New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-29
MORRISON's HESITATION.
UNCERTAIN WHEN TO CALL UP HIS BILL
Mr.. wArrERsoN NOT AS SURE OF 1hiNuo 40 ,r m
w.s-pRoBApn1rY THAT TARIFF BILL WILL
NOT BIZ PASSED.

~p wITrFRsoN NOT AS sUhb of ' =,
wAs-PRoBABILiTY THAT iAfif' DILL
NOT BIZ PASSED.
tny TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSE.l
nSo,, March 2s.-a When will You make
an effort to call up the arm DAAA'
r;son was asked to-day. H..
When get ready" was the prompt but ra'ner
indefinite reply. -,
aWill You get ready next weekI -,
at cannot tell. II will depend upon the dlspa'cn
NJ o+ber hnsiness. the temper of the House anu
other considerations / really cannot ten "ho'n'i
shall try to bring the bill up next week
Mr.. Hurd was asked when an attempt VIII pio"
ahlv be made to have the bill consldered' Ho 10
plied do not know. There mas oeeh nV wv
mltation or agreement yet on that subject iouP
nose some time will be allowed for those Democra'o
,obers who orposed the bill in the caucus TO med
;,ot an tho binding force of resolution adopted py
. vo+birds vote and to make up their minus ~
snunort measure thus strongly indicated W oo on0
of marty policv am rather inclined TO thihk uneie
Gore that no effort will be made TO push 'he oill
until after next week. . ;u
Mr. WatterSon thinks Chairman MORRISON WIN
trv 10 have the bill considered next lueSu"y o"'
he does not seem to be so sure about thIlgs as no
WAS before the caucus. Since then re mas sent no
DISPATCHES on the tariff question 10 me 'O""
LogrpoI and TODAY he said: When in doubt keep
doubt" AMI hardly to have recoVeieu lloi" '"O ''
prises of the caucus
IIc Is not the only free trade Democrat IN 'nao
condition Some of them have begun openly 10 hhu
fault with the Morrison bill and to declare tha' II -
4nnscientifc" and unsymmetricaL OtheIS lnihA
il is too late in the session to accomplish any lI"s'
and they agree with some other Tree traue DeinU
Gratis who are inclined 10 the opinion that alter al
the best plan may be 10 attempt nothing at inns so
sion and leave the tariff question to be uea't Win
bv the National Convention. For example there 10
Mr. Forney of Alabama, who was hahdaH man M
in the Speakership contest, but who voted with
Morrison Tuesday night. To star reporter to-day
Mr. Fornev said: ;" We may be a little down now, but
il is only temporary That will pass away. III our
eagle stoops a little now il is only TO plume hlmseH
for a Iofter flight Here in the House the tarIi is
discussed according to the influence IT may nave
upon the return of members. But at Chicago every
thing will be subordnated to the election of Pres
dent. That will he the objective point ana parties
like armies must have objective point in orderto
win success. The tariff and every other question
Will be considered there with regard 10 lts eHec'
upon the whole country, and you VIII see that the
Democratic party will be entirely harmonious
Judgc Lowry of Indiana, on the other hand says
the Indiana Democrats " want some legislation here
for the reduction OF customs duties, to help them
carry the State
CAUSES OF MORRIsONs HESITATION.
The hesitation and uncertainty shown by Colonel
Morrison seem to be due to several causes. In the
fist place he is hurt by the adverse criticisms OF ms
li in which he naturally feels deep personal In
toIest. He would not like to see it torn limb from
limb by Committee of the Whole, and he probably
fears that after undergoing the process of amend
ment7 the bill might not be very much better than
if now is In the second place Colonel Morrison is
|. txro4oo ottorb IN hnNp
bil considered. He has recently been twice de-
G ycd about votes and has become cautious. The
( ends of the whiskey bill assured him of us votes
t0r it, and it received less than half that
humber lie was made to believe that not more
than 25 votes cOuld be mustered against the Nor
son bill in the caucus and 81 Democrats voted III
thr negative even after the resolutions had been
a-pcuded so as to have no real binding force.
Colonel Morrison is therefore inclined TO examine
th care the ground for the assertion that despite
The adverse vote in the caucus, less than twenty
Democrats will dare to stand out against the con-
derati1n of the bill.
While Mr. ONoill, of Missouri. and a few Others
among tho fifty-seven opponents of the bi in the
caucus say they will not vote against taking 1t up,
more than forty of them will do so unless they
Change their minds Earnest and tireless efforts are
making TO induce them to agree to vote for con-
sueratiOn at least and of course it is barely prob
able these efforts may succeed, although indications
oi such result almost wholly wanting at pres
ent The courtesy due to the leading committee
of the House." does not seem likely override such
substantial objections the futlIy of any attempt
of the House to reform the tariff according 10 free
trade theories while the Senate has majority ad-
verse to those theories and the absence of any real
general public demand for tariff tinkering at this
time There are still other considerations. The
offering of a resolution by MIR. Anderson to-day pro-
vIdmg for adjournment OF Congress sine die on
June was an unpleasant tn )ugh necessary, re-
minder to the majority that almost four months of
the session have passed and the necessary business
OF Congress is so far in arrears that it will be physi
cally impossible to end the session before July /,
even If a month SIX weeks be not wasted in a
tariff debate barren of any good result but fruitful
OF evil To the country. Besides, this is a " tidal
wave" House. and at least half the Democratic
members are uneasy in respect to their denomination
and reelection. Each of the things mentioned has
An influence the reverse of favorable upon the pros
poets of the Tariff bill. Mr.. Morrison realizes this,
but does not possible for him to retreat or halt
until after the National Convention of his party.
PROBABILITY THAT no BILL WILL. RI PASSED.
On the WHOLE however, the chances seem TO be.
o. they were when the caucus adjourned that no
bill will pass the House and that it will he left to
the Democratic National Convention 70 construct q
tariff plank which will point toward free trade in
Illinois aud Kentucky but which Mr.. Randall and
his friends in Pennsylvania and Ncw-Jersey may de
clare pledges the Democratic party to the prOtec-
1lon OF American manufactures and American labor.
The resolution of the caucus i'm respect to internal
taxation has done good. The brihc is too small to
atcct North Carolina Virginia and Tennessee and TOO
large TO SUIT PennSy vaDia or New-JeTscy. What
the Southern Democrats demand is relief from tine
oppressive cxactions of tho spies and infonners"
who constitute the official machinery of the internal
revenue service. The taxes on tobacco and fruit
eprts are not what trOubCs the pcople of The South
mnch and they know that a ten cent tax on fruit
spirits will make II necessary for the Government
to maintain the SAME staif Of internal revenue
officials that IS required by the present tax.