Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1883 — NEWS CONDENSED. [ARTICLE]

NEWS CONDENSED.

DOINGS OF CONGRESS. Consideration of the Tariff bill to committee of the whole was completed by the Senate on the 10th tost. The amendment proposed by Hr. Beck reducing the internal-revenue tax on snuff, smoking and manufactured tobacco to 8 cents per pound waa agreed to. On motion ot Mr. Williams, the tax on cigars J3p@r thousand, Instead of (4, as in the bilL Mr. Logan moved to place salt on the free list, but it was decided to refer the matter to the Senate. The House discussed the Wavs and Means Committee's Tariff bill. Mr. Maxey’s amendment fixing the duty on iron cotton ties at 36 per cent, (id valorem was defeated, after a sharp discussion, by the close vote of 97 to 101, four Democrats all of them from the Pennsylvania manufacturing districts voting with the Republicans against toe proposed reduction. On motion of Mr. Kelley, a duty of 154 cents per pound was imposed upon cast-iron vessels, plates. stoveplates and iron, sad irons, tallow hatters’ Irons. Mr. Dunnell move* to reduce the duty on cut nails and spikes from 154 to 1 cent per pound, and, In advocating toe motion, spoke of the pending bill as giving too little reduction. The motion was lost, after a lively debate. On motion of Mr. Carlisle, toe duty on railway fish-plates was reduced from 15* to 154 cents per pound. Mr. Donnell moved to reduce the duty on horseshoe nails, hobnails and wire nails from 4to 3 cents per pound. The motion was lost. The Senate spent the whole day, and a good part’ of the night, on the 12th Inst., discussing the Morrill Tariff bill. Much of the " time was consumed in fighting over again the pig-iron battle. The Immediate bone of contention was the proposition of Mr. Sherman, of Ohio, to put the duty on pigiron at (6.72, where It was fixed by the committee. He failed to get the figure he wanted, but coaxed toe Senate to Yield so far as to place it at (6,60. The action of the committee of the whole in striking out lumber from the wood schedule was disagreed to by 20 to 16. Lath, shingles, pine clapboards and spruce clapboards, struck out in the committee of the whole, were also restored at the rates in the bill—the Senate refusing to agree to toe ac- . r.lon in committee by - a vote of yeas 18, "Viays 32. Two hours were spent In discussing an amendment In relation to vinegar factories. The tariff question also claimed the attention of the House, and precipitated one of the liveliest debates of the session. The Items under discussion were those relating to the duties on bars and rods from which fencing-wire, trace-chains, horseshoes, nails ami similar articles are manufactured, and steel used for making locomotive and other tlrop. Slight reductions were made in the material of which fencing wire, trace chains, horse shoes and nails arc made, but the locomotive tire material was kept up. The House refused to pass n bill for the retirement of Alfred Pleasonton with the rank of Major General. Mr. Robertson introduced a bill to prohibit the transmission of lottery advertisements through the mails. The Bonate worked seven hours upon it* Tariff bill on Feb. 13. Sugar waa toe main subject. of discussion. The New England men, who wanted reductions in the lower grades; the Southern men, who wanted reductions in toe higher grades, if any reduction were to be made; the men from the Middle States, who were opposed to any reduction, but preferred reductions in the higher to reductions In the lower grades, made over again the speeches they had made In committee of the whole. At times the debate was exciting. The outcome of It all was a compromise, offered by Mr. Jlavard, with which everybody seemed to be satisfied. The tobacco item was then taken up, and also excited i spirited debate, which was likewise ended by a compromise between the Connecticut and Havana tobacco interests. The House was engaged all day upon the metal . schedule of the Ways and Means Committee bill. Among the important changes made was an amendment to prescribe a duty of 45 per cent on all steel not specially enumerated, the duty in no case to exceed V‘i cents per pound. The duty on nickel, nickel oxide, alloy of any kind In which nickel is the element of chief value, was reduced from 25 cents to 15 cents per pound. A duty on quicksilver of 25 her cent, ad valorem was Inserted. Bronze powder was reduced from 25 per cent, to 20 per cent.; gold leaf from $2 per package of 500 leaves to $1.50, and shotguns and all other firearms not provided for In the act were reduced from 35 per cent, to 30 per cent. A duty of 35 per cent, was placed on pistols of all kinds. The duty on isjnknives, pocketknives and razors of all kinds , was •educed to 40 per Cent. The tariff on metallic pens was fixed at 12 cents a gross instead of 45 pel cent. There was a little personal spat between Messrs. Townshend, of Illinois, and Haskell, of Kansas. The former charged that the measure under consideration was the work of hired lobbyists. The latter resented the charge, and some hot words followed, which for a time relieved the dull monotony that usually attends tariff legislation in Congress. The amendment made in committee of the whole, raising the duty on bituminous coal from 50 to 75 cents a ton, came up in the Senate on Feb. 14 and gave rise to a long debate. It was concurred in by a vote of 23 to 18. There was also a lively discussion concerning the duty on books, which was fixed at 15 per cent, ad valorem. Mr. Blair Introduced In the Senate a bill to prevent the use of convict labor upon works of the United States. The House wrestled the whole day with the tariff problem. An attempt to reduce the duty on all iron wares not enumerated in the bill was defeated, every amendment looking to that ond being promptly voted down. A proposition offered by Mr. Cox, of New York, for the admission of foreign-built ships on the payment of a duty of 30 per cent, was lost, three Bepublicans voting with the Democrats in the affirmative. Mr. Holman moved to place lumber on the free list, which gave rise to a long and animated debate: This, together with several other amendments looking to the reduction of the duties on hubs, wagon blocks, etc., were promptly squelched. A night session was held to consider the Legislative Appropriation bill, at which Mr. Butterworth made an earnest effort to secure an lionr for the consideration of the bonded whisky bill, was beaten. Mr. Joyce declared ttha the measure should not have one minute during the session. Nearly all the day of Feb. 15 was consumed in the Senate by discussion of the tariff, and the Senate bill was pushed through the second reading. Mr. Cockrell presented petitions from the officers of several educational institutions in Missouri for the appointment of a practical astronomer as Superintendent of the Naval Observatory. Mr. Morrill handed in a remonstrance against any reduction of the tariff on books below 25 per cent., signed by Oliver Wendell Holmes, T. B. Aldrich and John O. Whittier. In executive session Mr. Edmunds offered a resolution to admit to the floor only such private secretaries as are engaged in the performance of duty. In the House Mr. Williams submitted a conference report on the Japanese indemnity fund, to return the (785,000 received, to pay $140,000 to the officers of the Wyoming and Takiang, and cancel the bonds composing the indemnity fund. This was agreed to. The sugar schedule of the Tariff bill was under discussion, and all amendments were voted down by large majorities, and the committee bill was substantially unchanged.