The morning news., 1894-08-04
TO FIX UP A TARIFF BILL.
The Conference Committees Finally
Agree TO Agree.

Washington, Aug. 3.-The conference
committees have finally agreed to agree
Up to yesterday there was still conten-
tion and pickering, and no agreement
seemed possible. Senator Jones moved
to disagree and report such a disagree
ment to the Senate and House. The
House showed the weakness of its posi-
tion by urging Senator Jones to withdraw
his motion. The Senate has since dicta-
ted its own terms. The new bill will un-
doubtedly be compromise between the
Senate and the Wilson bill, but it will re-
semble the Senate measure far
more than that which came
from the House 1t is not likely
that any report will be made before Tues
day or Wednesday. Ii is given out tonight
that the compromise on sugar is more ad-
vantageous to the trust than the Senate
schedule. 1t gives 40 per cent. on raw
sugar under No. l6 Dutch standard, and
40 per cent. on raw sugar used in refined
sugar, with an additional one-ifth to the
refined article.
But no specific report as to schedule
| can be regarded as authentic. The only
thing which seems reasonably certain is
that an agreement IS about reached. So
| much conferee said this morning.
| CONFIRMED BY MEMBERS OF THE CABINET.
BY the Southern Associated Press.
Washington, Aug. 3.-After the cabi-
net meeting to-day four members an
nounced, each to a different person, that
an agreement had been reached by the
| Senate and House conferees on the tariff
| bill. The basis of the agreement was not
| disclosed, but one of the most distin-
| guished members of the cabinet said to
| the Southern Associated Press represent
! ative: You can announce that the
| President will sign a tariff bill within ten
| days
The explanation of this report, which is
current at the capitol, is that sugar
| schedule has been agreed upon, and has
| been accepted by the House conferees, as
| follows Forty per cent ad valorem on
! all raw sugar and the same amount on all
| refined sugar, the duty TO be collected,
| however, on the basis of the saccha-ine
| strength. In addition to this there
| is to be a diferentlal to the retiner of
| one-fifth of a cent pound and discrimi-
| mating duty against those countries that
pay an export bounty on refined sugar
| equivalent to the bounty so paid. 1t is
understood that the government will
also regulate in some way the prices of
foreign sugars 50 as to prevent any at
tempt to juggle with the quotations.
THE SENATE CAUSES TIE HITCH.
Everything" said one of the House
| conferees, when a recess was taken to
day, lis looking well. Both sides are
| working hard, and propositions and coun-
er-proposition are being continually
made. There are no differences between
| the House and Senate conferees. If the
| matters in dispute were left to us, they
would be settled in an hour, and the
House bill would be the measure agreed
! upon. Bat the Senate cOnferees are not
"a, -
| preferences. They know they must agree
upon a report that will be adopted by the
Senate, and that it is not advisable TO
! change the Senate bill too radically for
! prudential considerations. Just how far
| the Senate will go in the direction of a
compromise is not known Armed with
| this knowledge, the rest of the work
| would be comparatively easy"
! TO what have the cOnferees devoted
their time during the sessions Of this
week." he was asked.
''To consideration of the coal, iron ore
! and sugar schedules. The other sChed-
ules are only considered incidentally"
when do you expect to reach an agree
ment on those disputed pointsl"
81 can only say in personal way" he
I replied, that we are gradually making
| progress. ] should not be surprised if a
general understanding were reached on
| coal, iron ore and sugar by tomorrow
| evening, or by Monday at the latest.
| With these once determined we can settle
the other schedules in forty-eight hours,
and be ready TO call on the republican
members of the conference not later than
Thursday of next week"
DENIALs BY THE CoNFEREEs.
Every member of the conference denies
that there has been any agreement, but
sufficient has leaked from the conference
I ,r.l, d.
! there can ge no longer any reason TO
doubt that they have agreed as
to what they will do when the
time comes to act The House con
| ferees have always ned that
| there was hidden away in the schedule of
the Senate bill protection to the trust
that greatly augmented the differcntial
oEe-eighth that was given them and they
have contended that this should be re-
moved. Upon this basis they demand
| that the text of the bill should be
changed and in a spirit of concession the
/ Senate, to 1hat extent, yielded AS now
| prepared the sugar schedule will provide
for the levying of the following duties :
/ On all 10 " and refined sugars, 40 per
cent. ad valorem, the same rate as here
tofore. but with this difference, that the
| duty will be based, not on the price per
| pound, nor the mere pound of the article
| purchased but upon the sacCharine
| strength Of the sugar found in the total
amount. If the sugar is raw the duty
will be collected upon only the pure su-
gar that it contains. and when it comes
to the collection Of the duty on refined su-
gar, instead OF the collection being made
upon the value of the refined article, il will
be based upon the value and amount of
pure sugar necessary TO make the refined
product.
No HIDDEN PROTECTION.
In this way it is claimed, there will be
absolutely no hidden protection for the
trust, and that nothing will accrue to
them through the process Of refining. The
rohner will be given a differential duty of
! one-fifth Of cent pound on refined
sugar, and discriminating duty levied
/ against such countries as pay an
export bounty on refined sugar, equiva-
lent 70 the amount Of that bounty. 1t is
! figured out by those who advocate this
duty that IL Is not any better for the
| trust than the former schedule,
although this is denied in other
quarters u is also said that
the House conferees will accept this as
solution of the problem, and that they
viii claim IL as victory because 10 does
away with the alleged hidden protection.
| The next step after the House
| agreed to accept this schedule
was to find out IL the refining