Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-18
The Situation Of the Tariff Bill
Now Serious; ,-
/ DISAGREEMENT REPORT TOMORROW
House Confesees viii Not Yield
Free Raw Material. .
SENATOR'S DETERMINED

-
committee have. at last. decided to an
nounce a disasreemeat. The republicans
met with them again. at O'Clock. to take
formal action which VIII result in a general
disagreement being reported to the two
houses tomorrow. 1t Is evidert that the
Senators who have planned to have the
Senate bill accepted about as II is, are
alarmed at the idea Of disagreement being
reported. 1t is inevitable that when such a
report 10 made, the fact that there are but
a few points Of difference will become
known, and that just what these points are
will be disclosed in some, semi-official way.
Questions will probably be asked in the two
houses and answered. and the fight will be
brought out to the open.
The Situation Serious.
The men who are ho.ding the conference
by the throat will, undoubtedly, have the
responsibility put upon them, and 1t is very
spt to be discovered soon whether the bill
Is to be killed or not. The situation looks
very serious for the tariff reformers today,
but. apparently. the House people are de-
termined to look this situation straight in
the face and stand out to the last In Con-
gress situations often so tc pieces all of a
sudden. but from the outlook today an ad-
tournment Of this session Of Congress is no.
where in sight. If the Senate does not
yield, the House threatens to stand out as
iohS as d quorum can De Kept.
The Real Fight.
With all that is said about sugar, a care
full study of the situation leads to the con-
clusion that the real fgnt is over iron ore
and COAL the free rGw material idea being
what the House will stick to. AS perplex-
ing as the sugar question is, the certainty
that the Senate will not yield on that
would probably lead to the House giving up
II the Senate yielded on other things, but
as long as the Senate insists upon the
House yielding all the important points in
controversy there seems TO be no prospect
OF an agreement. There is no question
about IT that the administration is in full
sympathy with the House. and it looks as
II the fight might be carried on even to the
death OF the bill before the House will
yield on all these things.
The Bill in Great Danger.
There is no room to doubt that the bill
is now in very great danger. The situation
seems to turn on the question of whether
or not the four five men in the Senate
who forced the compromise will have the
courage to defeat the measure II they fail
to hold what they have got in the Senate
bill.
Conference with Speaker Crisp.
Speaker Crisp was back in the House to-
day, after an absence of four days. and
gave early attention to looking over the
complicated tariff situation. He conferred
with Chairman Wilson and Messrs. Mont
gomery and Breckinridge of Arkansas on
the general features of differences between
the Senate and House. 1t could not be
learned that any definite plan Of action had
been outlined. yet the impression prevailed
among House leaders that it might prove
inexpedient to carry out the plan of re-
porting a total disagreement and asking
for instructions 1t was pointed out that
such a report would only emphasize the
character of the difference, and that should
the Senate and House instruct their con-
ferees to stand by their respective positions
1t would precipitate a real and obvious dead
lock.
StineninR the House C0nferees.
The advice of the House leaders was
therefore in line with a judge to a disagree
ing jury-to go back and try again. This
did away with the chance of a report of
disagreement today. II was believed also
that one of the results of the Speakers
return was to stiffen the determination of
the House conferees and to keep the con-
test in conference. 1t was stated. how
ever, that with the conferees in session
the situation might change at any moment
and one of Mr.. Crisp's closest advisers
said the report would probably come in
tomorrow.
1t has been developed also that differ
ence exists as to the scope Of the report
of disagreement. The House conferees de-
sire to make a partial report of such agree
~
ticns on the items subject to disagreement
But the Senate conferees have stood for
an agreement in toto, or a disagreement
In toto. This has made 1t impossible for
the House confereeS to get before the
House such special question of disagree
ment as they desired instructions upon.
Democrats Unable TO Agree.
The democratic conferees on the tariff
bill held a brief session today and adjourn
ed before II o'clock. They made another
effort to reach an agreement, but 1t proved
inefectl al. and the meeting adjourned
with the understanding that the full con-
ference of the COMMITTEES, which began at
2 O'clock would report disagreement.
The republican members of the committee
will make no opposition to this course.
Proposed Plan of Procedure.
One of the House conferees explained the
plan of procedure as outlined at the morn
ing meeting of the democratic conferees as
follows: The report will be a disagreement
in toto. 1t will be very brief am will not
go into any details as to what questions the
Senate and House might have come to-
gether on.
The report is expected to be the first busi-
ness taken up by the House when it as
sembles tomorrow at noon. This. of course
cannot be made certain until the republl-
can conferees give their assent. 1t IS in
their power to cause delay, but such action
is not anticipated. Beyond the point of
making the brief report of disagreement in
toto, the conferees profess not to know
what the House or Senate will do.
One of the House conferees said that The
three Items of sugar, iron ore and coal
were the points that had forced the total
disagreement. WoOlens, cottons, lead ere
and some other things had been open to
differences, yet it was hoped that these
could have been reconciled, said the con-
fierce, if sugar. coal and iron had not stood
in the way
On the Entire Bill.
The tariff conferees decided, after a brief
session of the full conference this afternoon.
to report a disagreement. and that the dis
agreement should be on the entire bill