Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-23
DEMOCRATS IN CAUCUS.
an INTERESTING TALK ON INTER-
NAL REVENUE MATTERS.

Shall the Tax on Tobacco be Repealed?
The Ways and Means Committee De-
+, fended-Randall and His Force Out in
Full Armor-But They Fail to Commit
the Caucus to Republican Methods.
| WASHINGTON February 21.-The Demo-
cratic members OF the House held a caucus,
tonight, to consider the revenue bills.
Cox, Mills and Carlisle were absent, as we'll
as many others.
| Grain offered the Randall substitute for
the Cowles bill, with the free list of the Sem
ate bill as an opportune measure. He esti-
mated it would reduce the revenue $780,
900, 900 on tobacco and 100000 on the
free list. The Senate could not go back on
! it's free list, and could not afford 20 oppose
the repeal OF the tobacco tax.
| Bynum offered resolution that the
caucus mandate should be binding, and
that it should now adjourn to meet again
Saturday.
| Barnes, of Georgia, was anxious to reach
| a compromise. If the Mills bill could not
pass, he favored the former bill, and would
60 further than Crane, aud get reductions
made by the Senate bill.
| Randi II said he was looking ahead to the
| struggle that must follow in the future and
| that would result in again bringing the
party into power. There was
NO USE OF BRooDNG OVER THE PAST.
The Cowle's bill had been kept month in
the committee, and was not taken up until
all it's other work was finished. He was op-
posed to longer delay. The caucus might
appoint committee as proposed by Buck
alew, to report a feasible position, but he
would not thereby be deferred from trying
/ to repeal the tax on tobacco.
| O'Neil OF Missouri said he stood by the
ways and means committee, but was in
favor OF Cowle's bill. To-day the tax was
| the war tax, and should be abolished.
| Cowles said he was tired of qulbbiing,
and talked plainly about the procrastina-
tion of the ways and means committee,
| and how they had put him off time and
again when he begged them to report the
| tobacco bill, one way or another.
Scott of Pennsylvania and Breckenridge
| OF Kentucky defended the ways and means
| commit tee, and charged that the Randall
bill was enforcement OF two wings OF the
party, and warmly protested against the
severance of the tariff and revenue feat
ures of the Mills bill.
Compton OF Maryland said it was evil
dent the Republicans wanted the House to
adjourn without
CUTTING OFF THE TOBACCO TAX,
when they would call a special session OF
Congress and pass such bill, within the next
fifty days. 1t would not be wise to allow
the Democratic party to be weakened in
that way.
Vance, of the committee wanted the
whole tobacco tax repealed.
Randall ingisted ON the consideration
OF the bill. In answer to Breckenridge
he said he was endeavoring to facili-
tate the consideration OF bill to re-
peal the tobacco tax and would not
agree to abide by the decision OF a majority
of the caucus. He had reason to believe
that the two Democratic members OF the
committee on rules would agree to report
back the resolution introduced by him to-
day, and the speaker had it in his power to
secure consideration of the matter during
the session.
After several other speeches, the caucus,
without reaching definite conclusion, ad-
iourned.