The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-07-26
BACK TO CONFERENCE.
Senate and House Conferees viii
Come Together Again
ON TIE DISPUTED TARIFF BILL.
Tho Senatorial Cauous Decides That It
Must Go Back Untrsmmeled by Specific
Instruetions-The Vote on the PROPOSE
tion Not UnRnlmous.

Must Go Back Untrsmmeied by Specific
Instruetions-The Vote on the PROPOSE
tYon Not Unanimous.
WASHINGTON, July 26.-The senate will
accede to the request of the house for an-
other conference on the tariff bill, and its
eonferees will return to the meeting with
those of the house untrammeled by any
specific instructions whatever. This was
the conclusion of the Democratic sena-
torlal caucus, which adjourned sine die a
few minutes after 8 o'clock last evening,
after two days sitting While the eau
Gus did not commit itself to any definite
line of policy in so many words. the con-
ferees feel with their Democratic col
leagues, that they understand what a ma
jority of them desire, and they believe this
to be that they shall stand substantially /
for the senate bill.
This is not the individual preference of /
many, nor perhaps Of majority of the /
Democratic ssnntors, but it represents the
opinion of most of them rs expressed in .
the caucus the only practical course ,
open to the Democrats who think that the ,
present congress must pass tariff bill of
some kind, whether IL be what they pre- /
fer or not In other words, the result OF
the caucus which has just closed is the
reascertaining of what was known when
the three days caucus closed last March, |
that it is imprnotcable to pass any tariff
bill through the senate which does not
meet the demands Of the conservative
senators and the Louisiana senators.
1T became evident soon after the caucus
convened yesterday that the resolution Of
Senator Jarvis TO send the bill back to
conference without instructions was the
ouly course open to the caucus. The
ut thpr t,rpl M 90 thnIn
of Senator Villas and his friends, one OF
which provided for instructions to the
senate conferees to recede from the one
eighth Of n cent diffeTential on refined
sugar without any other change in the
sugar schedule, and the other to substi-
tute for the present tariff schedule
an additional duty of 45 per cent ad val
orem without any differential, and that
OF the conservatives to instruct the com
mittee to stand by the senate amend
ments.
Senator Villas and two or three other
senators opposed the latter course, and
the conservative senators declared abso-
lutely and emphatically that they would
not accept the Villas proposition to recede
from the differential, even though the ad
yalorem should be increased 70 As per
cent or any other sum within reason.
Senator Smith declared thnt such a
change meant the shutting down Of the
refincries in his state, the throwing of
thousands of men out Of employment and
general disturbance of industrial con-
ditions, such as he could not contemplate
with composure, and would not accept.
The Louisiana senators indicated will
ingness TO accept the substitution of 40
per cent straight The proposition did
not, however, meet with general favor rs
the wisest course to pursue In view of the
hostility of the New Jersey senator and
those who acted with him, and in view of
the fact that several senators who stated
that they agreed with Mr.. Villas in his OPP
position to the sugar trust as a matter of
principle advised in favor Of the cessation
of all efforts TO give formal instructions.
There have been few secret conferences
from which so many conflicting reports
emauated; and IL was apparent that each
senator took away an understanding to
suit himself MS to what implied iustruc-
tions the conferees We're under. Some felt
that the senate bill would be adhered to-
and others that the main point of differ.
epce, the one-eighth of a cent per pound
on refined sugar, was to be eliminated
and perhaps a new sugar schedule pre-
sented. But from those senators who have
been managing the bill the statement
came with forceful emphasis that upoE
the main proportions upon winch tht
houses difiered-sugar, coal and iron orr
there would be no change from the sen
ate bill when 1t was returned from con
ference. One thing which every one fell
assured of was that forty. three votes coult
be counted on to send the bill back to con
ference.
The vote on the resolution to send th
bill to conference again was not unani
NOUS Senator Villas and a few others op
posing It, and explicitly stipulating tha
their participation in the caucus SHOULD
mot be considered as binding them to sup
port the report of the conference commit
tee when again presented. Senators Hill
Murphy and Irby were ngain absent from
the caucus.
The action of the senate caucus was re
eeived wi tn much satisfaction by mem
bers Of the house, and throughout tn
evening they gathered at the public cen
ters and discussed, the prospects of
speedy settlement Although the genera
understanding of members was that th
senators had not yielded on iron ore an
discussed reciprocity clause on coal, yc
the tendency was so strong for term
nation OF the struggle that there was n
criticism of what the senators were ea
pected to do Mr.. Springer said that th
caucus action would be readily accepte
by the house.