St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-10
THE SENATORS WEAKEN.
Leaders in Consultation De-
eide on an Important
Compromise.
FREE SUGAR CONCEDED
If the House Will Accept the
Senate Bill--COnfepeeS
Undecided.

WASHINGTON. Aug. 9.-The Demo-
cratic tariff conference mad expected TO
be able 10 announce an agreement to-
day. Instead of reaching any definite
conclusion the day closed with the bill
in quite as uncertain state as ever
before in its history, with the situation
in nOWiSe improved, and with the feel
ing between the friends OF the senate
and house bills intensified instead Of
aliayed. and with no one prepared to
say what the outcome would be or when
the end would be reached. 1t was ap-
parent at the very beginning of the
conference that those who had come to
the conclusion at the adjournment of
yesterday that an agreement would be
arrived at play had not taken SUI
ticiently into account the possibility OF
a misunderstanding or change of
mind. This discovery was made when
the senate conferees prepared TO go on
with the bill upon the basis OF duty OF
40 cents per ton OH coal and free iron
ore, whereVpon the house conferees
announced their unwillingness to assent
to:this arrangement.a and stated that they
would insist upon reversal OF these
terms. with the coal free and iron ore
dutiable if either was to be, as they
understood that they were TO have a
choice between the two. The avoWal
of this position produced
Immediate Confusion.
and led to an exchange Of remarks
which were not altogeter polite. The
senate c0nferees thereupon decided to
report the state of affairs to the con-
servative senators. and when the con-
ferees adjourned called Senators Cor
man, Brice. Smith and Murphy into
consultation. The whole situation was
outlined and then they were not only
made acquainted with the demand of
the house conferees for free coal but
were also given to understand that other
material concessions would be expected
by the house confereeS along the entire
line of the bill, including woolens,
cottons, metals. glasses and earthen-
ware. They decided upon all emphatic
negative in reply to these propositions.
saying that if ihe body of the bill was
not preserved virtually as it passed the
senate, the report of the conference
when made would not be accepted by
the senate. Senator Brice prop osed an
innovation in the shape of proposition
| that the house conferees be given an
opportunity to secure free sugar. His
idea in detail was that the senate con-
ferees should volunteer
To Recede Entirely
from the senate sugar schedule, leaving
both raw and refined sugar on the free
list, as provided in the house bill, and
| that the senate bill should be otherW Use
| accepted virtually IN its present shape,
with both coal and iron on the dutiable
list at this rate of 40 cents per ton. In
urging this upon tle confereeS he said
it would necessarily produce one of
three results. Ii it should be declined
by the house conferees it would place
the responsibility for the sugar duty
upon them. II it should be accepted
and the senate should on this account
efuse to adopt the committees report,
the house confereeS would still bear
the odium for insisting upon amending
the senate bill.
'If. thirdly" he said, "theY could
lines, and if the report should be &C
cepted by both houses and sbonld be-
come law, we should all be happy"
The conferees adopted the suggestion,
and presented the proposition to the
afternoon session of the conference. 1t
| Is understood that the pr OPPOSITION ere
ated some surprise on the part of the
house members, who at first eyinced a
disposition TO accept it, bus, after con-
| siderable discussion of the merits Of
this feature in the proposition. and of
| the other features involving the &C.
| ceptance of the other senate amend
| mentS,
Declined 10 answer
without further consideration. The
| question was therefore undisposed of
when the conference adjourned for the
day. The Republican senators were
also in consultation with the senatorial
| tariff conferees during the day, and it is
understood have given notice that if
there is material change in the moro
important schedules relating to manu-
featured articles they will resist the i'm
mediate disposition of the committees re-
| port when made, and have stated that in
that event more tariff oratory may be
expected. The house conferees have
| their side of the situation 10 tell. Chair
| man Wilson authorized the statement at
| the close of the conference today that
| the reports current through the day to
the effect that President Cleveland had
| interfered with the informal agreement
| reached last night were wholly unwar-
ranted and untrue. Mr.. Wilson said
the executive was carefully refraining
from eXerting any influence on the
conferees, and was leaving the mem
bers to shape their courses as they saw
fit The chairman called OH the presi-
dent occasionally, he said, but 1t was
not very often, and at these times MIR.
| Cleveland showed delicacy in saving
or doing anything which could be con-
strued as an eXertion of executive or
administration influence on the wo1k of
the conferees.
AS to the misunderstanding through
ous the day the house men understood
when the confe renee adjourned last
night that the Sc nators had conceded
that either iron ore or coal was to 20 on
the free list, the other remaining on the
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