Omaha daily bee., 1886-12-12
MORRISON'S TARIFF MEASURE
He is Determined TO Secure It's Consdera-
Ition the Coming Week.
STRONG OPPOSITION TosE MADE
The Hard Fight Which Senator Van
wyck is Wagins on the Gas Com.
panies-The River and
Harbor Bill.
Determined on Its Consideration.

determined to make an effort TO call up his
tariff bill sometime next week. In this he
has the hearty support of the speaker and in
fact all tariff reformers in the house. Rep.
resentatives Mckinley, Kelly and Hiscock,
republicans of the committee on ways and
means, and other anti-taritf reformers, have
come together and had consultation over
the outlook. They have canvassed the names
and situation and believe they will defeat the
consideration of MorriSon's BILL but ac-
knowledge sthat it will be close shave
There have been four death in the house
since Morrison attempted to take up his bill
before and there have been campaigns and
great deal of discussion by the press, so that
just exactly the status of the feeling in refer
ence to consideration is not known, but the
opponents of the measure are confident that
they can defeat consideration if by no more
than two or three majority. They take cog
nizanco of the fact, however. THAT there are
quite number of members absent from the
city who are opposed to consideration of the
bill who are not paired and who will not be
here at the time the bill is called up. In the
light of figures made the consideration of the
bill will be due wholly to the absence of
members who would vote against it If they
were present
THE CASE IN GOOD HANDS.
This evenings Star says of the reform
begun by Nebraska's senior senator:
Senators ingalls, and Van Wyck have been
entrusted with a duty worthy of all their
skill as law makers and law eXpounders in
investigating the affairs of the Georgetown
Gasight company. 1t is absured on It's face
that on one side of Rock creek a private con-
sumer should pay S2.25 net for 1000 feet of
gas, while on the other side a few yards dis
tant like service, bad though it be, is fur.
nished at Sl.25. Here is difference of
nearly 100 per cent, and yet the Washington
company flourishes and pays big dividends
to It's stockholders. The Georgetown COM
pany is less eXpensively run. The quality of
its gas is certainly no warrant for the high
price it charges. The complaint of gas COM
panies everywhere when questioned about
high rates is that there is not enough patron
age to justify reduction and keep business
on paying basis. This is setting the effect
iedeI before the cause; 1t is the policy of other
of life to sell, to win patronage
point where everybody feels that he can af-
about ten years ago the charge for gas was
So per 1000 feet and the people rose in revolt.
| They helJ meetings and signed pledges to
| give up the use of gas and never return to it,
and so widespread was this movement that
| the gas companies found their revenues cut
down to point where bankruptcy stared
them in the face. The people won their
son. SON. West Washington has not o SO large ar 's's
| population of light consumers as Brooklyn,
but a general change there from gas to oil
would stand the, local gas, company on Its
head on short order. 1t had therefore better
| resign itself to the inevitable and save con-
| gress the trouble Of intervening in behalf of
| a long-Sutferng community.
THE RIVER AND HARBOR BILL.
Senator Mcmillan, chairman of the senate
| commerce committee In reply to question
| as TO whether or not river and harbor bill
| will be passed at this session, said to-day:
81 presume a bill will be framed and passed,
| as it has been the custom to make annual
| provision for these improvements. | know
of no reason why the custom should be
omitted at this session" His attention was
tary of war, showing that nearly Sl700000O
| of the river and harbor appropriations re-
maned on hand. Yes" replied the sena-
tor, but it is more than probable that most
of that sum. possibly all Of it is included in
| existing contracts. The fact that the money
has not been actually paid out, and that is
| all the statement shows, does not mean that
II is available for continuing the improve
| ments now in progress or for new works.
Such statements invariably show lalge
| amount on hand. The contracts made dur
ing the fiscal year will perhaps consume that
| money"
| UNCERTAINTY AS TO-A CAUCUS.
| 1t is still uncertain whether a caucus of
| democratic representatives will be called.
|
mittee, said this afternoon that he could not
| say yet that there would be one. One gen
tleman had spoken to him about it, but that
| caucus consultation, some OF the members
| say. AS the majority are in no position to
| decide the business of the house the prospect
| of party unity Is not such as to promise a sue
cessful outcome of such a consultation, but
| the PROBABILITY Is that there will be enough
members in favor of caucus to secure the
| call.
| TIE FoRTIFICATIoN QUESTION.
| General Baret, chief OF ordnance, said this
| afternoOn II think congress is going to
give Us. something for Notifications this sea-
son. Why? Because of the urgent recon-
| mendatiOn of the president in his message
and realization of the necessity of doing
| something for labor, as shown by the George
vote hardly think we can get the s2l,00O,-
600 asked for by the fortitications board as a
| starter but don't think that this important
matter will be entirely neglected" Members
| of the conference committee on the fOrtiica-
tion bill think that an agreement will be
reached and a bill passed this session A
member of the conference expressed the
opinion to-day that bill much larger than
that passed by the house last session would
be passed. Otherwise, he said, there would
be no bill. The objection on the part of the
| democrats IN the house to larger eXpendi-
| ture for fOTtlhcations was, he said, that they
| did not want the money placed in the hands
| of men still in control OF such matters: that
| though the administration was democratic,
the same men were In control as far as the
expenditure of money for fortiticatiOns and
| the like was concerned.
| IN LOVE WITH AN INDIAN MAIDEN.
| A really novel request was received to-day
| al the Interior department from young man
| living in Nebraska, who wants to marry a
| daughter of Standing Bear, Sioux chief.
He states who he is, and encloses q photo.
| graph of the girl, who is very nice looking,
| and was educated AT Carlisle. The young
man, however, wishes TO go and live on the
| reservation with his prospective wife and her
| relations, and for this reason it was neces-
sarY TO obtain permission Of the interior de-
| partment White men are not allowed to
| stay on an Indian reservation unless they
have authority from the government TO do so,
and so this young man was obliged to take
the government into his confidence and re-
veal his love affairs. The secretary of the in
| terror considered the matter from its practi-
| cal, rather than its sentimental side and con-
cluded that. while he could not prevent the
young man marrying the girl he could pre-
vent him from going TO live with the old
| folks, and II he was anxious 10 marry the
young woman, as he professed to be, he
might scratch around and provide her with a
home. Secretary Lamar Will write letter
to the ambitious lover, and while not dis
couraging the 9rder of his love, will suggest
the practical view of the situation, Which
seems 10 have escaped him. Until there is
i some change in the present plans OF the