The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-26
TO SEND 1T BACK.
Senators Caucus on the
Tariff Bill.
INTO CONFERENCE AGAIN.
With No Instructions to the
Conferrees.
PROBABILITY OF AN AGREEMENT
Strangely Enough, Each Statesman
Seems to Understand the Mat
ter in His Own Way.


accede to the request of the House for
another conference on the tariff bill and
its conferees will return to the meeting
with those of the House untrammeled by
any specific instructions whatever.
This was the conclusion of the DEM
ocratic Senatorial caucus which adjourned
sine die a few minutes after O'Clock to-
day, after two days sitting. While the
caucus did not commit itself to any definite
line of policy in so many words. the con-
ferees feel with their Democratic col
leagues that they understand what a
majority of them desire and they believe
this 20 be that they shall stand sGbstan-
TALLY for the Senate bill. This is not the
individual preference of many of the
Democratic Senators, but it represents the
opinion OF most of them as expressed in
the caucus as the only practical course
open TO the Democrats who think the pres
ent Congress must pass tariff bill of some
kind, whether it be what they prefer or
not.
In other words the result of the caucus
which has just closed IS the reascertaining
OF what was known when the three days
caucus closed last March-that it is i'm
practicable to pass any tariff bill through
the Senate which does not meet the de-
mands of the so-called conservative Sena-
tors and the Louisiana Senators.
1t became evident soon after the caucus
convened to-day that the resolution of
Senator Jarvis to send the bill back to
conference without instructions was the
only course open to the caucus. The
other propositions presented were those
of Senator Villas and his friends. one of
which provided for instructions to the
Senate conferrees TO recede from the one
eighth of cent differential on refined
sugar without any other change in the
sugar schedule, and the other to subst-
tute for the present tariff schedule duty of
10 per cent ad valorem without any dif-
ferential. and that of the conservatives to
instruct the committee to stand by the
Senate amendments.
Senator Villas and two or three others
opposed the latter course, and the con-
seryatiVe Senators declared absolutely
that they would not accept the Villas
proposition to recede from the differential
even though the ad valorem should be in-
creased 10 45 per cent or any other sum
within reason. Senator Smith declared
that such a change meant the shutting
down of the refneries in his State and the
throwing of thousands of men out of en-
poyment and general disturbance of in
dustrial conditions such as he could not
contemplate with pleasure and would not
accept.
The Louisiana Senators indicated a
willingness, as they had done yesterday. to
accept the substitution of 45 per cent
duty straight The proposition did not,
however, meet general favor as the wisest
course to pursue, in view of the hostility Of
the New Jersey Senator and those who
acted with him, and in view Of the fact
| that several Senators who stated that they
agreed with Mr.. Villas in his opposition to
the sugar trust, as matter Of primo ciple
advised in favor of the cessation of all
efforts to give formal instructions.
There have been few secret conferences.
from which so many conflicting reports
| emanated, and it was apparent each Sena-
TOT took away an understanding to suit
himself as to what implied instructions
the conferrees were under. One thing
which every one felt assured of was, that
forty-thrse votes could be counted on to
send the bill back to conference.
The speeches were generally shorter
than those OF yesterday, and were as rule
devoted to advising a strenuous effort to
secure party harmony on the basis of a
bill which would receive the support of
forty-three members of the Senate. Sena-
tor Villas spoke in general terms of the
constitutional right of the House to orig
mate legislation, and without denying the
concurrent right of the Senate, he sug-
gested that the House privilege in this
respect could not be ignored. He caution ed
the caucus to avoid all appearance of
favoring monopolies, In view OF the pres
ent feeling on the subject.
Senators Smith, Blanchard and Caffery
also made speeches of some length.
Senator German devoted himself to a
verbal statement on the parliamentary
status OF the bill. Great earnestness was
exhibited in the speeches of the New Jer-
sey and Louisiana Senators. A majority
of those who participated in the caucus
came out when it adjourned with their
faces wreatbed in smiles, and most of them
indicated By their actions that they believed
that they had inauguraJed line OF policy
which would secure the passage of tariff
oil. Some of them who would say nothing
as TO the proceedings announced themselves
confident of the ultimate success of the
bill.
The vote on the resolution to send the
bill to conference again was not unani-
nous. Senator Villas and a few others
opposing it and expressly stipulating that
their participating in the caucus should
not be considered as binding them to sup
port the report of the conference commit
tee when again presented.
During the proceedings the attitude of
the Populists Senators. Allen AMI Kyle,
who have generally voted with the Demo-
Gratis OIL the tariff bill, was alluded TO, and
one OF the Senators present stated that he
had been authorized by Senator Allen to
say that he thought the bounty on sugar
should be continued for the present.
Senators Hill. Murphy and Irby were
again absent from the caucus. It is under
stood that an attempt will be made in the
Senate tomorrow to carry into effect the
instructions of the caucus TO have the bill
sent back to conference. There NAV be
some delay caused by more speech-making,
but the Senate members of the conference