Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-14
TUESDAY. .......AUGUsT IA. 1894,
Tariff Bill Passed Both Houses.

The late General Benjamin. Franklin
Butler used to complain that after he
had nearly finished cutting the Dutch-Gap
canal. 30 that the Federal gunboats might
come UP James river avoiding our bat
terles at the Hewlett House and SINK
the Confederate feet his superior officers
ordered him to cease work. lest the open
ing he was making might result in the
Confederate fleet rushing through and de-
stroying the Federal Ironclads. Or, in
other words. as he said "the door was
about to be opened for the dog TO attack
the wolf when apprehension began to be
felt that the wolf might jump out and eat
up the dog"
The United States House OF Representa-
tIves has had a somewhat similar e%-
perIence. 1t rejected the Senates amend
rents TO the tariff bill. Then. through
n committee of conference, 1t aimed TO
make the Senate take "the back track.
Lately. however, 1t has seen that II the
bill got back to the Senate again II Woui'
he all the worse for the bill and for
the House.
In this dilemma the wisest heads IN
the House realized that IT would be more
prudent to take the Senate's amend
monts than to trust the measure any fur-
Their TO the tender mercies of the Senate
So on Yesterday caucus Of Democratic
uembers of the House was held. when it
was almost unanimously agreed to accept
the Senate's amendments as an entirety.
There are obvious errors In some OF these
amendments and these. at least. ought TO
he corrected. but the House Democrats
deemed il unwise TO give the Senate any
further "show" at the bill. Necessary COR
rections must hc made by separate Bills
after the tariff bill has become law
In the same way an effort will be nade
to mt SUGAR. coal. iron-ore, barbei-
,.,r. e,c on the free list. IN other
words. the House will seek to accomplish
by supplemental legislation what ii could
not accomplish through the Committee oi
Conference.
II seems to us that the House has
acted wisely. The country will sustain
The Scnate's amendments, bad as some
Of them are, and let people 80 about
their business once more than continue
the disagreeable wrangle. with the pros
meet of having no tariff bill in the end.
|, is pYeeumed that the President VIII
not veto the bill. for the very reason
that made the Democrats of the House
resolve to accept the Senate amendments
viz. that the Senate bill is preferable 10
no bill. or 10 a continuation of the tarih
fight through the winter session OF Con-
gress And withal it must be einphau-
cilly said that the Senate bill IS vast
Improvement ON the Mckinley law the
reductions that it makes being, on an
average, more than thirty per cent
Under the Senate hill, sugar, whiskey'
collars. and cuffs will be dearer but
nearly every other article will fall in
price.
Now. as to whether the Senate will
make haste 10 follow the House ana put
sugar, coal, iron-ore. etc, on the free
list remains to be seen. The House Will
readily enough vote to amend the new
law In these respecis-particularly as ~
sugar-but we should think that the SEN
ate would debate those propositions long
and seriously. II there was an under
standing among senators that these ar
tlcles should be treated as they are
treated in the Senate bill. senator's who
are parties 10 that understanding may
Ix-f
However. thai belongs 10 the future.
For the present. we rejoice that we are
TO have a tariff bill, for it will relieve the
business depression and vastly improve
our polltical situation.