The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-08-09
% REPORT SOON
|arI6 Conferees Have Almost
Reached an Understanding.


WASHINGTON, Aug. s.-when the Demo
TAtio conference adjourned late yesterday
vas undcrstood on all sides that the Dem
crate would report to the full conference
his evening. Members of the conference
upportcd tho general faith by their state
uents, which were more or less sanguine
Pr guardsd, depending upon tho tempera-
ncnt Of the speaker.
While their utterance at the time OF All
ournment was not SO strong as those
which were heard earlier in the afternoon,
hcy were still sufficiently assuring to
Justify the statement that barring improb-
1blo contingencies the Democratic mem
Dors OF the conference will find themselves
prepared by this evening, or at the latest
pa Friday, % call in the Republican mem
Ders Of the conference for full meeting.
II will not say" said Senator Jones,
that we have agreed, for that would not
De true; but the situation Is cheerful and
The indications are that we shall finish the
work tomorrow IL we do not come to an
ngreemont tomorrow, shall consider the
conference at an end, for do not see the
utility OF continuing our interviews with
the house conferrees longer"
This was the situation at the end of day
(which had started out with determine
tion on the part of the senate conferrees,
enpported by the conservative senator's, TO
bring the question ut issue TO finality
during the day, and which later brought
the positive though unofficial announce
sncnt that this end had been accomplished
and an understanding reached.
Conferrees Confident.
The report began TO gain circulation
about o'clock, and 1t grew stronger and
stronger without receiving positive con-
drmation from those In position to know
tho facts until about 2:3o, when members
|of the conference and senator's who had
been closeted with them confirmed it to
|thc extent of saying that while all the de
tails had not been arranged, they felt con-
|xldent that basis had been found upon
(which the conference and both houses
could stand and terms actually agreed
upon which tho conservative senators
would accept.
Both Democrats and Republicans ac-
|cepted this as the approach of the end and
|&s equal to a definite announcement of
agreement. The terms given out were that
the sugar schedule was TO be rs published
last week, namely, a duty Of 40 per cent
ed vnlorem ON raw sugar, and 40 per cent
on the value of the raw sugar in the re-
lined, and 1-5 cent differential on re-
dued sugar; 40 cents a ton on coal and
Eroe iron ore, with slight changes in tho
metal, woolen and cotton schedules.
When, however, the conference recon
vened at o'clock, 1t soon developed that
oy no means had all the details been ar
ranged, and also that there was more or
less opposition to the program, and it was
not long before the conferrees found them
selves bcthsring over many of the samo
propositions which they had been con-
e1dering for days. 1t also became noised
abroad that the outlook was not 40 bright
- It had appeared few hours before.
II was understood that objection had
been made from the house to the reten-
tion OF the duty on coal, and that certain
senator's, among whom was Senator Pugh
q Alabama, had taken q decided stand
against what they termed tho sacrifice of
IRON orc. These complaints were sufficient
10 cause the conferrees to halt for q time,
md 10 Is known that some difficulties were
encountered in adjusting the differences
30 other schedules
Adjustments Near mt Hand.
The conferrecs were therefore not so |
1anguine upon tho adjournment of their
Aftcrnoon session as they were when the
forenoon session closed. They came out
n{ the conference somewhat anxious. but
Itill, ~ they asserted, hopeful that today
wonld see the flnal adjustment Of their
differences.
They stated, however, that the coal and
ron pre- rates were among those which had
not been fixed beyond recall Indeed,
sugar appears from the statements given
but TO be the only article upon which a
1cfinite conclusion has been reached, but
= was understood that either coal or iron
would 60 to the free list and the other
would be dutiable at the senate rate.
During the day IL was first one and then
he other OF these articles that was to be
've, and finally 1t was left open until to-
lay as to which 1t would be- Outside OF
'ngar, iron and coal, very little is said
sbout the other schedules, although the
|cnaSQrs say there wilt be few material
'hangcs in the manufacturing schedules