, 1884-04-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.

scored Il victory for the Morrison forces,
though the ALOtiou 10 consider the bill
only passed ',y a majority of two votes.
But in politics il Is eminently true that
nothing succeeds like success, and it is
argued that while Il bare majority of two
means nothin in itself in the House. the
moral effect al this vote on the tariff will
be considerable. If Mr.. Randall had won
the fight, by wen a small margin. he
would have showed his power SO plainly
as to leave no doubt of his leadership.
That he failed, although by a very little,
it is believed hy some will hurt his pres
tige. The trt fruits of the vote to take
mp the Morrison Tariff bill appeared in
the shape Of i list of ninety-two members
who have notified Chairman Cox that
they wish to ieliver speeches on the sub
ject. This VIII open the food gates from
the Capitol l., the Government printing
Office, and tie employees Of the latter
establishment will enjoy a prosperous
spring. The Congressional Record will
swell out of all proportion, and tons OF
talk will be printed and dumped on the
country at lar e. Then, after all, the bill
may possibly be amputated AT the neck by
the passage of a motion to strike out the
e%nscting clause; OF be adopted in a more
or less altered shape and then hung up TO
die Of neglect in the Senate. But certainly
NJ person at this stage caihdefinitely fore
cast the fate of tariff legislation for the
session. For "A long time there have been
rumors floating about among Democratic
congressman of some attempt which it
was said would be made to harmonic the
factions warning on the tariff question,
and it now turns out chat the offer Of a
compromise was actually made to Messrs.
Morrison and Carlisle, in which accord
ing to my information, Mr.. Randall con
CURED The proposition was that if the
Morrison horizontal reduction was aban-
doned they would support a bill reducing
duties wherever they oughttQ be rsdaeed,
and at the same time taking off the tax
on tobacco and native brandies. Blu. the
tariff reform leaders Unlimited that while
they might have entertained this PROPOSE
ton had 1t come sooner, they felt com
PEELED to reject 1t because Ii came toolate.
They said it would take months 70 prepare
such a bill and bring ii to a vote Of the
House. There are, however. those who
think that i compromise might be arrang-
ed pending the debate on the Morrison
bill which is sure 10 last several weeks,
and that Il comparatively simple bill,
taking of the tobacco tax nnds thai on
fruit spirits, charging the freeg list and
making reductions ina number Of the tariff
schedules, could get a larger vote-in the
House than MIR. Morrison's bin Fan
The Senate was active the past-week.
Commencing with the Natal 4ppropria-
tion bill. which it increased Sc. 52s, $50,
measures were passed in quick order. Ii
would seem that the Senate has Of late
years become the business member Of the
Federal Legislature, aud that the House,
as a law making machine has Completely
broken down. The Senate in the course
Of Il session usually manages totuuIn off a
fair amount Of work, in spite sof its be
setting SIN of verbosity but the House
seems less Conscientious. y 1t is now only
the latter part of ApriiEund sthe mem
bers Of the Lower House alrdudy talk
wistfully Of adjournment though scarcely
a single subject of serious importance on
which legitimate differences Of opinion
exist, outside of the n bills. has
reached a vote, In fact, NOT one piece of
Affirmative legislation of importance has
been added TO the statutes By this Con
gress. The electoral count, the reflnding
bills, the coinage, the Mormon question,
the shipping interest, the bankruptcy
bill, the relief of the Supreme court, the
disputed land grant, the tariff, the militia
bill, reform in the diplomatic and consular
systems, the admission Of various
territories as states, our isthmus
policy, the postal telegraph question, and
many other matters lie IN indiscriminate
and hopeless bondage in the prison
houses ofthc calendars. The situation is
in a great measure, explained in that the
House is paralized in It's functions by n
set of obsolete and unjust rules, which
render it almost impossible to secure
proper consideration Of important meas
ures.
Among the many subjects now in the
tolls of II ]tireless Investigators, none at
tract more attention now that the Keifer-
Boynton imbroglio is over and the Star
Route secrets are wanting, than the
second investigation of the Jeannette
scandal. Just exactly what Congress ex-
poets to gain by this dreary recital OF
arctic woes it is difficult TO see. The
surveyors of the expedition and the widow
of the gallant commander are brought TO-
gether daily, and witnesses are raked
over by the fine tooth comb Of cross
examination by two expert lawyers, to
show up what temporary chickering's, little
instructive je~alousness, swearing or harsh
words nov and then come to pass, Nc
one supposed that the JeShnetts heroes
were q party Of flswlsss saints, and it il
poor justice to draw their foibles out Of
the tomb, LENoX.
The Cheapest Goods.
For the money, in the West at Rhode,
4 rroxell E.
Buck Beer
at the Tiyoli to-day