The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-11
Progress Of the Tariff Boat Again Arrested
by Sugar.
DEMOCRATS DECIDE TO Disagree
Members of the House Are of the
Opinion That Mr.. German Was
Bluffing-Offered Coal for the Free
List but Did Not Mean lt-Senators
Do Not Wish to Defeat the Bill and
Evidently Do Not Care to See It
w NAoHINHIUNj AUB' IU
.PHE senate conferrees at today's
session adhered to their determin. &.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 10

Ill
alton to withdraw the agree
u ments reached yesterday The
conference adjourned with complete
Smash-up. the only chance for any
tariff Legislation as it now appears will
oe for the house itself to Withdraw its
rejection Of the senate amendm ant and
to accept the senate bill as it is.
Cleveland would then probably veto
the bill. after having tortured the ami
NAL enough. M4tadOr German has
given the final sklllful thrust.
The agreement of the tariff confer
rees yesterday speedily disclosed that
there was plan to kill the tariff bill
and that the maneuvering of the past
two or three days has been largely
manipulated tor the purpose of ac-
complishing this and at the same time
| OF shifting responsibility.
The propositions as agreed upon yes
terday originated with the mate and
We're formally accepted by the house
conterrees at the morning session aud
the conference adjourned with nothing
before them. as far as appeared from the
formal action taken, except the adjust
ment of schedules, over which there
was no controversy, and the critical
work of getting the matter in SHAPE
for report. The sugar schedule hav-
ing been fixed up several days ago the
coal and iron ore were the pending
questions when the conference first
met
The proposition to put coal on the
free list and to leave iron ore on the
dutiable list was made day before yes
terday by one of the senate couferrees,
who announced authortatively thai
the proposition came in a formal man.
ner from Messrs. German and Smith.
The house conferrees took the
matter under advisement at
once and, two of their num-
Der being disposed to prefer
free iron ore to free coal, that sugges.
tlon was made to the senate conferrees
and the matter was allowed to go over
until yesterday. Yesterday it WAS
fully decided that the proposition made
on beaalf of Mr. German would be &C.
eepted by the house conferrees This
was made known to the senate and the
proposition was promptly passed upon
and approved.
HINGED ON METAL.
| Prior to this the sugar schedule had
been informally agreed to and also the
other schedules in the bill, except the
metal schedule. 1t was understood
that the senate should have its own
way with the metal schedule, making
only those changes which they were
willing should be made. 1t had all
been gone over carefully the house
yielding on all points where it was con-
tended by the senators that there could
be no change ilhout endangsring the
bill, on this basis; that is. the senate
practically debating the terms of set
tlement, these schedules were made up
in u manner understood to be accepta
BILE to both sides and tquire no further
revision.
| When the conferrees re- assembled
late in the afternoon it was supposed
to be for merely formal work, and there
was feeling of relief on the part of
the house conferrees that the matter
was settled and practically out of the
way. To their utter astonishment the
senate conferrees began the session BY
practically withdrawing the free coal
proposition, which had been agreed to
in the morning, and submitting in its
place the suggestion that they would
| give free sug ar instead of free coal, il
the house conferrees would permit the
rest OF the bill as it passed the senate"
In response to the suggestion that this
action would probably make it impos.
sible for the bill to pass the senate,
it was said that the matter could take
care of itself. So the matter stands
now, unless the senate conferrees make
another shift in this way; that the sem
ate conferrees will agree to one or two
things, either to take the bill exactly
as it is or change il only in these re
spects. which, according to their own
statements, and statements of the seng-
tors on the floor. will unquestionably
prevent its adoption in the senate.
MR.. GoRMAN's BLUFF.
Ia other words, the proposition com
ing from Mr. German for free coal ap.
pears in the light of bluff. 1t looks
as if, when it was made, it WAS not
believed that the house conferrees
would accept it. If they had rejected
it, as it was evidently anticipated they
would, it could have been said that
Mr. German offered to sacrifice his
own personal interests in order to get
the bill through, and that the house
conferrees were still stubborn. aud
ther4 was no further use in trying to
come to an agreement. The house
people, however. doing the unexpected
thing. accepted the proposition, thus
disclosing that it was not intended by
those making it that it should stand,
1t would be very serious thing for
any Democratic senator to have it be-
lieved throughout the country that g
WAS responsible for the defeat of tariff
legislation by this congress. There
fore, If the bill is to he killed, senators
nre anxious to get themselves in a 7 osi-
ton where they can declare: "You
can't say did it," 1t is significant
thing In this connection that since the
compromise sugar schedule was ac-
cepted conservative" senators have
been anxious to indicate their willing
ness to make sac rifice of their personal
interests to help out an agreement In
conference. But there has been string
attached to every proposition appar
emily, Or some conditions calculated to
excite opposition In other quarters