The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-03
Tendency to Increase Duties Of New
Tariff Bill.
EASTERN MEMBERS WOULD HAVE
MADE TIL EN- MUCH LOWER,
Claims of Other Sections Had To Be Con-
sidere0-lhe Proposed Tax on Hides
Disquieting to Massachusetts Senators
The Memorial Day Session of the
House.


The Memorial Day Session of the
House.
Washington, June $50 far as the SEN
ate has gone with the tariff bill the
changes made in the House bill have not
been In the direction of a general lower
ing of the House rates. On the other
hand the tendency has been upwards
rather than downwards. In the chemical
schedule many reductions of rate were
made; but they are said to be more gen
orally affecting articles of relatively small
Importance, while on important products
Ike the boraxes, SO extensively used in in.
dustry, the rates have been raised. In
fact it is not ever likely that rates of duty
will be generally lowered on any tariff
bill on the floor of either House or Senate.
The representatives of special interests
can make themselves felt much more
EFFECTIVELY on the floor of a body than in
a committee that is framing bill, pro-
ylded the committee is unprejudiced and
looks at the question from the standpoint
OF the needs of the country.
The rates of the House bill were in
many instances regarded as too high in
many portions of the country. Undoubt-
eddy if the eastern members of the COM
mitee could have made bill just as they
wanted it they would have made the
House bill different in many particulars
But the ways and means committee had
tO hfa of,.
emit States, representing as nearly as pos
sible the whole country. Such bill had
to be framed as would suit the whole
country. When the bill was up in the
House one of the Massachuset is members
mentioned in a very mild way that the
bill did not wholly meet the favor of
public sentiment in his state. This re-
mark acted somewhat in the nature of
a frebrand and at once or very soon
afterward proposition appeared to put
hides on the dutiable list proposition
that would have been very unfortunate to
Massachusetts,. 1t was accepted as sort of
a gentle hint that each locality must de-
fer somewhat to the wants of others, and
the matter went no farther in the House.
But in the Senate where there is a band
of silver Senators who seem to delight
in fomenting jealousies between the West
and East where none ought to exist, the
proposition to tax hides is to be pressed
with vigor very disquieting to the Mas
sachusetts senators.
Holiday Sessions.
The House held very short session on
Memorial day. Having broken up with
out quorum on the day of the preceding
session a motion to arrange the session
so as to have no meeting on Monday
could not be made. The lack of quorum
was caused by the absence of thirty mem
bers of the House at the Tennessee CEN
tennial. Senator Morgan, who is the
guardian of the constitution, expressed
great regret that the House should need
to meet on the day. However, it is very
old custom of the House to meet on holt
days. In the very first Congress the
House met on the Fourth of July, or
rather the fifth, Sunday having been the
fourth.
The Chess Tournament,
The chess tournament between the team
from the English House of Commons and
the American House of Representatives,
began Monday under circumstances of
considerable interest. Representativ
Shannon, of New York, who is SO well
known in Maine, is one of the leading
participants and had general charge of
the arrangements on Monday. Telegraph
wires come into the COMMITTEE room in
the Capitol, connecting directly with the
room in London where the British states
men are playing. The wire on this side
connects with the cable at Hearts Con-
tent, Newfoundland. The moves are
made with surprising rapidity, consider
ing that they have to be transmitted un-
der the Atlantic ocean. AS soon as one of
the American players makes "a move he
Is at once sent to the table where the oper
ator SITS When he receives move the |
piece on thesBritish players side of the
BOARD is moved, and at the same time a |
little clock is put in motion to keep the |
lime which the American has to make |
he answering move. The time allowed |
or move is four minutes, and the time |
required to transmit the report of the |
move across the Atlantic and get the re-
BY is sometimes as short as one minute. |
Besides the room where the players are
located, another committee room is given |
I'D to the audience. Facsimile boards are
n this room and every move is noted as
;oon as made. Five games are going on.
of Congress who enjoy chess, an |
there are a good many such, watch the
games with great interest, scriticising the
moves but mot venturing any sugges-
ions. The players on our side are Rich
nond Pearson, ayoung Republican men,
Der from North Carolina; Representa- i've
shafroth a Silverite from Colorado;
Bodine, a Missouri
Representative Plowman, and
alabama Democrat, and Representative
Handy, the Delaware Democrat
PERSONAL.