New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-16
the orESTJ0y or pRECKDEYCE.

THE QUESTION OF IHLCEDbNtE'
The caucus of Republican Senators took wise
step when it decided to invite a free conference
with Republican members of the House IN re-
gard TO the tariff and revenue bills. The posi-
bility of a disagreement between the two
Houses, on account of the feeling that tariu
bills should originate in the lower House, could
not properly be dsregarded If Senators have
good reasons for suggesting that, III the present
emergency, il would be for the good OF the cOun-
try and of the party to treat the pending meas
ures rs altogether exceptional, and to hold III
allowance the assertion of rights which at other
times would he insisted upon strongly, 1t would
be moIe courteous and more effective To submit
those reasons in friendly conference than to
leave them unexpressed. In the absence OF
conference, the action of the Senate might he
construed as an offence to the House, or IA an
assertion of rights which the House does not
recognize. But there are good reasons IN this
instance, we believe, for maintaining that the
course of the Senate has been prompted by no
Objectionable motive.
Rightly considered, both bills originated in
the action of the House at the last session. For
both are mere notifications of bill which the
Tariff Commission was created to prepare and
submit. Having before it this report, had either
House adopted it without modification It's action
could not be considered as originating a revenue
bill, in any sense offensive to the rights of the
other House. Nor do comparatively unlmpor-
tant notifications, which have been proposed in
either House, render the measure essentially
new one. In fOurfifths of its provisions, and In
its general purport, it is still the bill submitted
by the Commission. But there were eIcep-
tonal reasons, in the state OF other legislation
this year, for assuming that the measure might
well be acted upon first in the Senate. In that
body there was pending bill TO reduce in
ternal taxes, (which the House had already
passed. 1t had been found impractcable to
overcome Democratic opposition in the closely
divided Senate, without certainty that some
modification of the tariff was also intended and
would be made Together the two bills could
be passed in that body, and the final decision,
with power TO make any amendments desired,
would then be secured for the working Republic
can majority in the House. From party point
of view, this course was clearly the one most
likely to result in overcoming Democratic an
tagonsm. With respect to public interests, IT
was clearly the course that was most likely to
bring about the reduction of taxation which the
| people wished.
Under these circumstances, there could have
| been no reason for assuming that the Senate
| sought to usurp any power, even if the House
| had been able to act more promptly. But the
! case becomes much stronger when it is cOnsid-
| cred that the House was not able TO act with
| reasonable promptness The large number OF
| members, the anxiety OF many to make
| speeches, the multiplicity of amendments sug-
pested by the local interests in different dis
tricts, and, above ALL the rules which have been
| adopted ir that body and have been used by the
Democrats to delay action, these have combined
| to render the work of tariff revision III the
| House far more difficult than in the Senate.
| The time has been so used up that, ii 1t were
| possible TO pass the House bill this week, there
would have remained only two weeks for the
| Senate in which to do work on which the
| House had spent eleven weeks No member
| of the lower House will consider that this would
| have been reasonable allowance of time, had
| the Senate deferred action until bill had come
from the House. Moreover, had this course
been taken, the defeat OF the bill would have
been absolutely within the power of a small
| minority Of Democrats in the Senate, who could
| have forced the majority to submit to dictaton
| as TO amendments or to see the bill talked to
| death.
Actual experience, therefore, has indicated
| the propriety OF the course taken in the Senate.
| Ii was there proposed 10 go on with the debate
| aud the amendments, SO as 10 get the work done