The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-17
jim" SMITH MAY DESERT
Significant, but Not 0utspoken,
Remarks on the Tariff
Situation.
Special to the Jerscu Citu Ncacs.

WASHINGTON, Feb. H. 1894.-The tariff
situation on the Senate side of the Capitol
is unusually interesting so far as the New
Jersey Senators are concerned Both Sena-
tors have been overrun with delegations
from the State, and the number of manu-
facturers and workingmen who have been
in Washington of late exceeding the crowds
who thronged the House lobbies before the
Wilson bill had passed the lower body.
Senator Mcpherson has given a patient
hearing to all who have come before him,
and has repeated the statements made by
him to his colleagues on the Finance Com
mittee 1t was with the view of learning
just what the manufacturers of the State
might expect in the Senate bill that your
correspondent sought Senator Mcpherson
yesterday and sked him if he could make a
Statement which would set at rest the un-
certainty, and give a surmise, if nothing
more, of the possible outcome.
II do not care to indulge in surmise," said
the Senator, "and am not in position to
state facts As you know, l am member
of the Finance Committee, and this fact
alone prevents me from making public at
this time anything that has been agreed
upon in relation to the bill. The measure is
being framed by q subcommittee of which l
am not member, and even if l was mem
case, must be, excused from saying any
thing at this time"
Although Senator Mcpherson is thus pre-
vented by his position from making pre-
diction as to what will be done in the tariff
bill relative to interests in which New Jersey
is interested it can be said that he is making
fight for these interests before the sub
committee, and that if he cannot make an
impression upon the members of that sub
committee, he will carry the fight to the full
committee, and if necessary even further.
SENATOR SMITHS POSITION.
In the meantime, Senator Smith says that
he cannot do anything except to rely upon
cussed the matter yesterday. 81 am not a
member of the Finance Committee" said
Mr. Smith THE senior Senator from New
Jersey is. We look to him and rely upon
him to protect the manufacturing interests
in our State. / have these interests at
heart. am a manufacturer myself, and I
know what this bill means. There is abso-
lutely no prediction to be made now as to
the outcome. We must wait and see what
Mr.. Mcpherson does. If he looks after US,
as he is in position to do, all will be well;
if not and Senator Smith spoke here with
great deliberation II am very frank to say
that | have not name up my mind as to
what will do about voting for the bill
when it comes before the Senate"
Senator Smith has made his position known
to more than one member of the New Jersey
delegation, and has uttered in private con-
versation words of even stronger import
than he made for publication. In other
words, it would not be surprising to find
Senator Smith occupying in the debate and
action on the tariff bill the same position
which Mr.. Cadmus occupied on the floor of
the House, although, of course; this is a mat
ter which the future will determine more
definitely.
A LIBERTY ISLAND SCHEME.
Among tho visitors upon Secretary Car
Isle yesterday was Mr. W. 0. Mcdowell of
Newark, who is well known as the gentleman
who inaugurated the Columbian Liberty
bell Mr.. Mcdowell called upon the Secret
ary to state that he had noticed in the
papers THAT it was the intention of the
Treasury Department to abandon the light
in the Liberty Statue on Bedloe's Island.
Mr.. Mcdowell suggested to the Secretary
that the problem could be solved by turning
the island over to the Columbian Commit
tee, which is already running boat to the
island and getting a revenue of SO, ,O0O a
year from this source. Mr.. Mcdowell
thinks that the island ought to be converted
into a liberty park, and he says that the
money received from carrying visitors to it,
and from admissions which might be charged
would be sufficient to keep the island in re-
pair, and also keep the torch illuminated
day and night The Secretary listened care
fully to Mr. McDowell's statement, and
promised to give the matter attention An
other suggestion that Mr.. Mcdowell made
to the Secretary was, that such an island
could be made snug harbor for such veter-
ans of liberty as General Sickle