Wichita eagle., 1888-07-27
CAUCUSSING ON TARIFF.
The Republican Senators Considering the
Situation.

WASHINGTON, Jnly 26.-The Republican
senators in caucus have decided unanl-
mously to pass at this session tariff re
duction and revision bill. The Republi-
can senator's assembled at the house OF
Senator Evarts at s o'clock this evening
and were is session until midnight. All OF
the senators were either present in person
or sent by their colleagues the authority to
represent them. There has not been such
unity in Republican caucus, Senator
Sherman said, after the adjournment,
for fourteen years. There was at first some
dissension on the part Of a few, but they
We're a very small minority and they soon
yielded their judgment to that Of the rest.
The decision is to have the finance COM
mittee agree upon bill and TO submit the
bill to a caucus of the senator's. The SEN
ators all agree to adopt the views OF the
majority OF the members of that caucus.
1t was announced in the caucus that 1t
was certain that if congress should adj
jonrn without acting on the surplus the
president would convene congress IN extra
session for that purpose, ana that his
message would be very injurious.
No details of the bill are agreed upon.
That is left to the finance COM
mittee and to subsequent caucus
action. Among the most pronounced
in favor of taking affirmative action upon
some bill, which should be presented by
the senate COMMITTEES on finance or which
should be agreed upon 10y the caucus as an
independent proposition, were senators
AldrIch, Hiscock, Jones, of Nevada, and
Allison.
MIR Aldrich has been the active working
member of the subcommittee, which has
NJf. 4 n4
tariff, and has had some hearings. Mr..
Hiscock has co-operated with him more
than any member of the subcommittee,
owing to the fact that Mr.. Allison, the
other member, has been occupied much OF
his time with his duties as chairman OF the
committee on appropriations.
Mr.. Aldrich and Mr.. Hiscock were quite
clear in their opinion that IL was the duty
of the party not to adjourn without having
placed itsfelf on record in favor of some
affirmative legislation with respect to the
tariff. They were of the opinion that the
question of the surplus was too important
to adjourn withou presenting affirmative
proposition with respect to it, and that the
party would not be left in good position If
1t should permit an adjournment to take
place while tie Republicans had done
nothing in the house except to vote
against the Mills bill, and had done moth
ing in the senate, except to commit 1t
to the pigeon holes of the committee on
finance These gentlemen are Of the opiE
ion that not only should bill be passed
which should propose to reduce the rev
enue BY the reduction of tobacco taxes, the
taxes upon alcohol used in the arts, and at
least half the duty on sugar, bat they
deem it expedient TO go further than that
and take up the schedules one by one to
remove certain CAPABILITIES, rs they are
termed, and make possible some reduc-
lions and also possible some increases; but
at all events TO do something which could
be called revising the tariff.
Mr.. Allison was willing 10 go part way
in this direction, but was uoG quite so pos
tive as to the other members Of
the committee and was not quite
so sure that it would be eX-
pedent to enter upon q general tariff de-
bate in & e senate. Mr.. Sherman, who is
member OF the committee on finance, did
net agree with his associates as to the eX-
pediancy of entering into so extended a de-
bate as they proposed. He thought that at
best il would not be well to go further than
to propose a single tax reduction bill which
should embrace only the articles Of tobacco,
alcohol III the ants, and sugar. and which
should not attempt to enter it into the
schedules of the tariff. On the other hand,
there was very determined opposition to
any consideration of the subject Of the
thrift at a