New-York tribune., 1888-03-21
UNDER THE " DARK LANTERN"
CONSIDERING" TILE TARIFF BILL.
| rHE MINORITY COMPLETELY SHUT OFF THE
couxsELs OF THx WAYS AND MEANS COMMIT

TIM MINORITY COMPLETELY SHUT ofF iHn
couxsgIs OF THx WAYS AND MEANS COMMIT
TEE.
fuY TELEGRAPH fnE tribunal
WASHINGTON. March POWELL. the Dark
Lantern performances Of the majority ol the
Ways and Means Committee are nearly ut On
end. In all eight hours have been devoted py
the committee to the consideration OF rev.
cnue bill which fills about seventy printed pages
and which, according to its authors, Will reduce
the annual revenues of the Government about
s7s, 600, 900 Of which more than s55,ooo,ooo Is
to come from customs. OF the eight hours thus
occupied. about six were spent by Republican
members Of the committee in vain attempts 10
obtain from the majority information respecting
the facts and reasonS II any, upon which the Dill
il founded. Not An iota of information was the
minority able to obtain. When the Dark Lam
term bill was In course Of preparation lts irains
were free with promises that ample time anu 10 %
cilities for fair consideration and discussion IN
committee would be afforded These promises
of course have been broken. Whenever, In tne
brief time during which the farce OF c;. conslusr
alton held the boards, q member OF the minority
asked for information, he was met WIN "a, chhrse %
of bad faith or the sury response ne dnent ceIN
will call the roll" Such travcsty on Oil deccno
committee work never before was Known sinoc
the Congress was established ,, s,oh
has not considered or discussed apd Within
SS se ~ om Int honrs a so-called revenue bill pur
nortinr to emanate from that committee Will
be thrust upon the House ana rd hanaeu S msrnes
who directs the proceedings OF the Commltec Oh
the Whole. The men who will be eYpec,ea @ 10, 20
explain defend and advocate the bill nave noc
shown any ability desire to convince oshers
that its provisions just, or that ITS ehects
upon the country will be otherwise tnai us
Standing 8 to 5, as politically divided IN the
committee, the eight men who are supposed to
know ali about the bill which they frames II, IN
darkness and secrecy made no attempe 70 ths d~.
ment Of the Ave men who are their peers "u ranv
in intelligence and patriotism On the contrary
the five men hob who BScs aTs ey and
fairly counted-were treated with insult ana every
suggestion made by ths them Dark Nai lantern pro-
c,smme from the frst-to keep the minority as
long as possible In complete ignorance OF whnG ,,
it was proposed to do and then 10 fusn rners ono @
through the committee by mere force OF nuHperS'
INSULTS UPON the MINORITY.
IT, WAS natural for the members OF the minority
N become indignant One Of them has sat con-
tinuously In the House for twenty-seven years
and has been for twenty years memper Oh 'ho
Ways and Means Committee. For more than
quarter of century he has been close no s.uucmo
Of the economic questions nv0lve9 nd III futernal
legislation lie helped to make Tarlii ana internal
Revenue laws long years before any Democra.iS
member Of the present commIteeM M was & srgsfSv %
candidate for Congress- & and ssasoa he Tas npog
the revenues and industrial developmeWhe W
and prosperity of the country. And yet whe1 ne
asked the majority for information III regard 70
a certain provision VI the Dark Lantern pia,,
he was rudely accused Of % bad faith by member
who is mere tyro in legislation, and who possesses
onv the most superficial knowledge respecting
revenue legislation in the past, or OF tho cond,los
and needs of the country in an Industrial SENSE.
The Dark Lantern oonfederates have gwen
ont Information to the effect that the hiaJority
of the committee found it necessary TO disci
the members Of the minority, and that the lnttor
have +. meekly submitted" Over this gallant
achievement the free traders have chuck1ed Win
1eIight Unfortunately for them, however, tne
fact, remains that the brave exploits Oh the
| q Premier, and his followers were imaginative
only The Republicans, standing on their rights,
aid trv at first to obtain information IN regard 10
the nroceedinRs of the Dark Lantern confed-
crates they did endeavor to persuade the majority
IN listen to reason, and to mitigate Its assault on
American industries and American woriNnemcn
Finding that all efforts In vain. they desisted
and allowed the clerk OF the committee to record
undisputed the pre-ordained verdict OF the ma
ioritv That Is all there is Of it. few changes
were made in the bill. all Of them for the worse
except In few cases where notifications urgcd
by Democrats on party grounds were made
r. is expected that the Dark Lantern report
of the Dark Lantern bill will be ready to be
submitted to the House on Thursday or Friday
A meeting is to be held tomorrow, when IT. IS eX,
pccted that formal motion to report the bll Will
be made and carried. Thus far, the promise said
to have been made to the Louisiana sugar mem
bers has not been redeemed, no change having
been made In the sugar schedule.