The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-28
THE TARIFF CRISIS
Vice President Stevenson
Summoned to Washing
ton In Haste.
WILL THE HOUSE HOLD OUT ?
Close Vote of the Senate an Em-
barrassment-Report on
Tuesday.
WILL THE HOUSE HOLD OUT !?

WASHINGTON, July 2s, 1S94.-Vice Pres
ident Stevenson has been telegraphed for
by the Democratic Senate Tariff managers
to return to Washington at once. as. in their
opinion, his presence at this juncture is inn
peratively needed by his party associates
The Vice President is at his home in
Bloomington, Ill. Representative Catchings
of Mississippi, a member of the Committee
on Rules, called at the White House this
morning and had talk with Mr.. Cleveland
about the tariff situation.
The House conferrees make no secret of
the embarrassment of thesr position, espe-
cially in relation to the Presidents attitude
on the bill, and are anxiously searching for
way out of their difficulties
Soon after Mr.. Catchings took his depart
ure from the White House, Chairman Will
son -rrived. Though still j. poor health, he
took the night train FRONT mis- home in West
Virginia Immediately on being advised that
the Senate had sent the bill back to confer
ence, and ON his arrival here drove
at once to the White House, which he
reached at ten A. M. The President re-
ceiyed him Immediately, and closed the door
to all other callers. Senators Call and Pasco
of Florida and number of others were wait
ing to see the President on matters of APP
pointment, but were informed that the Presi-
dent was engaged Chairman Wilson and
Mr.. Cleveland remained in close communion
for over an hour
YESTERDAYS RESULT.
The result of the action of the Senate yes
terday was discounted by the very careful
canvass that had been made on the votes 1t
was known long beforehand that the bill
tions as had been decreed by the Democratic
caucus The Republicans, hard as they
worked were unable to muster up that one
vote necessary to strike out the differential
duty on refined sugar and just as the
hands on the big clock indicated the
hour of three p M. the bill was
sent back. The news reached the members
Of the House long before the official an
nouncement by Secretary Cox, and there
was considerable rejoicing over there at the
result, not unmixed, however, with specula-
ton as to what the ultimate outcome would
be. Mr.. Stewart, true to the reports that
had been circulated concerning him. refused
to vote, and all action that was taken de-
pended upon tie vote of 80 to 81. On two
to sustain the appeal, this tie operated in the
negative, but on the important question, the
motion itself, the tie meant defeat.
ALL IN THE FORM.
There was some query as to how Mr.. Har-
ris would put the motion. Precedents give
its form as follows:-"Shall the decision of
~ Chair be sustained as the Judgment of
gohe Senate"
In this form the motion required those
who desired to sustain the Chair to furnish
the majority of the votes, while as a strict
matter of right the appellants ought to have
been compelled to get the votes.
In the House the question would have. been
the tie vote would have sustained the Chair.
Some Republican Senators thought that,
perhaps, Mr.. Harris, knowing the close vote,
would put it in this way; but in discussing
this matter afterwards, Mr.. Harris said he
would have cut off his arm before he would
have violated the precedents of the Senate in
that manner.
seThere are some precedents in this body
for which | have very little respect, y said
Mr. Harris, ''and this is one of them, but |
would not interfere with it to accomplish an
action on the part of the Senate that had
any bearing on any ruling might make. So
long as | am in the chair will be governed
by It's usage, but | intend to see to it that by
some sort of rule this question shall in
the future be put in the proper way
TEMPORARY RELIEF.
Republicans look upon the action of the
Senate yesterday as affording their OPP
ponents but a temporary relief, and say
they will renew the attack when the bill
comes back on the next conference report
This presumes that another conference re-
port will be made, and, indeed, any other
assumption, is to conclude that, the House
would swallow the present Senate bill
without the dotting of an si' or the crossing
of 1T, presumption that is not justified
by the facts, There are number of para
graphs in the bill that were intended to be
cut down in conference and many of the
Senate amendments will be receded from.
Senator Jones, Chairman Of the suh-com-
mittee that framed the bill, said this morn
ing that he believed the Conference Com
mittee would make its report to the two
Houses by Tuesday or Wednesday. He en-
phasized the fact that the very close vote in
the Senate should indicate to the House
what the temper of the Senate was and how
futile it would be to attempt to do
anything that would be unsatisfactory
to the Senate. With the conditions
as they were Mr.. Jones could see
no reason why there should be any great de-
lay in sending the bill back to the two
Houses for action. What the nature of the
report would be he could not, of course, say,
but he did believe that eventually the con-
ferees on the part of both Houses would get
together and report such conclusions as
would be agreeable to both Houses, and that
q tariff bill would be passed.
Overheard in the Park.