Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-08-16

E"~s the enotS Bill nj ANY li"e
1t Chooses.
Washington, Aug. 13.-Yesterday was
tnything but a day of rest for h tar
n leaders. They were on the go from
Early morning till late at night. 1t was
/ day Of conferences at the White
House, at the private residences of the
.onferees and at the hotels. Secretary
Carlisle was with the president through
)ut the afternoon. The senate and
house conferees made no effort to get
ogether, and they remain as wide
lpaft as when their meeting broke up
IN Friday night.
The house conferees were in consulta-
ion informally most of the day, al
hough ut no time We're they all togeIh-
r at once. Chairman Wilson spent the
lay with Representative Breckenridge
If Arkansas at the Normandie hotel,
md was there called upon by the other
sonferees. Mr.. Wilson did not see the
president throughout the day. The
meetings OF the house men brought
about a thorough understanding as to
he line of action at the caucus and in
he subsequent proceedings of the SEN
ite and house. They reviewed the sit
lation from every possible standpoint
md prepared themselves for all emer-
! y~encies. AS one Of them said, it was
going over the field of battle and learn
ng the topography of the ground the
hight before the great fight.
At the outset the house conferees sat
SIZED themselves of the parliamentary
situation of the bill. They had done
his with the greatest care towards Sc
curing an accurate and authoritative
tecision. Speaker Crisp had been asked
20 examine with care he presidents
bearing on the case, and 1t was under
stood that he had in turn consulted
with Secretary Carlisle, who, as ex-
speaker Of the house Of representatives,
s regarded as one of the best author
ties on parliament procedure. From
lie eXamin, tions which had been made
he confereeS were satisfied that
the house OF representatives had the
right to pass the senate bill now or at
any time. This determination went
much further than has heretofore been
understood 1t was that the house,
having tho actual physical possession
IF the tariff bill, could pass it with the
senate amendments before the Hill res
olution passed or after the Hill resolu-
ton was defeated. That is. so confident
We're the house conferees of their right
to pass the bill at any time, that th.ey
regarded their rights as entirely unaf-
feCted by anything the senate could do
with the Hill resolution or with any
other resolution. They recognized that
there were some p~recedents against
this position, but they regarded the
Overwhelming force of authority with
them end they therefore accepted it
as settled that the house had supreme
authority over the bill without refer
ence TO what the Senat might do to-
morrow or thereafter. This conclusion
was of the utmost Importance in bear
ing on the action of the caucus. 1t as
Sured them, in the first place, that there
was no need of precipitate action tow.
ard accepting the senate bill before Mr..
Hills resolution had passed. This res
! olution could be taken up in the senate
at IL o'clock, and it had been feared at
first that the house caucus, which be-
gins at l o'clock, would be compelled
to take hasty action in accepting the
senate bill in order to prevent he
house from losing It's opportunity to
pass the senate bill by the adoption Of
the Hill resolution. 1t was agreed,
however, that no such haste was neces-
Sary. On the contrary, 1t was felt that
the house, in having possession of the
bill and a parliamentary right to pass
ii at any time, had everything to gain
and nothing to lose by deliberate nc
' ton. Under these circumstances 1t was
deemed advisable to fully inform the
house fully as to the situation and to
explain that precipitation In accepting
the senate amendments would gain
nothing, while the deliberate action in
waiting to see what the senate would
accomplish would do much good.
Meantime the senate is quiescent and
Is disposed to remain in inactivity n
I'll the house shall have had an oppor-
tunity to express itself upon the stu
alton. There is undoubtedly a desire
on the part of a large majority of the
Democratic senator's, practically all of
them, unless 1t may be the Louisiana
senator's. to have the house take pos
session Of the bill. This is due to the
general belief in the senate that the
house will accept the senate amend
ments and that the bill will thus become
a law, and to the fear that If the bill
should again go 10 the senate it would
be indefinitely postponed, while on the
other hand IL is believed that IL the
house should agree To the senate amend
ments the senate would acquiesce in
this action and waive the technical
question which might be raised over
the disposition of the bill. 1t is under
stood that Senator Hill, notwithstand-
ing his OPPOSITION 10 the bin, would be
disposed 10 accept the favorable ac-
ton Of the house as final and to permit
the bill TO go TO the president without
concerning it.