The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-08-10
CONFERREES
SNARLING.
Another Day of Idle Talk on the
Tariff Bill.
COMPROMISE PREVENTED |
The Senators Refuse TO Allow Coal to
be Placed Upon the Free List.
Sugar Schedule Revived.
COMPROMISE PREVENTED {!

WASHINGTON, Aug. i0.-The Democratic
tariff conference had expected to be able
to announce an agreement yesterday. In
stead of reaching any definite conclusion
the day closed with the bill in quite as
Uncertain n state as ever before in its his
tory, with the situation in no wise i'm
proved with the feeling between the /
friends of the senate bill and the housf
bill intensified instead of allayed and |
with no one prepared to say what the out |
come would be or when the end would be |
reached. 1t was apparent at the very be |
ginning of the conference that those who |
had come to the conclusion at the ad. |
journment of Wednesdays session that
an agreement would be arrived at yester |
day had not taken sufficiently into &C
count the possibility of misunderstood
ing or change of mind.
This discovery was made when the sen
ate conterrees prepared to go on with the
bill upon the basis of a duty Of forty cents
per ton on coal and free iron ore, where
upon the house conferrees announced
their unwillingness to accept this arrange
ment, and stated that they would insist
upon a reversal of these terms, with coal
free and iron ore dutiable, if either was to
be, as they understood that they were tol
have a choice between the two. The
avowal of this position produced immedi-
ate confusion, and led to an exchange of
remarks which were not altogether polite.
The senate conferrees thereupon decided
to report the state of affairs to the con-
servative senators, and when the confer
fees adjourned called Senators German,
Brice, Smith and Murphy into consulta-
ton The whole situation was outlined
to them. They were not only made ac'
quainted with the demand of the house
conferrees for free coal, but were also
given to understand that other material
concessions would be expected by the
house conferrees along the entire line of
the bill, including woolens, cottons, met
ais, glass and earthenware.
They decided upon an emphatic mega
tive in reply to the proposition, saying
that if the body of the bill was not pre-
served virtually as it passed the senate
the report of the conference when made
would not be accepted by the senate. Sen
ator Brice proposed an innovation in the
shape of a proposition that the house con
ferree5 be given an opportunity to secure
free sugar. The senate conferrees adopted
the suggestion of Mr.. Brice and presented
the proposition to the afternoon session of
the joint conference. 1t is understood
that the proposition created some sur
prise on the part of the house members,
who at first evinced a disposition to ao-
cept, but after considera BILE discussion of
the merits of this feature of the PROPOSE
tion and of the other features, involving
the acceptance of the other senate amend
ments, declined to vouchsafe an answer
without further consideration. The ques-
tion was therefore undisposed of when
the conference adjourned for the day.
The Republican senators were also in
consultation with the senatorial tariff
conferrees during the day, and it is un-
derstoOd have given notice that if there is
material change in the more important
schedules relating to manufactured ar
ticles they will resist the immediate dis
position of the committees report when
made, and have stated that in that event
more tariff oratory may be expected.
The house conferrees have their side of
the situation to tell. Chairman Wilson
authorized the statement at the close of
the conference that the reports current
through the day to the effect that Presi-
dent Cleveland had interfered with the
Informal agreement reached Wednesday
night were wholly unwarranted and un-
was carefully refraining from exerting
any influence on the conferrees, and was
leaving the members to shape their courses
as they saw fit. The chairman called on
the president occasionally, he said, but il
was not very often and at these times Mr..
Cleveland showed delicacy in saying or
doing anything which could be construed
as an exertion of executive or administra-
tion influence on the work of the workers.
As to the Misunderstanding through
out the day, the house men understood
when the conference adjourned Wednes-
day night that the senators had conceded
that either iron ore or coal was to go on
the free list, the other remaining on the
dutiRble list. While the house men had
given no definite announcement of their
choice between the two items, it was gem
orally understood that they would prefer
10 have iron ore on the free list. When,
however, they entered the conference yes
terday they had concluded among them
selves that it would be preferable to have
coal on the free list, leaving iron ore du-
table at forty cents a ton. This conclu.
sion was definitely announced TO the SEN
ators, but the house men were surprised
TO find that the willingness to concede
them the choice was somewhat abated
What had caused the change was not
made clear, but in discussing it the house
conferrees said with no little feeling that
it was clearly due to the influence Of those
interested in the sugar schedule, and was
apparently another effort to involve the
informal agreement on sugar reached last
week.
Whether the difficulty will be solved
today or will be declared of entirely Is
not clear TO the house conferrees In the
event of an understanding on coal and
iron today the house conferrees expressed
the hope that the Republican couterrees
might be called iu his evening or tomor
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