The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-08-18

Washington, Aug. 1O.-The Demo
cratic tariff conference had expected to
be able to announce an agreement to-
day. Instead of reaching any definite
conclusion the day closed with the bill
in quite as an uncertain state as ever
before in its history, with the situation
in no wise improved and with the feel
ing between the friends of the senate
and the house bills intensified. 4nstead
of allayed and with no n prepared
to say what the outcome would be or
when. the end would be reached. 1t
was apparent at the very beginning OF
the conference that those who had
come to the conclusion at the adjourn
ment of yesterdays session that an
agreement would be arrived at to-day
had not taken sufficiently into account
the possibility of a misunderstanding
or a change of mind. This discovery
was made when the senate cOnfereeS
prepared to go on with the big upon
the basis of a duty of 40 cents per ton
on coal and free iron ore, w~hereupon
the house cOnferees announced their un-
willingness to assent to this arrange
ment and stated that they would in
sist upon a reversal of these terms with
the coal free and iron ore dutiable If
either was to be, as they understood
that they were to have a choice be-
tween the two. The avowal of this po-
sitiOn produced immediate confusion
:JnN led to an exchange Of remarks
which were not altogether polite. The
senate conferees thereupon decided to
report the state of affairs to the con-
sentative senators. Senators German,
Brice, Smith and Murphy were called
into consultation. The whole situation
was outlined and her they were not
| only made acquainted with the demand
Of the house conferees for free coal,
but were also given to understand that
other material concessions would be
expected by the house conferees along
the entire line of the bill, including
| WOolens, cOttOns, metals, glasses and
earthenware. They decided upon an
emphatic negative in reply to these
| propositions, saying that If the body OF
the bill was not preserved virtually as
it passed the senate, the report Of the
conference when made would not be
accepted by the senate. Chairman VIII
son authorized the statement ut the
close Of the conference to-day that the
reports current through the day to the
| effect that President Cleveland had in
terfered with the informal agreement
reached last night were wholly unwar-
ranted and untrue. Mr.. Wilson said the
executive was carefully refraining from
exerting any influence IN the conferees
and was leaving the members to shape
their courses as they saw fit. The chair
man called on the president occasion
ally, he said, but it was not very often,
and at those times Mr.. Cleveland
showed a delicacy in saying or doing
anything which could be construed as
an exertion of executive or administra-
ton influence on the work Of the con-
ferees. Whether the difficulty will bc
solved tomorrow or will be declared
off entirely is not clear to the house
conferees. In the event Of an under
standing on coal and iron tomorrow
the house c%onferees expressed the hope
that the Republican conferees might be
called in, although the differences de-
veloped to-day, On coal and iron, us
we'll as on some Of the other schedules,
made the chances of a full conference
less hopeful than they were last night.