The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-10

Washington, Aug. 9.-The Demo-
cratic tariff conference had expected
to be able to announce an agreement
today.
Instead of reaching any definite con-
clusion, the day closed with the bill in
quite as uncertain a state as ever be-
fore in its history and with the situa-
ton in no wise improved and with the
feeling between the friends of the Sem
ate and House bill intensified instead of
allayed and with no one prepared to
say what the outcome would be or
when the end would be reached.
1t was apparent at the very beginning
of the conference that those who had
concluded at the adjournment of the
session yesterday that an agreement
would be arrived at today had not
taken sufficiently into account the pos
sibility of a misunderstanding or
change of mind.
This discovery was made when the
Senate conferees prepared to go on with
the bill upon the basis of duty of
90 cents per ton on coal and free iron
ore, whereupon the House conferees
announced their willingness to assent
to this arrangement, and stated they
would insist on a reversal of these
terms with coal free and iron ore dutia
bic. if either was to be, as they under
stood they were to have choice be-
tween the two.
Not Altogether Polite.
The avowal of this position produced
great confusion and led to an exchange
of remarks which were not altogether
polite
The Senate conferees, thereupon, de-
cided to report the state of affairs to
the conferees adjourned, called Senators
German, Aldrich, Smith and Murphy
into consultation. The whole situation
was outlined to them. They were not
only made acquainted with the demand
of the House conferees for free coal,
but were also given to understand
other material concessions would be
expected by the House conferees along
the entire line of the bill, including
wooden, cottonS, metals, glass and
earthware. They decided on an en-
phatic negative in reply to these pro-
positions, saying if the body of the
bill was not preserved virtually as it
passed the Senate the report of the
C-Nferees when made would not be &C
c ted by the Senate.
Brice's Innovation.
Senator Brice proposed an innovation
in the shape of a proposition that the
House conferees be given an opportuni-
ty to secure free sugar. His idea, in de-
tail, was that the Senate conferees
should volunteer to recede entirely from
the Senate sugar schedule. The ques-
ton was, therefore, undisposed of when
the conference adjourned for the day.
The Republican senators were also in
consultation with the senatorial tariff
conferees during the day, and it is I'M
derstood have given notice that if there
is material change in the more import
ant schedules rela ting to manufactured
articles, they will resist the immediate
disposition of the committees report
when made, and have stated that in
that event more tariff oratory may be
expected.
The conferees have their side of the
situation to tell.
Cleveland Has Not Interfered.
Chairman Wilson authorized the
statement that at the close of the con-
ference today the reports current dur
ing the day that President Cleveland
had interfered with the formal agree
ment reached last night was wholly un-
founded and untrue. Mr.. Wilson said
the chief executive was very careful
from exerting any influence with the
conferees, and was leaving the members
to shape their courses as they saw fit
As to the misunderstanding through
out the day, the House men understood
night the senators had conceded that
either iron ore or coal was to go on the
free list, the other remaining on the du-
table list. While the House had given
no definite announcement of their choice
between the two items, it was generally
understood they would prefer to have
iron ore on the free list. When, there
fore, they entered the conference today
they had concluded among themselves
that it would be preferable to have coal
on the free list, leaving iron ore dutia-
bic at 40 cents ton. This conclusion
was definitely announced to the sena-
tors, but the House members were sur
prised to find the willingness to concede
them the choice was somewhat abated
What had caused the change was not
made clear, but in discussing it tonight
the House conferees said with no little
feeling, that il was clearly due to the
influence of those interested in the sug-
ar schedule Whether the difficulty
would be solved tomorrow or would be
declared off entirely was not clear to
the House conferees.
Decidedly Less Hopeful.
In the event of an understanding on
coal and iron tomorrow, the conferees
expressed the hope that the Republican
conferences might be called late in the
day or on Saturday, although the diff
ferenceS developed today on coal and
iron, as well as on some of the other
schedules, made the chances of a full
conference less hopeful tonight than
they were last night