Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-08-04
THE TWO DILEMMAS.
Rumormongers Quote a Remark
Made by President Cleveland.
Either Tariff Bill or a Silver Basis-Records
Of the Houses.

conference committee on the tariff bill
was reported, the capitol was soon filled
9TH exciting rumors, many of which have
B present as well as historical value in
showing how congress has recently lived
from day 70 day. It was said as if by the
highest authority, that the president had
notified lis supporters in the house to
yield because Secretary Carlisle had been
informed that he could borrow no more
money and in 10 days the government
would be dead ashore. The ruinor mon
gers went 50 fay as to quote the exact Ian
guage of the president to this effect: 1--WE
must yield. 1t is either this bill, and that
right soon, or we shall be on silver ba-
kis 4" it was said also that Mr.. Carlisle
had notified his friends in the house that
the government was practically bankrupt;
that the treasury reserve was running
low; that gold would probably go out fas-
ter than ever, and that something must
bc done Immediately, whether they liked
St or not. The ncXtreport was that Speak
cr Crisp was now the great obstacle in the
way Of settlement, and that he had dc
ularud that no bill at all would be better
than to surrender to the senate. Finally
figures wcrc produced and handed around
~ the effect that the Sugar trust had al
ready got in enough Of raw sugar to last
it Is months, and that with "A straight rev
cnuo tariff or fiat duty of 45 per cent or
any other arrangement whatever there
could be no revenue from sugar in all that
time.
A Delicate Situation.
All these rumors and many more some
with IA slight foundation in truth and
many with none, were spread in one aft
1
early und informal conferences took place
between senators and members it was soon
made apparent that the stalwarts of the
senate hid done I'll they could. Such sen
ators us Lindsay Vest, Turpic Cockrell
and Berry, men whom no stalwart in the
house has doubted, very frankly told their
colaborcrs In that body that there had not
been chance to liberalize the bill since
it passed the senate. They said in effect
''if We once bring it back into the senate
for open debate we shall never get it into
conference again. Those Populist soma
tors who hayc voted with the Democrats
emphasized this and went much further
According to many stalwarts the situation
stood thus: Among the Democratic sen
ators there are 81 stalwart tariff reformcrs
and seven who must he counted oil and on,
just as 1t happens. Mr. Irby has girdcd
up his loins and fled the scene; Mr.. Hill
is political gymnast, and, as TO the two
Louisiana senators and the other three, the
public knows the condition on which they
will vote for u bill. F"
Such was the plain statement sent to
the stalWarts Of the house from the most
stalwart of the senators. And in the
house there were no less than five factions.
A jocular cx- Confederate member put the
I,.
the SENATE Just like that Colonel R in
the Federal army lid at our fellows at that
stockado fight III Kentucky. What he
said amounted to this: Surrender, d-n
you, for If you don't | willp That has
been the attitude of our follows toward
the senate from the start John De Witt
Warner managed to laugh at this illus
tration, but came out rs vigorously rs ever
in assertion of his determination not to
yield. said he: "'rho committee will re-
port an agreement if we will just let them
alone. II we knock off the bonus to the
Sugar TRUST and put Il decent revenue tar
i'll on sugar, there are not 90 Democrats
in this house who would vote against it.
Add FREQ coal and iron, and it would be
just the same, but If you give free coal
and iron and lcavc the bonus on sugar this
house will never adopt it. The president
tried to dodge sugar, but to it he must
como in.ordcr to get free coal and iron or
indeed any bill. Would the senate yield?
you ask. | think they would. They have
never been tried yet.
Tariff Rcformers Not Satisfied.
All this time it was evident that the SON
timent In favor OF concession was growing,
and but for the pressure from homo tho
issuc could havo bccn closed a week ago.
G,,r,rnl .1iGtrirtS huNn bppn
vassrd very thoroughly by the local press
and the figures forwarded to the represent
ativcs. s.Iook here" said Mr. Cooper
of Indiana, lat these figures. There is not
ono Democrat or tariff rcformer in 80 who
il satisfied to Let the senate bill pass.
They insist on uS sticking to the house
bill. They don't understand the situation
here, of course, but il will be an awful job
to mako them 500 that" This is but a
sample 0f the statements coming in from
all over newest. 1t is vain for the mem
bcrs TO write back that this bill is n great
advance on the Mills bill, which would
have satisfied tho Democrats few years
ago. Their constituents are set on the
Wilson bill and persist in believing that
the house could get it If st would only
stick
National Arbitration.
GcTulnH tIlS racket, Int mousse nus
rushed through private and local bills till
il has overloaded the senate, and the lat
ter has about finished its work on the up
preparation bills, and all these things are
going smoothly between the two houses.
The representatives at length felt SO free
of obligation that they ahscnted them
selves or adjourned early and took up a
waiting attitude generally. The leaders
said that they had done all that IL was de-
sirable for record purposes to do at this
session, but some of the committees have
continued to bring in bills The commit
tee on labor has given an exhaustive study
TO the Springer bill, which provides for
national board of arbitration, and gener-
Willy favors it. Messrs, Boatner, Snod-
grass, Cooper and Harris of the Pacific
railroad committee have Joined in a mi
nority report looking toward government
control. and Mr. Harris the Kansas Dem
ocrat, has added an individual report, ia
voring complete government ownership.
The committee on agriculture will also
push its bills TO charter the Society of
American Florists, to transfer the fish COM,
n,,A Al go