Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-17
IN CONGRESS YESTERDAY.
THE PROGRESS MADE WITH THE
TARIFF BILL.

The Legislative Appropriation Bill
smalls to GetMore of the Planter Prize
MOney-FlorIda's Seminole War Claim
The Mexican Reciprocity Treaty to
be Ratified.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16.-In the Senate
Mr.. Bayard presented the conference re-
port on the japanese indemnity bill and
explained it. After some discussion the
report was agreed to.
MIR. Butler read an engineers letter in
relation to the condition of works for the
Improvement of Charleston harbor. and
asked the Committee ON Commerce to con-
slider and report, independently ofthe river
and harbor bill, the bill introduced by him
to appropriate $500, 900 for the work The
letter read was referred to the COMMITTEES
on Commerce.
At twop p. m. the tariff bill was taken
up. The pc nding question was ON the
amendment offered last evening by Mr..
Conger providing for duty of JSc. per
pound on charcoal iron advanced in
manufacture beyond iron in pigs. in adj
dltion to the duty on iron made With 9th
er fuel.
Ihls amendment was lost, as were sew
eral others naming various rates OF addi-
tonal duty. Three dollars per ton was
finally agreed upon.
The jute paragraph was amended by
changing the rate on jute from SIS to 20
per cent. ad valorem.
Mr.. Sewell explained that the effect of
the amendment would be to make the cost
OF the raw material higher than the man
ufactured goods, which would mot be the
case at S15 per ton.
Several amendments were offered to the
internal revenue portion of the bill repeal
ing the tax on tobacco, matches, whisky.
bank deposits, circulation and CAPITAL, but
all failed.
Mr.. Sherman moved to strike out the
paragraph imposing duty on steel ingOts,
cOgged lngotS, ETC., and to substitute
provision in the House tariff bin on the
same subject. This amendment was de-
DATED until 1910 O'Clock, and was still
pending when the Senate adjourned.
HOUSE PROCEEDINGS.
Immediately after the reading of the
journal, the House went into COMMITTEES
of whole on the legislative appropriation
bill. This was done with the assent az
the Ways and Means Committee. which
tnrOugh It's Chairman, agreed not to press
the tariff bill until 3 O'Clock, unless the
IeSislatiVe Dill should be passed at an
earlier hour.
Mr.. Darrell, of Louisiana. moved 70 in
crease the appropriation for the office OF
surveyor General of Louisiana from
$4,000 to 800. Agreed to.
An amendment was adopted making
once hours in the executive departments
from to in winter and to 5 in sum
mer. Inc committee then rose and re-
ported the bill to the House.
Finally the amendment voted unon was
that Pn6H0iFan hn 10.
revenue collection districts to eighty-two.
ana 1t was agreed TO. Yeas 1876, nays 80.
Inc amendment makes a reduction of
forty-fOur districts. By an error If was
stated on Tuesday that an amendment
reducing the total number of districts to
iorty-slX was adopted. That amendment
was lost, and the number stands at eighty
TWO. Inc present number is one hundred
ana tWenty-SlX. The amendment in
creasing the hours of clerical labor in the
departments was agreed to-14 to 80.
Inc Dill was then passed. Yeas II, nays 50
Mr. Kelley Immediately moved to go into
committee of the whole ON the tariff bin.
ana at 4;3a the motion was agreed to-1O0
to 5l-the negative vote being cast bv
those desirous of taking up the bonded
spirits bill. The pending amendments was
that offered by Mr.. Gambler as a snbsti-
tute for the first clause of the sugar
schedule, which was lost
Mr. Bayne, of Pennsylvania, moved to
reduce the duty of all sugars above No.
u Dutch standard, and not above No. i6
Dutch standard, from three to two and
nau cents per pound. Pending action on
this amendment, the committee rose.
Mr.. Skinner, of New York, introduced
bill appropriating $500, 900 for the relief of
the sufferers from the floods in the Missis-
slppl and Ohio rivers, and Mr.. Wheeler.
OF Alabama, introduced a bill appro-
pr1ating 100000 for the same purpose.
Both measures were referred to the Com
mIttee ON Appropriations. A recess was
then taken until 1880.
At the evening session the House took
up and passed the bill for the allowances
of certain claims known as the fourth al
July claims, reported by the accounting
0thcers OF the Treasury Department.. The
bill appropriates $29S, 900.
The House then adjourned.
SMALLs TO GET ANOTHER DIVVY.
1he House Committee on Naval Affairs
to-day decided that there was no Drece.
dent for the passage of the bill to place
Representative Smalls, of South Carolina.
on the retired list. Smalls, as civilian.
during the war captured the Confederate
steamboat Planter, at Charleston. and de-
llvered 1t to the United States military Of
hcers at Hilton Head, S. c. The commits
tee, however, decided to recommend the
reapportionment of the prize money for
the capture of the Planter. This will
give Smalls an additional allowance.
REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE SEMINOLE
WAR.
Mr.. Hampton this morning reported to
the Senate from the Military Committee,
the bill to reimburse the State of Florida
ON account of expenses in the Seminole
war in 1S55-6-7. The amount claimed to
be due was over 500, 200, but the commit
tee has figured the amount down to S92,-
048.
THE MEXICAN RECIPROCITY TREATY.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions this morning agreed to recommend
the ratification of the Mexican reciprocity
treaty, and will report it to the Senate
with that recommendation at the first ex-