Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-11
OPPOSITION
Attacks on the New Tariff Bill Ex-
pected From Many Quarters.
MEMBERS FROM PROTECTION DISTRICTS
Will Make the Matter a Personal
Question.
REP LICAN ATTITUDE

1t begins to look as though the Wilson
siderable guerrilla warfare on the part of
the democratic members when 1t is finally
| introduced into the House. Rumors have
been abroad for some days of the forma-
| ton of a combination of eastern democrats
for the purpose of uniting with republican
votes to- secure higher tariffs upon certain
articles that have hitherto been heavily
protected. No actual substance can be
| found in these rumors yet, but there is ev-
identity some influence at work to this end
and the managers OF the bill are beginning
to grow anxious and are utilizing every
means possible to bring out the party whip
and consolidate the democratic vote to pass
the bill in its entirety.
Working Up the Opposition.
1t is whispered that the opposition, which
will be composed of members from various
localities who have special local interests to
protect, is being worked up by Representa-
tive Sperry of Connecticut. Mr.. Sperry rep
resents a large class in the House. He car
ried his district by about 500 votes and there
is enough margin in the prohibition and pop
ulist parties in his district to prove the
election right away. There are many mem
bers in just this position, and they fear that
concede will follow the adoption OF the
schedule first proposed, will cause revolu-
ton of just sufficient strength in the cleo
tions next autumn to cost them their seats.
A Personal Question.
The question therefore resolves itself into
a personal one and they are inclined to let
their party allegiance slip just enough to
insure or to make more probable their own
return to the House. In the face of this
scattered but determined opposition Chair
man Wilson, 1t is understood, expects to
find the bill attacked from anywhere from
ten to fifty quarters. With fifty votes add
ed to the republican strength the bill would
be sufficiently endangered to create a moral
strength against ii even though II should
pass the House in the condition in which ii
came from the committee. The opponents
Of the present schedule in the House rely
upon the opposition of certain Senators from
| the east and south to prevent the adoption
of the schedule in the Senate. 1t may be a
| few amendments will slip through the
House. Such amendments would be taken
| up by the Senate as a sufficient excuse TO
amend the bill radically. The Senators from
West Virginia and Virginia are said to be
preparing for fight in behalf of their own
| industries and 1t is understood hat Senator
Morgan will prove a serious stumbling block
| to the passage of the bill in the form that
the President desires.
The Republican Attitude. M
The republican attitude is matter of
question. OF course the. entire republican
strength will be thrown into the breach in
active opposition to the entire bill as ii
comes from the committee. But just how
| far this strength will be utilized in a Goa
lition with the disaffected democrats cam
not now be determined. The Star is in
formed that a proposition is in circulation
on the republican side of the House for a
caucus to be held as soon as possible after
| the bill Is reported from the committee
and the majority and minority reports have
| been published. AT such a caucus this mat
| ter of combining with the democratic op-
position, IL such can be formed by Repre-
| sentative Sperry, will probably be settled.
| There are some on the republican side,
| however who advocate strict negative
position that will admit of no compromises
and that will appeal to the platform of
the party adopted at Minneapolis.
What Mr.. Mccall Thinks.
Representative Mccall of Massachusetts
said this morning to a Star reporter: Il be-
lieve that the bill will finally pass the
House substantially or exactly as it comes
from the committee. 1 do not think that
there is sufficient opposition that can be
consolidated into a union to amend the bill
radically. The object of such an opposi-
ton, if it is contemplated, would undoubt-
edly be for moral effect on the other side
of the Capitol. The bill, as first published
from the committee seems to have been put
out as feeler This begins to look like
an administration of feelers. The Presi-
dent put out the Gresham letter as feeler
and he understands perfectly well now just
how the public takes 1t. The tariff bill has
been put out for the same effect and there
is little doubt in the world that large num-
bers of democrats and democratic news
papers are clamoring tor a revision of the
schedule. 1t looks 10 me as though the
| Cleveland luck has begun to wane. You can
| toss up a penny 40 thousand times and
the filsst five iundred may come down
heads. Then on can begin to bet on the
other side. 1t looks very much as though
Mr.. Clevelands penny had begun to fall
tails up