The Opelousas courier., 1894-08-04
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. July 80. 1894.

President Cleveland has not changed
his mind about The desirability of ad-
hitting free of duty such raw materials
as coal and iron ore; nor have the
democratic majority of the House which
voted to put them on the free list in the
original Wilson bill nor have the
democratic voters of the country who
were under the impression when they
put a democratic Congress and ad-
ministration in power that free raw
materials were assured. Notwithstand-
ing this overwhelming democratic sen-
timent in favor of free raw materials,
coal and iron are to 60 on the free list.
1t is both unnecessary and Improbable
to enter into any explanation at this
time as to the why's and wherefores of
this. 1t is sufficient to say that the fact
has been made plain that no bill put
ting iron and coal on the free list can
pass the Senate. Therefore the demo-
Gratis of the House are brought face to
face with the choice of leaving the
Mckinley law stand or of allowing the
Senate to have its way about coal and
iron, and getting a new tariff law on
the statute books, which contains many
most excellent features and which is,
ever in the iron and coal schedule, q
big reduction from the duties imposed
by the Mckinley law.
This is the situation that confronted
the democratic House conferees when
they met the Senate c0nferees to-day
for their first formal meeting in their
second effort to reach an agreement on
the tariff bill. In addition they we're
met with the tie vote of the Senate re-
fusing to instruct its c~onferees to re-
cede from the di~fferential duty Of one
nfnhfh nE n nnnf n vnvnH mn -AH.1A
sugar, thus indicating, one might say
officially, that any change in the sugar
schedule would not be accepted by the
Senate.
Notwithstanding. all this chairman
Wilson and the House conferees are not
disposed to give up the fight; therefore
a call is being circulated for a caucus
of the democrats of the House, to be
held if no agreement is reached on the
bill by Tuesday. 1t is believed that
the conferees will endeavor to reach
an agreement upon everything except
the iron, sugar, and coal schedules of
the bill before the caucus is held, and
that chairman Wilson will then ask
the caucus what shall be done about
those schedules. It is, of course, i'm
possible to say what action the caucus
will take, but in view Of the fact that
the democrats of the House are prac-
tically unanimous in the opinion that
q tariff bill must be passed at this ses-
sion OF Congress, and that q bill cannot
be passed unless those schedules are
accepted in accordance with the de-
mands of the Senate, it is believed that
the caucus will instruct the c~onferees
to agree, knowing that the responsible
ity has been placed, by President
Cleveland's letter, where it belongs.
There has been much talk here about
the probability Of President Cleveland
vet0ing the bill If the House agrees to
the Senate, iron, coal and sugar sched-
ules, but / do not think it at all prob
able that he will. In fact, / have ex-
cellent reasons for the belief that he
has advised chairman Wilson and other
prominent democrats of the House to
get all the reduction possible in the
Senate bill and then to accept it as the
best that can be had. Mind, / do not
state it for q fact that President Cleve-
land has given such advice, but that l
have excellent reasons, which cannot
be told without violating confidence,
for believing that he has. 1t is known
that prominent democrats, outside Of
the other democratic conferees similar
advice.
The commission appointed by Presi-
dent Cleveland to investigate the causes
OF the recent railroad strike met for
the first time, to-day, in the Office of
Hon. Carroll ID. Wright, q. s. Com
missioner OF Labor, who is ex-oficio
chairman OF the Commission. No time
is to be lost in making the investigation.
The House committee on Labor af-
ter an extended examination Of the