New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-05
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON.
THE QUESTION OF TARIFF REVISION.

lBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUNE
WAsuINGToN Feb 4.-Nearly everybody ADMITS
now that the only hope of tariff revision ny 'r,i'
Congress depends upon getting the subject into tn0
hands of q conference committee. III 'nat can oo
dome if will make comparatively little difference
whether tbe Senate or the House bill shall be the
basis of conference action. The chances are 'naI
the Senate b, will reach the House long before tho
WAYS and Means bill leaves that body, If ever 1t
sbalI do So The House has already spent
six DAYS on 178 of the AIS separate
paragraphs in the dutiable list and If every work
ing day of the next fortnight should be gwen to the
bill it would be still unfinished, unless Democratic
obstruotionists should cease to impede progress
Under no possible construction of the rules OF the
House can the power of the minority TO procras-
innate be curtailed taken from them III mas
been suggested that pro J0rma amendments NC
allowed. but that would do no good whatever. The
plan has also been suggested of treating each COM
plete schedule as a single paragraph oreven OF dong
the same thing with the entire dutilbe list which is
contained in section 2.503 ofthe Revised Statutes;
but probably no Representative of experience
believes that either one of these schemes could be
carried through. The plain truth is that the House.
when in Committee of the Whole, can proceed no
faster than a minority of thirty members may
choose to allow; and IN this case the free TRACE
Democrats show no disposition TO consent to dizzy
rate of speed Unless they change their tactics
very soon the friends of the Ways and Means Dill
might about as well drop 1t. If the Dill
could be passed and sent to the Senate
it might be practicable to send IL
to o conference committee without much delay.
In the House there will be no way to get the Sem
ate bill on the road to conference except by sus-
pending the rules. As already stated IN The
TRIBUNE. it is taken for granted that the Senate
will pass the bill within the next ten days, If at all
The action Of the Senate and House respectively,
from this time forward, Will be watched
with deeper interest, as showing the
points of disagreement respecting rates
of duty. Some bass for comparison has already
been established. There is radical disagreement
between the two Houses on the smilitude" Sec
ton. one using the word highest" whore the other
uses the word lowest" In schedule of the
House bill a considerable number of items are found
on the dutiable list, which in the Senate bill are
found on the free list. The items are neither SO
numerous nor important. however, as TO prevent
prompt agreement by a committee of conference.
In the same schedule the differences in rates are OF
comparatively small importance.
In Schedule Il, earhenware and glassware,
the Senate adopted the classification of
the Tariff Commission, while the Ways
and Means Committee adhered to the
.one now in use and ii is consequently some
porcelain earthen, stone and crockery ware, etc,
decorated the House fixed the rate at 90 per cent
nd valorem the Senate put decorated earthen
stone and crockery in the not specially
enumerated class and upon the others fixed the
rate at 90 per cent instead of 50 per cent. Both
the Senate and House fixed the rate on plain
white china porcelain, etc. at So per cent
The House imposed a duty of 80 per cent on all
earhen, stone crOckery ware, White, glazed or
edged, aud not specially enumerated The Senate
enlarged this class the manner before described,
aud made the rate 80 per cent
According to the estimates OF pottery manufac-
tuIers and importers the importatlons OF decorated
earhen stone and crockery ware last year amounted
10 about 81 900 600 One-seventh of all the impOr-
tatlons while four-sevenths were of whI.e earthen-
ware, one-seventh white china and one-seventh
decorated china.
The House fixed the rate green and coored
glass bottles ETC., filled or empty, at 80 per cent
ad yalorem and the Senate fixed the rate at / y
cents per pound on empty bottles et.. and 80 per
cent ad yaOrom il filed. On flint aud lime glass
bottles ana walls, empty On filled, the House made
the rate 30 per cent ana ne senate liked II at 40
per cent al yalorem. Cylinder ana crown glass,
pOnshed Is rated AT y cents per square loot to 40
tents per square foot, according to size, IN the
House bill, which are the present. rates equivalent
TO ad valOrem rates ranging from 10 10 % per cent
This kind OF gass Is thrown INTO tho " nos spe-
ri lily enumerated class IN the Senate bill and
rated at 10 per cent adj vaOrem. Upon unyOnshed
cyindoI, crown and common wIndOw-g.as the
rates fixed ny the House Dli are the same as those
now imposed, and tne same also those recon-
Inonded by the Tarlf Commission. The remaining
1tens OF The glass ware schedule have not been vet
disposed Of by the House, hut tue rates recon-
ynei,dcd IN each case by the Ways and Means Com
Inlttee a tine same as those already adopted by
the Senate Committee OF the nOle. Some uqu!lIes
have been made IS 10 when the new tarill wli! 20
into effect If passed. Both bills provide that the
act shall take erect july |, 1888.
Tho ignorance exhibited by some Representatives.
in III they offer EDrecues
they make tue IaIh bill can hardly be
realized except by those vino see and hear tho dis
pie, moved that cOttOn-setd Oii-upOn which the
committee, RECOMMENDED du'y OF 80
IT yielded revenue OF only ~ 90 last year, and he
was founded when Re pr sentatIy es from Otder
ton-gfowiDg districts got upon theT leet all around
hIn and pTOtested--One OF them curly advising
hun not 10 make a blank fool" OF himself
Not Mr. Springer only, but men
like Messrs Tucker and Carlisle who have the
reputation OF possessing good sense, have armed
themselves with tho census bulletin containing
statistics of manufacturers showing the amount OF
capital invested, the value OF materials used and
of products, the amount pad III wages and the
number OF hands employed BY process OF smple
aadiuon and division, any ol these treo-trade
statesmen Is able TO show that every branch OF
manufacturing yields annual profits OF 30 TO 90
per cent upon the capital invested Ihey leave out
repairs and renewals Of machinery-wbich IL is
estimated cost mere every year III cotton or wool
len mil than tho wages paid Tor common labor
amount tO-leaYe out salaries OF oi1ceTs, commits
siuns insurance taxes interest Oh the piaut, leave
out more than they put H." as Senator Frye eX-
pre- ssed It, and then grow rod IN the face and ex
haust Themselves ia denOunclng tho taHf
robbers and millionaire mOnOpOlists" who are
hlchng the small earnings OF the poor farmers and
worh1ugmen IN order to iii their own pockets" IL
may i've dishonesty instead OF ignorance that fills
pages of 1hs Record daily with these decetful cal
culations aud false conclusions but day after day
they are repeated and Will probably continue TO be
10 the very end OF the chapter.
A PLAN TO PASS A BILL.