The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-08-13
THEYARE CALM IN SPIRIT.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS CONFIDENT OF
 VICTORY OA THE BILL.


 VICTORY OA TIRE BILL.
 No Longer Question of Choice Between
 the senate Bill and the Wilson Bill, But
 Between the senato Bill and tho McKin-
 ley Law.
 Washington. Aug. 12.-The week just ended left the tariff hanging in mid air. What its condition will be by the ! time the present week is ended the : most sanguine politicians will not pre- dict There is belief, however, that the time for action has arrived and that the long and tiresome struggle is about to cease. The situation has become clear to & certain extent, for 1t Is no longer : a question of choice between the sem ate bill and the Wilson bill, but be- tween the senate bill and the Mckinley law.
 At the conference of the conservatives and the steering committee of the dem ocrats on Saturday the opinion was general that the Hill resolution would pass by good majority if vote should be taken and 1t h believed then that a vote will be reached tomorrow after noon. A senate conferee said this after noon that if the senate passed that res olutfon the conferees would certainly bring In g. disagreeing report and the senate would hold that 1t had the bill before 1t subject to its action. What the action will be there Is no agree ment of views as democrats and repub- licans alike now admit that if the bill gets before the senate again 1t will be defeated.
 Democrats who want to see some sort of tariff bill passed by this congress look to the house for their political salvation and the situation now ap- pears to be race for time. The house, In caucus will be urged to take up the senate bill and accept 1t as 1t came to that body and thus end the struggle, some of the democratic autheritieson parliamentary law in both branches - maintaining that this can be done leg ally, although the bill Is now in confer ence, and that at least its show of leg ality., would be as good as that con- templated by the senators in demand Ing a disagreeing report on the bill 30 that they may kill it.
 No business of any kind can be done In the senate until this tangle is un- travelled, for there appears to be votes enough to keep the matter before the senate a certain number of hours each day. It is said that by Monday 1t will be proved to the Louisiana senators that they cannot get the bounty which, Is asserted, the house conferees have promised them and that as soon as they know this they will again vote as they did before on all motions intended to help defeat the bill. Yesterday they voted5in favor Of going into executive session although the day betore they voted 2onEa similar question in the op.1 posite direction.
 The debate on MT. Hills resolution will begin promptly after some routine morning business on Monday. Leading democrats who are leagued with the ad- \ miAistration in this issue say that there will not be any effort at filibuster- ing against 1t. -.
 The only item of business arranged for the house this week is the caucus of democratic members called for 10 o'clock tomorrow morning to determine upon policy to be pursued with re- spect to the tariff bill. Upon the issue of that caucus probably will largely de- pend the subsequent proceedings of the house. If 1t shall be determined that business Is to be continued it will un- doubtedly be proceeded with along the lipes that have been followed during the past few weeks.
 The night before the house caucus which will settle the faith of the pend- ing tarin legislation finds the demo- cratic leaders in that body who have charge of the measure calm in spirit and confident of 8 satisfactory solution of the knotty problem. The house con- ferees were not in session today, but Messrs. Wilson and Breckenridge spent most of the afternoon together talking over the situation. They were joined later by several gentlemen and the un- derstanding tonight Is that no opposi- ton will be made at tomorrow's eau GUS to the motions to concur in the senate amendments to the tariff bill.
 There has been some questions as to the president's wishes regarding the caucus. It was thought in some quar- ters yesterday that he might use his influence with the house leaders to pre- vent the caucus and thus continue the contest between the houses. There Is no reason to believe the president will attempt to interfere. On the contrary one of the most distinguished democrats In public life--a gentleman who is deep- ly interested in the house bill-saw the president this morning and explained to him at length the situation as viewed from the house standpoint. Incidental mention was made of tomorrow's cau- GUS, but the president had nothing to say with reference to 1t. He did not approve it, nor did he condemn it and wal apparently n indifferent to its re- suit as though 1t were . matter of mere routine. Another subject of speculation was what action the president will take 1.-the bill is sent to him.
 It is said by those who are .'closest" to the president both in personal and political sense that he will approve any bill which comes to him with the sanction of the house conferees. His spprovaf might take the form of per- hitting it to become law without hts signature, but 1t is not believed he will veto it If 1t reaches him under the fore going circumstances
 The membefs of the senate "steering'. committee were not+in session today. $ Senator Chandler of New Hampshire ssaid tonight: N. s ,.