St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-13
WILL TODAY END IT?
the Great Tariff Contest Is
Growing Deeply Inter-
esting.
dANY HEADS TOGETHER.
fhe House, Having Possession
If the Bill, Has the Best
Of 1t.
SENATOR HILLS RESOLUTION
Discussion Of the Bearing 1t
Might Have ON the Present
Strained Situation.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12.- This has
been anything but day of rest for the
tariff leaders. They have been on the
go from early morning until late to-
night. 1t has been day of conferences
at the White house, at the private resi-.
dences of the conferees and at the
hotels. Secretary Carlisle was with
President Cleveland throughout the
afternoon. The senate and house con-
terees made no effort to get together.
and they remain as wide apart as when
their meeting broke up on Friday night.
The house contereeS were in conSulta-
lion informally most of the day. al
though at no time were they all together
at once. Chairman Wilson spent the
day with Representative Brekinridge.
If Arkansas, at the Normandie hotel,
and was there called upon by the other
.onferees. Mr.. Wilson did not see the
president through the day. The meet
ngs of the house men brought about a
thorough understanding among them as
20 the line of action at the caucus
tomorrow, and in the subsequent pro-
ceedings of the senate and house. They
reviewed the situation from every pos
sble point and prepared themselves
For All Emergencies.
AS one of them said tonight, it was
going over the field OF battle and learn
ing the topography of the ground on the
night before the great fight. At the
outset the house confereeS satisfied
themselves of the parliamentary situa-
ton of the bill. They had done this
with the greatest care towards securing
an accurate and authoritative decision.
Speaker Crisp had been asked to exam
inc with care the precedentS bearing on
the case, and it was understood that he
had in turn consulted with Secretary
Carlisle, who,aS eX-Speaker Of the house
of representatives., is regarded As one of
the best authorities on parliamentary
procedure. From the examinations
which had been made. the conferees
were fully satisfied that the house of
representatives had the right to pass
the senate bill now or at any time. This
determination went much further than
has heretofore been understood. 1t was
that the house, having the actual physI-
cal possession of the tariff bill, could
pass it with the senate amendments be-
fore the Hill resolution passed tomor-
row, or after the Hill resolution was
defeated. That is. so confident were
the house conferees of their right to
pass the bill at any time that they re-
garded their rights aS entirely unaffect-
ed by anything the senate could do
with
The EEll Resolution
or with any other resolution. They
recognized that there were some pre-
cedentS against this position, but they
regarded the overwhelming force of au-
thority with them, and they therefore
accepted it as settled that the house had
supreme authority over the bill without
reference to what the senate might do
tomorrow or thereafter. This conclusion
was of the utmost Importance in bear
ing on the action of the caucus tomor-
row. 1t assured them, in the first place.
that there was no need OF precipitate
action toward accepting the senate bill
before Mr.. HIPS resolution had passed.
This resolution could be taken up in the
senate at II O'Clock, and it had been
feared at first that the house caucus,
which begins at l o'clock, would be COM
PEELED to take TASTY action in accepting
the senate bill in order to prevent the
house from losing its opportunity to
pass the senate bill by the adoption of
the Hill resolution. 1t was agreed,
however, that no such haste was neces-
sarY. On the contrary, it was felt that
the honse, in having possession of the
bill and parliamentary right to pass it
at any time, had everything to gain and
nothing to lose by deliberate action.
Under these circumstances il was
deemed advisable to
Inform the House Fully
as to the situation, and to explain that
precipitation in accepting the senate
amendments would gain nothing, while
deliberate action in waiting to see W hat
the senate would do might accomplish
much good. 1t was pointed out in this
connection that the house need he in no
fear Of the Hill resolution being rushed
through. Mr.. Wilson and his associates
have some strong friends in the senate,
notably Senators Villas, Gray, Lindsay
and others. who could, if the occasion
required, insist on Il very complete de-
Date OF the Hill resolution, which might
last from day to day. This the house
conferees regarded as assuring them a
breathing spell, and as making it plain
that the house need not rush to its con-
clusion. In entertaining these Views
the house conferees did not believe that
it was necessary or prudent for the
house caucus tomorrow morning to then
and there pass resolution to at once
accept the senate bill. They realize the
situation is SO critical that the question
of accepting the senate bill might come
before the caucus and develop such
overwhelming and resistless strength
that it would be useless to oppose it.
They were prepared for this emergency,
and were ready to accept it If it came.
They would not, however, counsel it
themselves, and if itcame it would
be the outgTOwth Of this
Spontaneous Sentiment
IN the caucus. 1t was felt. however,
that dispassionate statement Of the