Burrows aud HOrr. "What are they
doing up in your statep asked a mutual ac-
quaintance, struggling up to the group. Just
at this juncture," replied Mr.. Horr, shifting
in his seat, and taking q look at the clock,
the boys are about to begin on another
ballot; in fact they have already begun bal
lotlng" Eyes" put in Mr.. Willis "they
are part through it," and Mr.. Burrows
with his eyes on the face of the clock, nodded
assent.
The Soldiers home is we'll guarded against
invasion. Two congressman tried to break in
the other day, but they found that they could
only make it by driving up an impossible
road to particular gate, all other approaches
being closed. A grocer's delivery wagon
loaded with supplies, was mired in the muC
just outside the one open gate. None of th'
mules or horses in the stables of the institu
tion could be brought to the relief of tn,
man in charge without an order from tn,
quartemaster, and the quartermaster wa
in town.
81 didn't know they were so EXCLUSIVE
here" said one of the statesmen to his com
panion, calling his attention 10 several cleai
drives leading up to locked gates and hen b
the wreck, " they not only won't let visitor
in, but they keep out their own supplies
Nice place."
30
Senator Tabor's friends deny two villainou
libels which have been put in circulation
about him one to the effect that he is writ
ing book entitled, "Thirty Days in tn