Iron County register., 1894-08-16
THE TARIFF DILEMMA.
The Conferees Do Not Seem to Be
Able to Get Together.
Iron Ore and Coal the Stumbling Blocks
Chairman Wilson of the House
Ways and Means Committee
Defends the President.

Ways and Means Committee
Defends the President.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9.-''The report" I"
said Mr.. Wilson, the chairman of the
ways and means committee, to-day,
''that the president had smashed the
compromise agreed upon by the con-
ferees on coal. sugar and ore yester-
day, is an absurd invention. There is
not word of truth in it. The presi-
dent has never interfered in any man.
ner. He has treated the matter with
great delicacy.
Have you talked with the president
at various stages of the situation?''
Il have seen him occasionally during
the past few weeks, but he has never
manifested the slightest inclination to
instruct the conferees as to their duty.
AS l say, he has shown unusual deli
cacy in his reference to the matters in
dispute. / have felt it only proper,
since the president is the head of the
party, to acquaint him with what we
are doing, but, beyond a general con-
versation, nothing of special impor'
tance has passed between us
The authoritative statement made by
Mr.. Wilson was called out by the
stories that were freely circulated
about both wings of the capitol to-
day. AS the members of the house
dropped into the cha amber this morning
they had all heard the same story
which had evidently originated in the
hotels last night. The story was re-
lated with so much circumstantiality
of detail that by the hour of noon a
dozen members could be found who
claimed to know positively that it was
correct.
Later in the day came a new report
that the cOnferees were further apart
than ever; that the senate conferees.
acting under instructions from the
senatorial body, had fatty repudiated
their promise of the day previous. and
that disagreeing report would likely
be made tomorrow.
How much truth there was in the
story that the president had overturned
the compromise agreed upon in tenta'
tive manner, yesterday, as far as SUI,
gar. coal and iron ore were concerned,
is shown by the frank and straightfor
reporter of the United Press. How
much truth there is in the subsequent
report that the conferees were to-day
farther apart than ever, may be seen
from the statement of another member
OF the conference regarding the situa-
tion as it stood at the hour of adjourn
ment this evening.
This member, who is a manager on
the part of the house, said that yester
day the proposition was made that
they might have their choice between
free iron ore or free coal, and that
while this matter was being discussed
Mr.. German made a proposition that
the house should have free coal, and
that iron ore remain at forty cents a
ton. According to this conferee this
proposition was accepted, and Mr. Cor
man then sent them another offer in the
shape of free sugar. This conferee was
frank enough to admit that this second
offer fairly took away the breath OF
the house members, but said that
after they had discussed it for a
short time it was declined with
thanks. He said the house conferees
had made up their mind that they did
not want free sugar, but that they
would stand by the sugar schedule
they had previously suggested, and
which had been agreed to all around
in conference, to-wit, a duty of 40
per cent. on raw sugar; a duty of 40
per cent. on the raw in the refined, and
one-fifth of cent pound differential
for the refining interests. $50 far as
the house was concerned" said this
conferee, ''they stood just where they
did last night for duty on sugar, iron
ore taxed at forty cents a ton and
free coal.
This morning he said the senate in
sisted that the proposition should be
free iron ore and coal dutiable at forty
cents ton, and the house refused to
accept it.
After the conference this afternoon
one of the most prominent senators on
the committee said that he would never
vote for an agreement that included
free coal for the reason that such bill
could not pass the senate, and he did
not propose to lend himself to any
scheme that was intended as trap to
get the bill into the senate where it
was to be killed. lie believed that
basis of compromise might
be reached where bill could
be arranged that would pass
through all the dangers that now sur
rounded it and yet become a law,
but the proposition for free coal and
free sugar was one that was not, as
he believed, intended to help the bill,
to say the least. This senator made
the emphatic statement that coal
should not be free, and he declined to
say whether there was an agreement
in sight or to say that there was not.
1--WE may agree in an hour" said he,
land we may be here for several days,
and possibly forever.
1t was said by one of the senators
that as fast as an agreement was
reached on one thing something else
that could not be granted by the SEN
ate was asked by the house and in
sisted upon, although to give it was
imperilling the success of the bill.
The coal men in the senate are up in
arms at the thought of free coal, and
i. looks as if all that had been done