The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-02
1T WILL BE DEFEATED.
Probability that There Will BE No Tariff
Legislation.

Probability that There Will BE No Tarifr
Legislation.
WASHINGTON, June 1.-The Washington
correspondent of the New York Herald tele-
graphs to that paper as follows:
There is a row in the senate finance COM
mittee, and it is quite possible that in CON-
sequence there will be no tariff bill passed
at this session. The proposition was that
the Mckinley bill should be referred to q
sub committee, which, as it was to consist
of Senators Allison, Aldrich and Hiscock,
would have made short work of Mr.. McIkin
ley and brought forward very soon substi
tute bill of their own.
To the surprise of the committee Senator
Sherman proposed that the Mckinley bill
should be considered by the whole commit
tee and not by subcommittee. To the
still greater surprise of the three senator's.
when this question came to vote Senator
Morrill, stood with Senator Sherman, and as
the democrats wanted nothing better, they
and the two republicans carried Mr.. Sher-
mans motion.
Thereupon Mr.. Aldrich arose in wrath and
declared that il this course was to be pursued
there would be no tariff bill passed by this
congress; that the work before full COM
mittee, giving hearings to those who might
want to be heard, and under Mr.. Plumb's
resolution having to report reasons for
every change made in the present Law, would
be interminable; that it would not be pos
sible to report bill before August. and
that in fact the motion of Mr.. Sherman
substantially kills the tariff for this ses--
sion.
But Messrs. Sherman and Morrill, stood
firm, and 90 did the democrats, and unless
there is change of programme at the next
meeting, what the Herald foretold four
months ago will prove true-there will be no
tariff legislation, outside an administrative
bill. at this session.
The truth seems to be that some of the
republican members of the finance commit
tee want the Mckinley bill and others pre-
fer bill of their own. The democrats,
with the help Of Messrs: Morrill, and Sher-
man, have saved the Mckinley bill from
the evil fate which was before it of slaugh-
ter in the committee. It will now be con-
sidered by the whole committee, and '.the
interested industries" as the grabbers for
high duties are called, will be offered a
hearing.
Thereafter the bill, when reported to the
senate, will be accompanied by reasons for
every change proposed, and in that case the
senate and the country at large will, for the
first time in quarter of q century. be able
to get an intelligent view of how and why
the country's revenue laws are made us
they are.
It is still an open question how the Nc
Kinley bill will look when it comes out of
this committee or deal. The author of the
bill was unable in the house to give reasons
for most of the changes he proposed from
the present law. Whether he can get
Messrs. Sherman and Morrill, to give such
reasons for him remains to be seen.
At any rate, for the present the Allison
programme is defeated. In his view. as
given in an authentic interview in the Phil
adelphia Press last March, "the conditions
have changed" He thought that even his
own bill Of the previous session was too
high in the duties it laid. He said:
"ln many respects the bill of 1888 should be
followed, but in great many others the
conditions have changed since that time, so
that reductions which were made then
would probably not be deemed sufficient re-
ductions for the present moment. good
many things can bear a much larger reduc-
tion thnn was propos I'd in 1888, and many
reductions can be made where mono were
made in 1885,"
II may be imagined what his opinion In
OF the Mckinley bill, whose rates are
all through much higher than those OF the
Allison bill were.
Wicked people down here say that the
presidential nomination in 1882 lies in this
dispute in the finance committee; and they
add that to-day Senator Allison was, for
the time being, beaten. and that the three
story y-snd-UansaSd-rooe bill Of 4r. Maxim