The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-08
TARIFF BILL HISTORY.
The Agreement Between the Senate
ard House Leaders.

Senator Blackburn Tells Soma Inter.
esting Secrets-What the Senators
Promised to Do and Found They
Couldn't Do-Their Programme to BE
Carried Out When Congress Meets in
December.
Washington, Sept. Senator Black
burn is in Washington for a few days
from Deer Park, where he has been since
congress adjourned. I saw him last night
g. the Normandie hotel and he dictated
the following interview:
When The second conference between
the House aud the Senate was on, and
the outlook for the bill was far from re-
assuring, went to see Gen. Catchings of
Mississippi, by authority of six repre-
sentative senators. These were Senators
Cockrell of Missouri, Jones of Arkansas,
Gray of Delaware, Harris of Tennessee,
German of Maryland and Brice of Ohio
I was authorized to negotiate with the
House leaders and see what I
could do toward bringing about
action looking to the passage of some
kind of a tariff bill This was
when it seemed as if no satisfactory com
promise would be reached between the
conferees of both houses. The six sena-
tors waited in the room of the committee
on appropriations for my return in order
TO learn what success l had met with in
my negotiations with Gen. Catchings.
This was Saturday afternoon, Aug. II.
Gen. Catchings took me TO the room of
the committee on rivers and harbors, and,
after some conference and consultation,
he told me to wait there until he could
communicate with Speaker Crisp. He
soon returned with the speaker, and after
some discussion, the terms of an agree
ment which would be satisfactory TO both
sides were reached. This agreement was
in effect that if the House leaders would
agree TO accept the Senate bill, the demo
Gratis in the Senate would try TO pass
separate bills providing for free sugar,
free coal aud Tree iron. The House, how
ever, was TO introduce and pass these bills
first, and then we in the Senate were TO
try and put them through in short order
Il returned to the room of the Senate
committee on appropriations and reported
to the waiting senators the terms on
which an agreement could be reached.
and they authorized me to close the ar
rangement. This, as | said before, was
on Saturday afternoon Senator Jones of
Arkansas was not present in the room of
the appropriations committee, having
been called out by Cliff Breckenridge. a
little before | returned from the House
conference with Gen. Catchings. there
upon made an appointment with Gen
Catchlngs TO meet him at his house on .
street, on Sunday morning following at Ii
O'Clock, when the preliminary matters
would be all talked over again and
could state the latest instructions | had
received from the SIX senators.
Gen. CatChings and | met on Sunday
raFNraVu inn
agreement: In the democratic caucus
the next morning the House was to &C
cept the Senate bill as it had passed that
body. They were then TO send in sepa-
rate bills providing for free sugar, free
coal and free iron / told Gen Catchings
distinctly that Senators German and
Brice would not favor free coal and iron,
but that the other senators that | repre-
sented, as well as myself, would do our
utmost to get vote on free coal and free
iron before the Senate adjourned, but |
could not undertake to say that we would
be successful. l did agree, however, to
pass free sugar bill through the Senate
and had the cooperation of the six senators
above named on this free sugar proposition.
My only complaint in the matter Is, that
when the Murphy resolution came up in
the Senate four or five days later, de-
clarlng that 1t was inexpedient to have
any further tariff legislation, not all of
the six senators stood by me, nor did all
the democrats in the Senate. l felt that
every democrat in the Senate was in duty
bound TO see that we carried out our
agreement with the House people"
you have not given up the fight vet,
have you," was asked.
Not by any means" replied Senator
BLACKBURN. i swear that l will do all in
my power TO carry out what was agreed
upon at the Decembe session of congress
even II 1t is necessary TO change
the rules to do so. Senator Blanchard
came TO me after the Senate refused TO
allow the committee on rules to sit during
the recess, and told me that the reason
for his objection was that he feared that
we would bring in some rules that would
prevent him from flibustering, and
thereby beat the sugar people and bring
about free sugar"
But the committee on rules will meet
during the recess of congress P' was asked.
Yes have authority TO call meeting
and Will do so as soon as the election is
over in November Senator Aldrlch told
me that he would be back from Europe
by mat time, and as / am now in the
midst of a political canvass you can
readily see that we cannot readily do any
thing decisive before November But
then we shall act"