New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-24
GENERAL WASHINGTONNEWS
CONGRESSIONAL AND OTHER TOPICS.


PASSED BY THE HoUsE-TnE YELLOWSTONE
PARK LEASE.
There is a more hopeful feeling among the
friends of tariff revision, as it is not i'm
probable that the bill passed by the
House will be sent to conference
committee. The Naval Appropriation bill was
passed by the Senate. The Sundry Civil APP
preparation bill was considered in Committee
of the Whole in the House. On motion of Mr..
MeCOok, of New-York, the provisO authoriz.
ing the Secretary of the Interior to lease por.
tions of the Yellowstone Park was stricken
out and an amendment prohibiting the Secre-
tary from leasing any portion of the park to
any person for any purpose whatever was
adopted.
MORE HOPEFUL OF TARIFF REVISION.
THE SENATE BILL LIKELY TO co TO CONFERENCE
COMMITTEE or THE MEASURE.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUsE.l
WASHINGTON Feb. 23.-The prospects Of the
Tariff bill appear to be a little more encouraging
than they were last night, and the sentiment in
favor of sending the Senate bill to conference
committee is steadily gaining strength, both on ac-
count of the imperfectiOns that have already been
discovered and pointed out and because it is quite
generally admitted that a conference committee Is
the only agency that can save the proposed legsla
tion. The Democratic scheme to pass the
Senate bill under suspension Of
the rules appears to have already fallen
through, partly for want of encouragement
from the rank and file of the Democratic forces, and
partly because some influential Democrats attacked
1T vigorously. The plan had any real encOur-
agement from Republicans who can influence any
votes except their own
ROUND ROBIN FOR CONFERENCE.
This morning a paper was drawn up to be signed
by Republicans who would agree 10 vote to send
the Tariff bill to conference committee to be COM
posed of five Representatives and five Senator'S.
The first man to sign this paper Mr. Anderson,
of Kansas, and he circulated it for some time.
Representative who saw it this afternoon sid that
it had the signatures OF a considerable number OF
Representatives who 1t had been feared were deter
mined to vote TO concur in the Senate amendments
as they stand. Several extreme Tariff reform"
Republicans-Mr Updegraf. of Iowa, for one-de-
clined to commit themselves by signing the paper.
IL is understood that several extreme Protectonss
withheld their signatures assigning as the reason
that they did not believe O conference committee
could fix up the Senate bill 40 that the could vote
for it, At o'clock the "Round Robin" had re-
ceved signatures enough to reassure the Republi-
can leaders.
THE RULES TO BE AMENDED.
After much consultation the draft of an amend
ment to the rules prepared, which received tho
approval o. the Republican members of the Commit
tee OH Rules. 1t provides that majority OF
the House may suspend the rules to
take the Tariff bill from the Speakers
table and send 1t direct to conference committee
of five representatives and an equal number OF
Senators. The amendment also provides that in
tE,a m ha rrle ia
shall remain where it is, as though no vote had
been taken. No Reeti9G got the Connhttee on Rules
was held this afternoon, owing TO the absence OF
Mr. Blackburn. 1t is probable, however; that the
new rule will be favorably reported to the House
tomorrow
REASONS FOR THE CONFERENCE.
Two causes have been mentioned for the increas-
ing disposition to send the bill TO a conference. In
the first place only four out OF the fourteen schedules
composing the dutia lie list have been considered
and passed upon by the Committee Of the
Whole House the fifth schedule has been
partly considered, and the remaining
nine including cotton aud cotton goods and wool
and woollens, have not been reviewed at all. When
Mr. Haskell made his motion che other day to close
all debate IN one hour, although it did not cut of
amendments, the Democrats with one accord cried
out against it and threatened to hlbuster indsi-
ntely against the attempt to "gag the representa-
tives of the people, Now, good many of them are
ready to swallow the Senate bill whole, although
not line of 1t has been considered By the House.
OF course it is physically impossible to get through
the bill in the regular manner; and the only prac-
ticable method tor the House to review the bill Is
through the agency of conference committees.
That the bill needs such consideration is easily
made apparent.
A DoUBTING DEMOCRAT.
The Democrats have no idea what sort of a dose IL
is they are asked 10 swallow, and the majority Of
the Republicans are no better off. Yesterday a
Western Representative expressed anxiety for an
opportunity to vote for the Senate bill, just rs it
isD and remarked that he thought it " All excellent
hill with one exception, the Senate had put jute
butts too lOw."
"Why, iute butts are on the free list IN the sem
ate bill" said 4 TRIBUNE correspondent To whom
the remark was addressed The Representative,
who has large fax and hemp interests in his own
district upon being convinced that jute butts had
really been placed the free list by the Senate,
said that he did not know whether
there ought to be new tarlh al
ter all. But the jute defect is an
insignificant one compared with some Others thas
have already been found In the Senate bill for
which good many Republicans would have been
glad to vote on yesterday without the dotting OF
an or the crossing of t-and presumably with
out any additional marks of punctuation.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A COMMA.
misplaced comma in a tariff law once took over
million dollars ont of the Treasury on claims for
refund of duties. Now it turns out that by the
omission OF a comma IN prOyiso near the end OF
the metal schedule in the Senate engrossed bill now
on the Speakers table. all of the kinds of iron
and steel or articles or manufactures of
ron or Steel hereinbefore IN this act
except fence wire when galvanized or
coated with any metal alloy, or mixture Of
metals, by any process whatsoever, not including
paints and excepting tin plates, terne plates and
aggers tn shall pay one-fourth cent per pound in