St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-14
CAUCUS DECIDED IT..
House Democrats in Conf en-
enee Concluded to Sur
render.
CRISP AND WILSON LED.
Speaker Introduced a Reso-
luton That the House
Accept Senate Bill.
COCHRAN OPPOSED IT.
COCHRAN OPPOSED
Majority, However, Considered
the Senate Bill Better
than McKinleyism.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13.-By vote of
$50 to 26 the house Democrats today de-
cided to accept the senate tariff bill.
There were about ITO Democratic
members present when the caucus con-
vened. although all did not answer to
their names.
First Chairman Holman recognized
Mr.. Wilson. chairman of the ways and
means committee, whose voice was so
weak when he began that the members
all crowded around him. In accord
with the understanding of the last
caucus, he began, and in accord with
their duties as the conferees understood
it. the conferees of the house had called
for this caucus to state the condi
tion of affairs plainly in view
Of the developments of the last
week. All that had been done in con-
ference had been merely tentative, so
that there had been nothing definite to
report at any time. No conference COM
mittee had ever worked harder to secure
an agreement.
The house conferees had not insisted
upon the house bill on hard and fast
lines at any time; they had known that
such an insistence would have been im-
practicable, and had always stood ready
to make such
Reasonable Concessions
as would enable them to secure tariff
reform bill which the house would
| Justify them in approving. Up to and
at the time OF the last caucus. the pros
poets for such bill were bright, he
said.
At this point Mr.. Wilson went into
details regarding the compromise sugar
schedule, answering many questions.
Turning to coal and iron ore. he ex-
| planned that the senate conferees
had first offered a fve-year limit on
the senate duty, to be followed by reci
procity. The house confereeS had of.
fered to take the proposition of the
senate conferees on sugar with free
coal and iron, and the senate bill i'll
other respects. Then mutual under
standing was made, the house conferees
rendering and senate conferees accept
! ing it, that this agreement should stand,
and they should go over the remaining
schedules to see If there were any other
changes upon which they could unani-
mOusly agree as Democrats.
| Nothing was to be insisted upon, be-
yond the conditions mentioned. Then
the senate conferees proposed that free
coal should be exchanged for free iron
ore, and the house conferees accepted
the suggestion. Certain changes In the
chemical and earthenware schedules
had been agreed upon by all the con
| ferees. The senate conterees would not
agree to changes in the woolen schedule,
but intimated that they might after
consultation with certain senators. Con-
sultation was had and some immaterial
changes accepted. although the main
proposals of the house cQnferees were
declined. The iron and steel schedules
had been particularly Objectionable, the
amount of protection assured on. steel
rails being greater than the amount
under the Mckinley bill. The next
morning the senate conferees with
drew from the sugar amendment,
and especially its Hawaiian feature, and
asked for another change of free coal
instead of free iron, saying that they
| Al
| senator.
The house conferees agreed to.
Reverse Coal and Iron Ore
again, and then the wooden and cotton
schedules were taken up. Although it
had already been agreed to reduce the
rates of the senate bill where they ex-
ceeded those of the Mckinley bill, the
senate conferees consulted with the in
terested senators at this stage of the
negotiations, and reported back that no
such concessions could be made. -
One member inquired whether any
bill but the senate bill could be OBJ
| tanned this session, and Mr.. Wilson
answered that he saw no other plan.
| Regarding the protection given to the
sugar trust by the senate bill. Mr.. Will
son said that the trust now had $780,
O3O,0O0 worth Of sugar, and even if 1t
had but S100,000,000 worth it would
make profit of $4,000. 900 the minute
the bill passed, and S6,0OO,OOO a year
thereafter.
Mr.. Crisp declared that he believed
that the house should
Continue the Fight
so long as there was even partial sue
cess. The house bill. with senate
| amendments, was infinitely better than
no bill, and much better than the Nc
Kinley bill. The speaker said it was
! out of the question to adjourn with no
| bill, and offered the
Following Reso1ation:
Resolved, That it IS the sense of this
caucus that the order heretofore made
requesting conference with the senate
| on the diSagreeing votes of the two
| houses on Fl. r. asa be rescinded. That
| the conferees heretofore appointed on
| the part of the house be discharged
| from further duty in that behalf, and
that the house recede from its disagree
| ment to the senate amendments to aid
bill, and agree to the same.
Resolved further, That the bause
| shall at once proceed to the considera-
ton of separate bills. placing the fol-
| lowing articles on the free list, viz:
Sugar in all its forms, iron ore, coal and
barbed wire.
The committee on rules Is requested
| to report au order providing prompt
consideration OF such motion and bills.
| Representative Cochran, of New
York, made all eloquent appeal to the
| house
| Not to Surrender
| at the dictation Of four unnamed MEMS
! and was received with cat yelis and in