Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-05-10
TARIFF IN CAUCUS.

A Vote of Confidence In tho Finance
Alone by Hill. OF New York, Who OBJ.
3ects to the Income Tax aud the Sugar
Duty-The Bill Expected to Be Passed
Before the End of May.
WASHINGTON, May 4.-Thirty-
democratic senators, all but six of the
membership of the body. met in con-
ference in the marble room of the SEN
ate. yesterday afternoon. from o'clock
until almost z. A number of speeches
were made, and a vote of confidence in
the finance committee passed. Senators
were not bound by the action of the
conference, but by an almost unan-
imOus vote they were requested to Of
fer no amendments to the pending tar
if bill, and indorse those submitted by
the finance committee.
The conference was not decided upon
till late in the afternoon when the
members of the finance committee, be-
lieving that they had everything about
fixed, thought it was an opportune
time to discuss the bill before their
party associates. The caucus, or con-
ference, as the democrats termed it,
was called to order by Mr.. German,
the only absentees being Messrs.
Mills, Butler, Murphy, Lindsay, Irby
and Gibson. There was no significance
in the absence of either of these sena-
tors. They were not at the capitol
and knew nothing of the meeting.
Senator Jones, chairman of the sub
committee, was the first speaker. He
said the committee had decided upon
M ~
go into detail concerning these amend
ments. assuring the senators that the
concessions were not great and that
tae rates throughout the bill would be
gr,atly less than those in the present
law.
Mr.. Jones announced the sugar
schedule that had been agreed upon,
and it corresponded exactly with that
published heretofore in these dis
patches-40 per cent. ad valorem on all
sugars, both raw and refined, with
one-eighth of a cent in addition on re-
fined sugars. The discriminating duty
of one-tenth of a cent on refined sugar
is allowed against sugars of this kind
from countries that pay an export
bounty. 1t was also agreed that the
bounty should continue to be paid this
year. the date at which the sugar
schedule is to take effect being changed
from July to January 1, 1895.
Mr.. Jones discussed the income tax
at some length, stating that the OBJ
jectionable features had been taken
from the measure. Its operation was
limited to a term of five years, although
MIR. Vest urged six years. The rate
remains the same and the limit of ex-
emption is untouched. The inquisitor-
ial features had been eliminated en-
tirely and the tax placed on corpora
tions directly instead of the dividends
of such corporations after passing into
the hands of individuals.
Mr.. German spoke in favor of the
bill and of harmony in the party. He
declared that the bill as it came from
the house was not satisfactory, and that
it had been necessary to make num-
Der of changes He did not take kindly
to the income-tax feature-in fact, he
was opposed to it. He believed it to be
a mistake, and thought it would cause
trouble and hurt the party in the
northern states. Still, Mr.. German
said, the south and west insisted upon
it, and he was compelled to yield his
Judgment and accept the tax with the
fve-year limitation.
Mr.. Vest, of the committee. spoke
briefly in explanation of the changes
in the income tax. Mr.. Villas and Mr..
Palmer followed, speaking for har-
mony and unity.
The burden of the remarks of Mr..
was the sugar tax. He
thought that sugar should be on the
free list. While he strenuously OPP
posed the concessions made to the
sugar men by the committee, he would
a bide by the decision of the majority
and vote for the bill.
Mr.. Morgan had few words to say
the sugar duty and the SUI
gar trust, and was followed by Mr..
Coke, who opposed the concessions
that had been granted the northern
men. He intimated in parliamentary
terms that the committee had been in
and while he said he felt
free to enter an emphatic protest in a
party caucus, Mr.. Coke declared his in
tention of voting for the bill.
Then it was that Mr.. German left
the chair and submitted to the caucus
a resolution which was in the nature
of vote of confidence, a resolution
which one senator said afterwards was
so full of loopholes that almost any
thing could be done with it. In sub
stance the preamble set forth that the
committee had made a re-
port of certain desira BILE changes, and
that the necessity existed for the
prompt passage of a tariff bill. There
fore it was resolved that in the con-
duct of the bill in the senate demo-
cratic senators be required not to pro.
pose any amendments except such as
are offered by the finance committee.
made characteristic speech. He de-
nounced the compromise and said that
the income tax was not necessary, de-
flying anyone to show it was needed in
the bill for revenue purposes. No ono
to reply to this challenge.
In addition to the income tax Mr..
Hill criticized the committee for put
ting in the forty-one millions of sugar
tax. Mr.. Hill, in denouncing the in
come tax, went over someof the ground
covered in his speech in the senate; de-
clared that the whole scheme was I'M
and not called for by any
plank in the party platform.
He declared that the income tax
could not be amended by limiting it to
five years. twas wrong; it was wrong
during any period of operations; if it
was right it should be made the
policy of the party.
He declared that it was not what