Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-04
FLFTIE'rIi COSGHESs.
WASHINGTON, July 3. 1888.
SENATE.
The Senate was not In session to-day.
FVouSq of ReDreaeufatiVes.

Sir. Crisp, of Geo"glB. presided over the
House this morning as Speaker pro tem., and
laid before the House a communication from
the Secretary Of the Treasury submitting an
estimate OF SSJ, 900 30 enable him 10 carry
out the provisions Of an act relating to the
anchorage OF vessels in New York harbor.
Referred.
Mr.. Blount, Of Georgia, chairman OF the
Committee on POstOfiices and POSt-ROads,
submitted the p0st-Otllce appropriation bill,
with Senate amendments thereto, recon-
mending concurrence In some aud non COLI
curTence III others OF these amendments.
Among the amendments in when nop-con-
currence Is recommended Is that appr0pH-
ating $4,000 to enable the Postmaster
General to provide more efficient service
between the United states a1j iSsuii- au'l
Central America aud the West Indies, aud
also that fixing the rate OF postage on seed
and bulbs at 2 cents pound. The recom'
mendations were agreed 10 aud committee
Of conference ordered.
On motion Of Mr.. Mills, OF Texas, II was
ordered that when the House adjourn to-day
it be 70 meet Thursday next.
II was also agreed that the tariff bill would
not be called UP for consideration Thursday.
The House then went Into Committee 81
the " hole (Mr. Springer 10 the chain on the
tariff bill.
on motion OF Mr.. BcMllin. Of Tennes-
see, the clause fixing the rate CT duty on
cast polished plate-gass, unsllyered, was
stricken out-thus leaving IN force the exist.
ing law.
Sir. Mckinley, OF Ohio, moved to increase
from &C to SG.72 per ton the duty on pix
IRON. The motion was lost-6S TO II.
Mr.. Mckinley moved 10 restore the pres
ent rate OF duty on iron railway bars weigh
ing more than twenty-five pounds TO the
yard. Lost.
Mr. McNllln. OF Tennessee, moved to
strike out the clause imposing duty OF 81
a ton on slabs and billets and steel aud to re.
store the present rate Of 45 per cent. al
UdlOrCm.
Mr. Bayne, OF Pennsylvania, opposed the
motion. The motion was agreed ~.
Mr.. MoGeii, Of New York, moved to in
crease from $40 TO SD per ton the duty on
charcoal bloom.iron. The motion was lost.
Mr.. Mckinley moved to restore the exist
ing.rates on bar iron: and his motion was
advocated by Mr.. Burrows, OF Michigan.
Another political debate followed, inter
spersed with some personal raspIng between
Messrs. Scott aud Read.
After the debate bad run on for some time
Mr.. Bland appealed, in behalf of nine tenths
OF the members OF the House, who wanted
to proceed with their business and set
through with this bill before the dog.days,
who were tired OF hearing these political
discussions, begun three months ago aud
repeated day in and day out, until there
was nothing new under the sun TO say about
it. II would be the middle OF next week
before the bill would come up again.
MIR. Bayne, OF Pennsylvania, attempted to
interrupt Mr. Bland, who declined, with the
remark: pittsburgh Is notorious for coal
gas and natural gas" But Dir. BANDS ap-
peal was Intellectual, aud for an hour the old
threadbare discussion ran on as TO the re-
spectiye position OF the two parties on the
tariff question and as to tue question whether
or not protective tariff was a benefit to the
farming community, but nothing new was
said and no new facts elected.
Finally Mr.. McKinley's motion was voted
down by vote Of SO to 20.
On motion Of Mr.. Breckenridge, Of Arkan-
sas, duty OF four tenths OF cent per pound
was imposed on iron OF steel, fiat with longi-
tudlnal RIBS, for manufacture Of fencing.
In speaking to verbal amendment Dir.
Dockery, OF Missouri, said that when Con-
gress assembled in December II was con.
frouted by d surplus in the Treasury OF S79,-
400, 600. To-day, notwithstanding the pur-
chase OF bonds by the Secretary Of the Trea-
sury, that surplus amounted to the appalling
sum OF Sl29, 272000. Since the 23d OF April
the Secretary had purchased s26,OO0,000 of
bonds, for which he bad been compelled to
pay a premium Of s5,600,000; but notwith-
standing this the reduction OF the surplus since
that date amounted 10 only $1,000, 900. This
was The condition which confronted Con-
gTess, and yet with this condition confront
Ing 1t the House had occupied twenty.eight
days, or one hundred and eleven hours and
fiity.four minutes, In general DEBATE upon the
tariff bill. There had been consumed up to
this morning In debates upon paragraphs
sixteen days, or seyeuty-thTee hours,
aud at the same rate Of progress II
would require 10 complete the bill eighty
nine days. lie did not charge gentlemen on
the otter side with INDUCING In diiatory
tactics, but not one man on that side had ex-
bibited any consuming desire 10 reach a con-
clusion OF the debate. The money Of the
people was piling up In the Treasury az ibe
rate OF S1,2l5,000 daily, and yet the House
stood day after day discussing and rediscuss-
ing every item IN the bill. Fair play 10 the
business interests OF the country required
that the bill should be speedily passed and
sent to the Senate.
Having completed the consideration of
four pages OF the bill the committee rose.
A conference was ordered on the river and
harbor appropriation bill and the House ut 5
O'Clock adjourned TIL Thursday.