St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-22
TOO MUCH TARIFF.
Democrats Caucus bnt Fail to
Agree What to DO With the
Pending Bills.


Democrats Caucus but Fail to
Agree What to DO With the
Pending Bills.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2l.-The Demo
cratic members of the house held eau
Gus tonight to consider revenue bills.
Mr.. Cox. the caucus chairman, was alb
sent. and McCreary, of Kentucky,
occupied the chair. Sixty-three
members were in attendance when
the caucus met, including most of the
Democratic members OF the ways and
means committee, except Chairman
Mills. Speaker Carlisle was also among
the absentees. Mr.. Crisp. of Georgia,
of his reasons for originating the call
for the caucus. Since the election there
had been no caucus on revenue bills
and the majority was falling apart. 1t
had passed the Mills bill only to have it
emasculated by the senate. His own
belief was that party policy and not in
dividual opinion should govern. If the
Mills bill were further insisted on,
there would be no revenue reduc-
tion. If something was not done now,
the Democratic party would not have
another opportunity in five years. Mr..
Grain offered the Randall substitute for
the Cowles bill with the free list Of the
senate bill as an Opportune measure.
He estimated that it would reduce the
revenue $30,0t0,000 on tobacco. and
S6,U0H,00O on the free list. The senate
could not go back on its own free list,
and it could not afford to oppose
the repeal of the tobacco tax.
Mir. Bynum offered q resolution
that the caucus mandate should be
binding, and that it should now
adjourn to meet again Saturday. Mr..
Barnes, of Georgia, was anxious to
reach compromise. AS the Mills bill
could not pass, he
FAVORED THE FORNEY BILL
and he would go further than Mr.. Grain
and add all the reductions made by the
senate bill. Mr.. Buckalew, OF Penn
sylvanla. wanted committee of five
appointed to report some feasible prop
osition to the caucus Saturday night,
similar position. MIR, Randall did not
believe anybody would accuse him of
undue haste in pressing. the matter.
He was looking ahead to the struggle
that must follow in the future, and that
would resultin again bringing the party
into power; there was no use in brood
ing over the past. No man would make
greater sacrifices than he to bring this
about. The COwles bill has been kept
a month in committee, and was not
taken up until all of its other work was
finished. He intended to take up the
bill in the house, but the caucus
proposition prevented him. He
was opposed to longer delay, be-
cause there would then be no
opportunity to take up the bill. Mr..
McMillin, of Tennessee, asked if the
speaker had not the right to exercise his
discretion in recognizing member to
suspend the rules at later date If the
bill should be delayed by an adjourn
ment of the caucus. Mr.. Randall re-
piled in the Affirmative. but added that
be did not propose to leave the matter of
recognition to any man. The caucus
might appoint committee. as proposed
by Mr.. Buckalew, but he would not
thereby be deferred from trying to
REPEAL THE TOBACCO TAX.
He was roundly applaudedd during the
delivery of his speech. A long discus
sion followed respecting the prece-
dence OF motions to take up revenue
bills and to suspend the rules. Mr.
O'Neil, of Missouri, said that he stood
by the ways and means committee, but
was in favor OF the Cowles bill. The
tobacco tax was war tax and should
be abolished. Mr.. Cowlcs said he was
tired of quibbling, and talked plainly
about the procraStinatiOn of the ways
and means committee and how
they had put him off time and again
when he begged them to report to-
bacco bill one way or another. The
people did not care about what commit
tee reported bill: they wanted the to-
bacco tax cut off, and they did not care
how it came about. MIR. Scott, of Penn
sylvania, and Mr.. Breckenridge, of Ken
tucky, earnestly defended the ways
and means committee, and charged that
the Randall bill was divorce
ment of the two wings OF
the party, and warmly protested
against a severance Of the tariff
and revenue features of the Mills bill,
arguing that the bill represented the
result of the mature deliberations of the
ways and means committee, and had
gained votes in manufacturing centers.
Mr.. Compton, of Maryland. said that it
was evident that the Republicans wanted
the house to adjourn without cutting off
the tobacco tax. Then they would
CALL A SPECIAL SESSION
of congress and pass such bill within
the next sixty days. 1t would not be
wise to allow the Democratic party to
be weakened in this way. Mr.. Vance,
of Connecticut, wanted the whole to-
bacco tax repealed. This had always
been his position, and now he demanded
that the whole tax, cigars and all, be
abolished. Connecticut was entitled to
recognition at the hands of the Dem
ocracy, and this was the feature
of the repeal of the tobacco
tax in which Connecticut was
alone interested. Mr.. Randall insisted
on consideration OF the bill. He had
been read out of the party twice, but
had gotten back. In answer to Mr..
Breckenridge. of Kentucky, he said
he was endeayGring to facilitate the
tobacco tax, and he would not agree to
abide by the decision of majority of
the caucus. He added that he had rea-
son to believe that two Democratic mem
berS of the committee on rules would
agree to report back the resolu-
tion introduced by him to-day, and
the speaker had done all in his
power to secure consideration of the
matter during this session. Mr.. Mall
sur, of Missouri, favored the appoint
ment OF committee TO select from both
bills the provisions which could be
passed. Mr.. Breckenridge,O of Arkansas,
thought it was not necessary to discuss
a proposition to put the senate free list
upon the tobacco bill. 1t would be un-
generous to those holding his views to
touch the Randall bill. After speech
by Mr.. Dougherty, of Florida, the eau
ono rrifbout annlinfr tn anU nonolucinn