The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-06

seal the fate of the tariff bill.
The Democratic mem bers Of the
u conference committee met in nn
Informal waytoday and again went over
ths Till. agreeing here and there to ten
tatlve changes in the hope that they
could hasten conclusion. The sem
atorial contingent of the conference
wele unable TO assure their colleagues
of the house that the now sugar
schedule would be acceptable to the
senate and secure the forty.three votes
necessary The discussion in confer
ence today. however, Indicated that all
parties recognized the necessity OF
making an early report Of some kind.
The senate eonferess decline to indi-
cate what the nature OF that report
will be, but one Of them stated posi-
lively that there would hs a conclusion
reached not later than Wednesday
and possibly by Monday. He made
the statement that there could be no
compromise on coal and iron, and if
the house conferees insisted upon the
house bill on these items there would
soon be a disagresing report. The
house men still demand some conees-
sion on these items
The parliamentary status Of the bill
is giving its managers some uneasi-
ness. The bill is not in the possession
OF the senate The house can take no
action on the measure until after the
senate has acted and it is the possible
result in the senate that causes the un-
easiness that has been IN inifest. Some
conservative Democrats IN the house
who have heretofore upheld the house
bill are now condemning the deadlock.
Could these men get chance to vote
on the bill it is believed they would
override the conferees and hasten the
end Of the struggle
DEBATE MAY BE RENEWED.
Whatever may be this conclusion
reached by the conferees, the report
must first 20 to the senate and the
tariff bill cannot be acted upon in the
house until that body has before 1t the
original bill aud the conference papsrs
How long it will take these documents
to get back to the house after the mat
ter is again opened in the senate no
political augur can foretell. A
disagreeing or an agreeing report
ia bound to renew the whole
field of debate. The woolSn, metal
and cotton schedules are said to be az
difficult of solution as the other three
schedules around which so much polit-
ical Importance clings, Mr.. Smith and
Mr.. Murphy have resisted from the
first any serious encroachmsnt upon
the WOODEN and cotton schedules, while,
1t is said, the retention of the iron and
metal schedule intact is the price
of the silence OF certain Repub-
licans who, should these be re-
duced, will at once resume dilatory
tactics and insist upon talking the con-
ference report to dsath.
The situation ia the committee Of
conference may be briefly summed up.
The house insists upon some material
concession on coal and iron ore; the
senate refuses absolutely to give more
than reciprocity on coal. Mr.. German
Will not listen to any proposition look =
ing to graduated duty on these raw
materials, or that the duty be left as
is is with the proviso that it ehall ex-
pire in three years and iron ore and
coal 10 then transferred to She free
list. The house cOnfsrrees will aRrse
to the sugar schedule recently made
public, on tho one-ffth basis and the
sugar senators, SO called, nave a.
cepted it.
LOUISIANA HOLDS THE KEY.
Louisiana senators and Msssrs. Allen
and Kyle will not support it, and these
four votes, together with those OF Mr..
Hill and probably Mr.. Irby, would de-
feat the bill. With the sugar schedule
as it is now the senate was able to pass
the bill only by very small margin.
and that too as il is claimed in the be
lief on the part Of Louisiana senator's
that the bounty was to be given them
In conference. This bounty having
been refused it is problematical IL the
Democrats could get the bill through
again, if not it will be changed The
managers on the part of the senate
recognize that the deilemma in which
they lind themselves and naturally
drew the contest that must come.
In addition TO this it was understood
yesterday that at least fifteen Republi
cans had bound themselves by a tacit
agreemen that when the con nference
report again came into the senate thew
would use every means in their mower
to prevent the bill from ever getting
off the vice presidents table This. OF
course means moro filibustering.