The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-02-21
THE TARIFF MEASURE.
Still Held Back by the senate'a
Finance Committee.
A CAUCUS hAY BE NECESSARY.

Senator Gibson, of Maryland, Believes the
Democratic Members Must Meet to De-
fine n Line of Aotion-ProbabieC Conoes-
sions to Sugar Men.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2I.-There is consid-
cradle talk about the senate of the pros
pect of Democratic caucus TO consider
the tariff bill. Senator Gibson, of Mary
lnnd, who has been cooperating with SEN
ator German and others to secure duty
on coal, said that he considered caucus
inevitable, and that he thought 1t would
be held during the first part OF next week,
or possibly the latter part of the present
week. Members Of the finance committee
do not consider that caucus will be neces-
sary, and they confidently predict that
none will be held. They attribute the
caucus reports to the dissatisfied element,
and are evidently Of opinion that they will
not be able to secure sufficient backing
among Democratic senators TO force
caucus
The meeting of the full Democratic COM
mittee yesterday did not change the as
pect of the situation, so far as can be
learned. The sugar schedule appears to
be at present the item which is giving the
greatest annoyance, and there is no doubt
that but for the unsatisfactory status of
this matter the other disputed questions
would have been agreed upon before this
time and the bill reported to the full com
mittee. There is no feature of the bill
concerning which the members Of the
committee are SO on-communicative as
this, and they say they cannot talk for
the reason that anything they would say
would he misleading. They are unde-
cided between a wish to report favorable
to free sugar aud desire to insure the
harmony of the Democratic senators and
make sure of the passage of the bill in
the senate.
The duty advocates feel encouraged by
the delay, because they do not consider
that the postponement of the report can
iniure them, and they hope that it will be
of benefit to their cause. 1t cannot be
learned whether the subcommittee has
shown any favor to the sugar men at all,
but if il has, it has certainly not granted
all chat is demanded by them. The opinion
current about the senate Is that while a
majority of the subcommittee is opposed
TO any duty whatever on sugar !tbey will
concede about q of cent. The members
Of the committee admit that the pressure
is very strong for T., /, cents, but say they
feel very confident that even il the bill is
reported without any duty it will receive
the full Democratic support in the senate
when it comes to the test of vote, and
they may yet decide to let it go in at that
figure
There is good authority for the state
ment that the committee has decided upon
small duty on coal and also on lead ore.
The lead ore men are very confident that
they will get duty Of at least one cent
pound. There Is some authority for the
statement that iron ore will be undisturbed
and will be the same in the senate ms In the
house bill A member of the committee
gave his opinion today that the tax on
manufactured tobacco would be undis-
turbed, but thought it possible that a tax
would he placed on unmanufactured leaf
tobacco.