St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-11
SENATORS HARD At WORK.
SEVERAL CHANCES IN TIE TsRiFF
BILL AGREED UP0M
TO BE REPORTED NEXT WEEK.


Duty on Coal, but Iron Likely
to Remain on the Free List.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 10.-The senate
subcommittee engaged upon the tariff
bill closed very busy week late this
evening, and when the work of the day
was concluded found that they had
made sufficient progress to "begin to
see daylight in the distance" as one of
them expressed it. They declined,
however, to state when the bill would
be in shape for presenting to the full
committee. The indications are that
they are making every effort to COM
plete 1t so as to present it some time
next week. Not only the members of
the committee, but the experts who are
assisting them, are putting in extra
hours on the bin. The developments of
the day indicate that the income tax feat
ure of the bill is to be undlsturbed, and
that the time for whisky in bond will be
extended for two years beyond the time
at present allowed, and that the free
list will be very much curtailed and
many of the articles now in this list
will be placed on the dutiable list under
the ad yalorem system. The latter
change is to be made in accordance
with the committees plan of making
the bill strictly a revenue measure, and
to avoid the appearance of fayoritism
The committee has been working in the
light of more information than it was
possible for the house ways and means
committee to have when the bill was
before it, and they have been devoting
themselves with assiduity to preparing
bill which will meet the
REVENUE REQUIREMENTS
with the end in view of preventing
another resort to the bond issue. They
lind ia pursuing this investigation, and
in view of the possibility of the contnu-
anee OF the present period OF depression,
Ehat it will be consistent with this pur-
pose to both retain the income tax and
TO place duty on sugar. Hence there
IS Little doubt that they have concluded,
as lar as they have decided upon any
course, to allow the income tax to re-
main substantially as passed by the
house. The sugar duty will be added,
out possibly at not so high a rate as the
Louisiana senators would desire, or as
has hitherto been suggested 1t may be
anywhere from three-fourths of a cent
10 one and a quarter cents per pound
on sugar under the 16 Dutch stand
ard. There is some opposition in
the subcommittee to any duty whatever
on talS grade, but the Louisiana sena-
tors are so urgent in their demands that
the committee will find it difficult, if a
majority were disposed to, to refuse,their
request. Ii it should be made TO appear,
after the bill shall have passed the sem
ate, that the bill will provide more rev
enue than will be necessary, and that
The house of representatives will be
dissatisfied with and unwilling to accept
1t. 1t can, of course, be amended in con-
ference. Indeed, the senate committee
IS taking into consideration the proba-
0liIty of having to make some changes
at that stage, and is shaping the bill ac-
cordingly. 1t is so with coal, and.
while it is understood that the bill, as it
will be reported by the subcommittee,
will report
A DUTY OF 80 CENTS
per ton on coal, it is believed that this
VIII be cut to 80 or 40 cents in confer.
ence.
The whisky men are working hard
for an extension Of the bonded period,
and they are likely to succeed. The
Kentucky diStilling interest is repre-
sented here now in the person of Capt.
L. r. Sherley. who has enlisted the
active cooperation of both Senators
Blackburn and Lindsay. They have
succeeded in getting the facts, as Capt.
Sherley and others who are engaged in
The same work understand them, before
the committee. They show by figures
obtained from the commissioner of in
ternal revenue that if the present laws
should continue in force. fixing the
bonded period at three years, which is
not changed by the Wilson bill as it
passed the house, the revenue derived
by the government from whisky in bond
would be at 90 cents per gallon, as
fixed by the present law, about $50.
100000 If the bonded period should be
extended without an increase of the
tax it would be about $40, 100000; but
If the bonded period should be length
ened and the tax increased to 81 per
gallon, the tax would still amount in
the aggregate to $3.50. 00O, 600; while eve n
if the tax should be increased to 81. 10
per gallon, even with the bonded period
extended,
THE GOVERNMENTS INCOME
from this source would be about $780,
100000. The distillers are devoting
themselves more particularly to secur-
ing an extension of the bond period
than to preventing action on the part of
the senate looking to an increase of the
tax. There is still possibility of a
material increase in the rate of the tax.
but no figures are given beyond
sL2O per gallon, with the chances
largely in favor of the figure
remaining as fixed by the present
bill, or at most that it will not be nut
above Sl.10, and that whether there is
any increase over the Wilson bill or
not the bonded period will be extended
to five years. The advocates of a duty
Oh iron ore are bringing strong press
ure to bear to secure a duty on that
article, but have not met with as much
encouragement as the coal men. The
committee finds difficulty in the way
which does not present itself in COM
mon with coal. Coal is a simple article,
and one action upon that will suffice,
whereas, If iron ore is transferred to
the dutisble list, the change may neces-
state the comp lete remodeling of the
metal schedule. The advocates of duty
admit this, but urge that the necessities
are strong. The Alabama senators are
understood to be especially urging this