Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-06
HAVE AGREED TO ONE THING.
IaiiE Conferrces VIII Report Something
in the Next Forty-ei-ht Ttours

AaiiH Conferrees VIII Report Something
in the Next Forty-eight Hours
hsHINGToN, Aug. 6.-The usual Sun
day Iiet of the Capitol was broken by
the assembling Of the Democratic tar
if con.errees All OF the Democratic con-
ferrees were present except Voorhees,. who
Is Sill SICK, and W wilson, who had gone to
West Virginia TO see his wife. The
| meeting lasted for three and half hours
and was marked with even more than the
usual secrecy. Some of the conferrees de-
ciined to admit that they were together
Others We're more communicative, ex-
planning that the gathering was due to
the desire to expedite a settlement at the
earliest moment possible.
The meeting resulted in an understand
ing that report should be made one way
or neutrality-suspicious. or disagreement
within the next seyenty-two hours. That
1t would be an agreement was not. how
ever, definitely settled. On this roint the
conferrees say they have not vet passed
the danger point, although they seemed
more confident that it would be an agree
ment. The discussion turned on sugar
iron and coal, and the fact that these
latter items are receiving attention is
taken to indicate that the new sugar
schedule has been thoroughly canygssed.
and that it will be the basis of an agree,
ment unless some new obstacle inter
venes.
The new schedule entirely eliminates
the one-tenth diiferential against sugars
coming from countries paying an export
bounty, and this feature brings i: nearer
the desire of the house Otherwise the
proposition provides duty of 40 per cent.
ad valorein on raw sugars (below Is Dutch
siandardl;l on sugars above that standard
~ per cent. ad valorem of the amount
necessary To- the production of refined
sugar at the Wholesale price in the country
from which 1T is exported plus a differ
entail duty of one-ffth of d cent "A pound.
AS calculated by experts the difference in
the protection in the senate bill and the
new proposition is oCe-half OF a cent per
100 pounds, the senate bill giving 20JS
cents and the new schedule % cents.
The opposition in the senate to this
scheme is confined mainly to the Louisiana
senators. This opposition may be over
come, however, by permitting the present
bounty or portion of it to run until Jan
l next. The Louisiana opposition has
he IN due mainly to the fact that no pro-
vision was made for bounty in the senate
Jill, anu 10 has DSen urged that 1t was bad
faith to cut Oft the bounty when the pres
ent sugar crop was put in ON the basis of n
bounty. BY postponing the time at which
the bounty provisions of the Mckinley
law shall be repealed until Jan it would
operate on the crop about to be gathered.
This, like other details of the PROPOSE
ton, are not yet agreed on. but it was
mentioned by one of the conferrees as a
fair concession to the Louisiana men, and
one likely to overcome their opposition.
The louisiana senators have said that
they would be willing to accept half of the
bounty for the present year in addition to
the duty in the new compromise schedule.
With the tariff disposed of the senate
could probably adjourn in three or four
days time. The last OF the general appro-
prlation bills has passed both houses and
a majority Of them have been signed by
the president. Some of these bills are in
conference still, but If an agreement upon
them would bring an adjournment it
would not long be delayed, as there
are no irreconcilable differences between