Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-04
THE CAUCUS ACTION
Resolutions Indoraing the Tariff Bill and
Amendments Adopted.
Democrats Expect the Support of
Forty-Three senators-Mr. Hill
Still Opposed.

amended in several particulars, as has al
ready been indicated. and 1t is to have the
support Of all the democrats except Hill,
who announces his unchanging opposition
as long as the income tax is retained. W
The whole matter was settled in caucus
late yesterday afternoon. After a full dis
cussion Of the bill and the compromise
amendments proposed. the measure was ap-
proved by a vote of 81 to /, Mr.. Hill being
the only Senator to vote In the negative.
There were six absentees. among them
Mr.. Murphy. but II was understood that
all six would support the action of the eau
GUS As Ii stands, therefore. the democrats
claim that the votes Of forty-three out Of
the forty-four democratic Senators will
vote for the tariff bill as now agreed on,
the income tax included.
The Senators absent were Mills, Murphy,
Lindsay. Irby. Butler and Gibson.
Mr.. Germans Resolution.
When the caucus was called to order Mr.
German presented the resolutions indorsing
the measure. He said IL was necessary to
make concessions I'm order to secure the
united support Of the party, and he further
asserted that 1t would need democratic
majority to pass the bill. He stated that
concessions had been made on all sides, and
I 1t was believed that the measure with the
proposed amendments would now meet with
the support which was absolutely neces-
sary to pass democratic tariff bill.
Senator Jones' Remarks.
Senator Jones said that he had seen the
necessity for amending the bill, and after
giving the matter due consideration had
concluded that II was possible that the bill
as first reported had not been sufficiently
considerable of the interests of all Senators.
He had then endeavored. In connection
with others, to remedy these defects as he
saw them, and in doing SO had tried to
consult Senators representing all shades of
opinion. He gave the reasons why the ma
jority Of the democratic Senators repre-
senting the south and west wanted the in
come tax. and why the minority from the
north and east were opposed to II. and said
that, while out of Difference to the major
ity, IL had been kept in, the minority had
been granted the concession of a limitation
Of the time the law sho1ld continue in
force and that while the period had not
been fixed, It would probably be placed at
five years. He said also that many Of the
inqusitorial features Of the bill had been
omitted, but that the amount exempted
and the rate Of taxation had not been
char ged. He also said that the sugar sched-
ule had been changed SO as to provide for
| an ad valorem duty OF 40 per cent and an
additional duty of one-eigth OF a cent on
refined sugar. with penalty Of one-tenth
OF cent on sugar imported from countries
paying a bounty on sugar. the present law
with the bounty, to stand until the LIST of
January next He said that the ad valorem
tax was not materially different from the
sugar provision In the pending bill. He
also stated that a large number of other
amendments had been made. but did not
mention them in detail nor make any ex-
case were the rates of duty fixed as high
as in the Mckinley law. He said, In con-
clusion, that an earnest effort had been
| made to harmonic all interests, many con-
cessions had been made TO the eastern and
| northern democrats by changes from ad
valorem to specific duties and that II was
hoped that when the new bill should be
presented 1t would command the solid dem
ocratic vote in the Senate.
Mr.. Hill Against the Income Tax.
Senator Hill declared that so irreconcilable
was his opposition to the income tax he
should feel at liberty to offer any amend
ment he saw proper to any paragraph in the
BILL so long as the income tax was part Of
it, notwithstanding the resolution. He de-
voted himself largely. to the income tax. and
said that while he was pleased to hear OF
some of the changes that had been made
he regretted that the income provision was
still retained. He denounced the compro-
mise on this account He declared that the
income tax was not necessary for income
purposes. and he defied any one to show
that Ii was. He quoted the part of Secre-
tary Carlisle's recent interview admitting
that an income tax was a war treasure, and
said that he made no excuse for the effort
to impose IL at this time. He repeated what
he had said in his public speech, hat no
democratic national convention had de-
clared for an incline tax. He also called at
tentson TO the fact that the demands of the
democratic party for free raw material had
been ignored, and said that wool was re-
quired to stand alone out Of all the list as
representing the fruits of this demand. He
charged fatty that the iuco ne tax had been
retained for the purpose of placating the
south and west, and said that because, IL
| for no other reason, New York would have
| to pay 80 per cent of the tax, IL imposed. he
should antagonize the tax to the end. He
declared that he was not moll.ied by the
limitation of time. II the TAX Was right Up
| on principle. it should go in permanently;
| II not right, II should be expunged entirely.
| 1t looked, he said. as IL the change had been
made for the sole purpose OF getting votes.
| 1t could not be defended upon that ground,
and he warned the party against preparing
| bill which would require too mu>h de-
| Tense. and called attention to the probable
ity that 1t would be necessary to defend the
| sugar duty to refiners.
Mr. Mcpherson All Right.
| Senator Mcpherson of New Jersey spoke
| in support of the resolution and dwelt at
some length upon the concessions which
| northern and eastern democrats had been
obliged to make and what they had 10 give
up in order to meet the demands of the
| south and west He claimed that the con-
cessions that were talked of by the other
Senators were not wholly on one side
| Senators Palmer and Villas made long and
vigorous speeches urging party harmony
| and the necessity of early action.
Great interest conferred In the speech of
| Senator Smith of New Jersey, and his re-
marks were received with a great deal OF
4 81 cfa ofin FOR arhf he Cof1