The morning call., 1894-08-13
And Pass the Am ended Tariff
Bill Any Time.
PLANS FOR THE CAUCUS TO-DAY.
If the New York Statesman's ResO-
luton Is Defeated There Will
Soon Be an Agreement.

been a day of conferences at the W hlte
House, at the private residences OF the
conferees and at the hotels.
Secretary Carlisle was with President
Cleveland throughout the afternoon. The
Senate and House conferees made no
effort to get together, and they remain as
wide apart as when their meeting broke
up on Friday night. The House conferees
were in consultation Informally most OF
the day, though at no time were they all
together at once.
Chairman Wilson spent the day with
Represen tative Breckenridge Of Arkansas
at the Normandie Hotel, and was there
called upon by the other conferees. Wilson
did not see the President to-day. The
meetings were to decide as to the line of
action al the caucus tomorrow and in the
subsequent proceedings Of the Senate and
House. They reviewed the situation from
every possible standpoint and prepared
themselves for all emergencies.
AS one OF them said tonight, it was
going over the field of battle and learning
the topography of the ground on the night
before the great fight. At the outset the
House conferees satisfied themselves Of
They had done this with the greatest care.
Speaker Crisp had been asked to examine
with care the precedent! bearing on the
case, and he in turn consulted Secretary
Carlisle, whe, as ex-Speaker Of the House.
is regarded as one of the best authorities
on the parliamentary law.
From the examination which has been
made the conferees were perfectly salts
fed the House of Representatives had the
right to pass the Senate bill now or at
any time. This determination went much
further than has heretofore been under
stood. 1t was that the House. having the
actual physical possession of the tariff
bill, could pass ii. with the Senate amend
ments, before the Hill resolution passed
tomorrow, or after the Hill resolution was
defeated. So confident were the House
conferees of their right to pass the bill at
any time that they regarded their rights
as entirely unaffected by anything the
Senate could DO with the Hill resolution
or any other resolution. They recognized
there were some precedents against this
position, but they regarded the over
whelmlng force as authority with them,
and they therefore accepted IL as settled
that the House had supreme authority
over the bill without reference to what
the Senate might do tomorrow or there
after.
This conclusion was Of the utmost i'm
portance In bearing on the action Of the
caucus tomorrow. 1t assured them in the
fist place there was no need of precipltate
action toward accepting the Senate bill
before HilPs resolution had passed. This
resolution could be taken up in the Senate
at IL o'clock, and 1t had been feared at first
that the House caucus, which begins at
o'clock, would be compelled to take hasty
action in accepting the Senate bill in order
to prevent the House from losing its op-
portunity to pass the Senate bill by the
adoption of the Hill resolution. 1t was
agreed, however, that no such haste was
necessary. On the contrary it was felt
the House In having possession of the bill
and parliamentary right to pass it al
any time had everything to gain and
nothing to lose by deliberate action.
Under these circumstances it was
deemed advisable to inform the House
fully as to the situation, and to explain
tb at precipitation in accepting the Senate
bill would gain nothing. while deliberate
action in waiting to see what the Senate
would do might accomplish much good.
1t was pointed out in this connection that
the House need be in no fear of the Hill
resolu tion being rushed through.
Wilson and his associates have some
sterling friends in the Senate, notably
Senators Villas. Gray, Lindsay and others.
who could, if the occasion required, insist
on very complete debate of the Hill reso-
luton which might last from day to day.
This the House conferees regarded as
assuring them a breathing spell and as
making it plain that the House need not
rush to its conclusions. Entertaining
these views, the House conferees did not
believe it was necessary or prudent for the
House caucus tomorrow morning to then
and there pass a resolution to at once ac-
cept the Senate bill. They realize that the
situation is so critical that the question of
accepting the Senate bill might come be-
fore the caucus and develop such over
whelming and reSistlesS force that ii
would be useless to oppose it. They were
prepared for this emergency and were
ready to accept if it came.
They wouldn't, however, counsel it them
selves, ana IL III Cdulo IL Wuuiu nave JO Ue
the outgrowth of this spontaneous senti-
meut In the caucus. 1t was felt, however
that dispassionate statement of the case,
howing the House would lose none of its
right to pass the Senate bill by deferring
action a day or so. would bring a bout a
conservative result n the caucus. Exactly
what this action will be will not be defin.
tely outlined. although the House con-
ferees thought 1t would be perhaps for the
,caucus to adjourn aud wait to see what
the Senate did. Then, if need be, the eau
Gu. could be held and more intelligent ac.
Ii on taken after the Senate had acted. In
the meantime the House would lose poth-
ing. II the Hill resolution was defeated,
and the House conferees think there is al
least an even chance Of its efeat, then the
conference between the Senate and House
could be- resumed with every prospect
in the Judgment of the House conferees
that speedy agreement and report could
be reached.
Ii on the other hand it was passed, then
the second caucus could accept the Senate