Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-29
Statesmen TalkPo[idcS| l
The House Discusses the Mer-
 its of Party Platforms.
AT WORK ON THE TARIFF BILL.
Tho River and HarbOr Bill in the Senate. Progress of Appropriation Bil s-S6OO,- 900 to Protect Torpedo Lines Review of Presidential Postmasters' Salaries.


 of Presidential Postmasters' Salaries. WASHINGTON, June % The tariff bill and political discussion took up the time of the house yesterday. Mr. Blunt, of Georgia, was elected speaker pro tenn in the absence of MT. Carlisle.
 The house then went into committee of the whole on the tariff bill
 Mir. Baker, of New York, moved to strike from the free list vegetables in their natural state. or in salt or brine, not specially emu merated or provided for.
 MT. Mills said the clause did not refer to potatoes, which were specifically provided for. The clause was in the interest of the consumers, and he as!ed where the Republi- cans would be willing to reduce taxation.
 colloquy between Messrs. Mills, Brumm, J. D. Taylor, of Ohio, and Kelley, of Penn sylvania, followed in which MT. Mills con- tended that the Republican platform favored free whisky and taxes on necessaries, while the purpose of the Democrats was to take taxes from necessariss and leave them on luxuries. The Republicans denied this stren- uously, Mir. Kelley saying that no man who had read or heard what he had said on the subject of internal taxation since the close of the war was justified in charging him with being in favor of free whisky. He had never favored it. It was a dire party necessity which made the chairman of the ways and means committee make such charges against him personally, or as representative of his party. He asked the Democratic party to keep it's promises of four years ago to the south, which had been deluded into their sup port by their lying promises to remove the internal revenue taxes.
 MT. Reed thought that the gentleman from Texas did not mean to be believed when he said the Republican party was for free whisky, because the gentleman knew that there would not be enough Democrats left to make up an electoral ticket in half the states of the Union if they had confidence iL his statement. .e
 MT. Wise, of Virginia, proclaimed himself 0 Democrat and that he was in favor of the repeal of the tobacco tax.
 After further discussion Mir. Bakers mo- tion was rejected, and the committee rose. On motion of Mir. Randall joint resolu- tion was passed providing for the expendi- lures of the government for thirty days after June 30 in case the appropriations failed to pass by that time, the end of the fiscal year. The house went into committee again and Mr. Cannon defended the Chicago platform and gave his construction of the internal revenue plank.
 Mr. Mills presented committee amend
 
 free list German looking glass plates, blown and silvered, and striking out plums and prunea Efforts to strike out chicory and dandelion root, cocoa and figs were unsuc- cessful. An amendment offered by Mir. Bynum, from the committee on ways and means, to strike out pulp for paper makers use was adopted. An amendment offered by l MT. Farquhar, of New York, to strike out books and pamphlets printed in other lan- | guages than English was, after, debate, l lost.
 On motion of Democratic members there | were struck from the free list: Hatters' fur not on the skin, lime, linseed, faxseed, mar l ble of all kinds and plaster of paris when 1 ground or calcned. ] MT. Harmer, of Pennsylvania, had read a protest against the passage of the Mills bill, 1 signed by over 800 manufacturers and busi- ness men of Philadelphia, employing 15O,O persons.
 The committee having risen, the confer ence report on the diplomatic and consular | appropriation bill was agreed to and the 1 house adjourned. The senate spent most of the day in consid eration of the river and harbor and army appropriation bills without action.
 MT. Davis, from the pensions committee reported back seven vetoed pension bills with recommendations that they be passed | over the vetoes Calendar
 MT. Allison reported the army appropria. l tion bill
 The further consideration of the fishery treaty altd MT. Morgans resolution wa. postponed to Monday next.
 The senate then resumed consideration o1 the river and harbor appropriation bill, the question being on the amendment inserting an item of $l0,OOO for the Yadkin river, il North Carolina, which was agreed to.
 At this point statement was made by Mr. 1 Allison as to the status Ot the various appro priation bil.s.
 The West Point, Indian and pension bills had passed both houses. and had, he believed been signed by the president; the agriculture bill had passed the senate on June 4, and h. thought it was now in the hands of the hous. committee on agriculture; the diplomatic and consular and District of Columbia bill were in conference; the legislative bill hae passed the senate on Tuesday and would b, reported back to the house this day; tn, postofRce bill passed the senate on June 1. and had not since been heard of; the army bill was reported to the senate yesterday the sundry civil bill had been sent to tn, senate last Tuesday and could not be con sidered before June 30; nor could the maya bill before that date. Neither the fortifica tion or the general deficiency bills had ye been reported to the house.
 The conference report on the diplomatic and consular bill was agreed to. The senate then took up the army appro } priation bill. An important amendment ap propriating $6O0,0O0 for cannon, projectile } and experiments to protect torpedo lines wa !, adopted. Another appropriating $75O, ,OO for the establishment of gun factory a Watervliet arsenal, West Troy, N. Y.. wa offered and earnestly supported by Senator Hawley and Morgan, but without action ol the amendment the senate adjourned 2 The annual review of the salaries of presi , dential postmasters has just been complete, , by Mr. Albert H. Scott, the chief of tn salary and allowance division of the postoffic i, department. The basis of revision is the re ceipts of the various offices The results O the revision are as follows: Number of sala ] ries reviewed and adjusted, 253O; number o
 third class offices relegated to fourth class 2ls; new presidential offices, third class 42 first class office relegated to second class, 1 second class offices assigned to first class, It second class offices relegated to third class. 8 . third class officeRassigned to second class, 7e ! The number of Ices July l, 1888, are: Firs class, 97; second class, 497 third class, 1908
 total number of presidential offices July 1 1888, 2,5O2; aggregate of salaries, $4, POE, ,4OO total gross receipts for the year ended Marcl 3l, 1888, $SS, ,49S, ,721, being an increase ove the previous year of $3,S22, ,559.