Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-23
SENATORS IN CAUCUS
It is Believed That a Democratic Caucus
Will Be Held Monday.
Attempts Made to Reduce the Oppose
tiOn to the Tariff Bill-The Sugar,
Coal and Iron Advocates.

The Senate is not in session today, but
work on the tariff bill is in progress. The
subcommittee of the finance committee
the official existence of which has been
denied on the floor of the Senate, is in
session in the large committee room, free
from all interruptions by Senators or by
the anxious outside world. The situation
however. is far from being calm.
Though there is lull in the surface in
dications of trouble and discomfort among
the democrats there are signs underneath
to show that the situation is nearly daily
growing more serious. Senator German
announced this afternoon that he thought
the caucus would be held on Monday
morning at IL o'clock. as requested in the
call which was circulated yesterday 1t
Is the accepted belief at the Capitol that
the call for caucus was originally intended
as bluff by the seven Senators who met
yesterday morning In Senator Buffers
committee room and who represent the
chief malcontents on the subject of the
tariff bill.
The call was intended. it is thought. to
scare the subcommittee or the full demo-
cratic membership of the finance committee
into favorable action on the articles most
in dispute. such as sugar, COAL iron and
lumber. Last evening. however, it became
apparent that the committee was not to be
biuffed and the call had to be abandoned or
pushed to a conclusion. That the latter al
tentative was accepted is taken to indicate
the desperate character of the opposition to
the bill. What these Senators hoped to ac-
compiish in caucus cannot now be readily
foretold. but 1t is thought that they will
endeavor to pursue a course that will avoid
definite action In the way of vote binding
the members of the caucus to the support of
the bill. On such vote the opposition
would undoubtedly be defeated, so there
would be nothing to gain from forcing the
fight to such conclusion.
Independent of Party.
On the other hand, 1t was anticipated that
the program of the kickers is to make
speeches in the caucus of such a character
that will leave them free to vote against
the bill should certain commodities be left
on the free list. Their speeches would prob
ably be made In the nature of warnings
that If certain things are not done by the
committee they will feel free to oppose the
bill on final passage. Inasmuch as six
votes taken from the democratic strength
and cast with the republicans against the
bill will certainly defeat it. the force of the
opposition and Of the effect made upon the
caucus will undoubtedly be very strong.
The democratic opponents to the bill, il
Is said. claim that they are sure of ten
votes II the bill should come to the Senate
in the form that 1t came from the House.
There were seven Senators in the confer
ence Of yesterday: Senators Brice Butler,
Cafrey, German. Hill, Murphy and Smith.
In addition, they expect support from Sena-
tor Gibson, Senator Whites successor. and
possibly one of the Alabama Senators,
most likely Mr.. Pugh.
Fighting for Sugar.
1t was ascertained today that the SUBJ
committee had made overtures to Senator
Caffrey. in the hope of winning him from
the opposition by promising him a tariff of
a cent pound on sugar. He. however, be-
lieves that the interests of Louisiana will
not be sufficiently protected under such a
rate, and insists upon cent and 4 half,
which the committee are not inclined to
give. None of the opposition Senators are
n ore earnestly determined to secure the
amendment to the bill than Mr.. Cafrey,
who has not wavered since the beginning
of the fight
Mr.. Hill, though saying nothing, publicly,
is telling his friends that the sentiments
uttered by him in his Wheeling speech of
1870. are still entertained by him, and al
though he does not believe in riding pro-
lection to DEATH he thinks that American
labor ought to be protected by tariff that
will make it, In value, equivalent to
European labor.