Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-08
TARIFF BILL PROSPECTS
The Peculiar Situation When the Confer
ence is Held.
Ii f. Believed That Certain Amend
Weighty Influence.

The gen eral belief among Senators Of
both parties Is that the vote on the tariff
bill will be taken the latter part of next
week. or not later than the middle of the
week following. After the bill is passed 1t
will be got into conference as quickly
as possible. A peculiar feature of the con-
ference will be that most, II not all, the
democratic members of the conference COM
mittee will be opposed to the Senate amend
ments which increase duties. The demo-
Gratis representing the Serate will probably
be Voorhees,, Harris and Jones. or If Noor-
hees should prefer not to serve, Vest would
be put after Harris on the committee.
All these Senators are known to be In
favor of lower duties than they were COM
PEELED to provide in the bill of their recon-
struction, and personally opposed to many
Of the Senate amendments which they will
have to defend. The House conferees on
the democratic side, however, selected are
bound to be earnestly opposed to the Sen
ate amendments. The situation VIII thus
be presented of two sets of men who agree
perfectly as to what ought to be done,
be done.
The situation in Conference.
1t will be a very different fight from one
the parties to which are divided on princi-
pie or even in opinion.
The Senate conferees will be in the atti-
tude of granting that, in their opinion. the
House position as to the chief questions of
contention is the better position, but in
sisting that what the Senate has done must
be agreed to, anyhow, since nothing better
can be had. This argument of necessity will
be a hard one for the House conferees to
contend against, especially when pressed
upon them by men who are quite as radical
as are they themselves as tariff reformers.
A good many democrats in the House are
.sv,rr hot To al In m
struggle, because the Senate conferees will
be men personally inclined to do so. The
personal inclination of the Senate conferees
does not count for much under the circum-
stances. II they could act upon their own
convictions and desires they would have
done so In the first place. and as conferees
they will be placed in about the same posi-
tion they were as members of the Senate
committee. where they have to take what
they can get or else get nothing.
They will probably have but one answer
to the arguments OF their associates from
the House as to the vital issues. and that is
that they would like to have things diff
ferent as much as the House would but
that 1t is either take this or let the bill
fail.
The Important Amendments.
There are a number Of rates put into the
bill by the Senate with the idea that they
will have to be yielded and there are still
others that the Senate will be compelled to
yield in order to make any progress to-
ward a settlement between the two houses.
1t is not believed. however, any Of those
amendments which were necessary in order
to hold democratic votes for the bill In the
Senate can he yielded, however much the
Senate conferees might be disposed to do
so. 1t Is believed that these amendments
will be- as weighty in influencing the fate
of the bill after it has been sent to confer
ence as they are In getting 1t through the
Senate originally.