The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-07-18
TARIFF CONFERENCE.
The Republican Members Of the
COMMITTEE Present.
ONLY IN SESSION ABOUT AN HOUR
When An Adjournment Was Taken Until
This Afsernoon-A General Disagree
ment Likely to be Reported to both
Houses in n Day or Two.

Eneht liHey TO Dc reported TO both
Houses in Day or Two.
WASHINGTON, July 1s.-The first formu-
lation conference on the tariff bill with
all the senate and house members, both
Democratic aud Republican, present was
held yesterday and continued only about
an hour. An adjournment was then taken
until o'clock this afternoon. The pro-
ceedings OF the full conference consisted
in an effort on the part of the Democra-
tic members to enlighten their Rspubli-
can colleagues upon the elements of dis
agreement between the Democratic mem
bers of the two houses, without revealing
the methods by which they have sought
to get together or the details Of the pro-
ceedings of the Democratic conferences. !,
1t had been expected that the Republi-
can conferees would at the outset indulge
In some criticism on having been kept out
of the conference during its initial stages.
But the Republicans had little to say be-
yond the formal greetings, and waited
until Senator Voorhees,, as head of the
Democratic conferees, made a somewhat
formal and full statement of the situa-
tion. He said that no discourtesy to tho
Republicans had been intended The
meetings had not been conference meet
fngs, but had been confined to an effort to
bring about some settled policy among
the Democratic conferees.
Senator Voorhees, added that he was
frank to confess that the efforts toward
agreement had not proved successful.
The features of disagreement were then
gone into at considerable length by Mr.
Voorhees, and his associates. They stated
that the sugar, coal, metal and wooden
aud cotton schedules had been tough
bones of contention, but did not give par
ticulars in any case except in that of
sugar, with reference to which they stat ed
that the house members had Indicated a
Willingness to grant some duty on that
article, but had objected to the diiferen-
tial duty on refined sugar.
On the other articles which had been
the basis of disagreement Senator Noor-
hees and other Democratic members of
the conference contented themselves by
saying that the Democratic conferees of
the two houses had contended, each side
for its own bill. This had been especially
true on the metal and wooden schedules,
the senate amendments to which had
been strongly objected to by the Demo-
cratic house conferees They said among
other special articles in the metal sched-
ule the house members had held out for
free iron ore, and for the house rates on
lead ore containing silver, cutlery and
steel rails. They had also demanded-so
1t was reported to the full conference
free coal. In the general discussion the
Republican conferees gathered that
sugar, iron ore, coal and wooden schedule,
cotton schedule and silver lead bearing
ores were the chief questions of Disagree
ment.
The question finally arose as to what
snce had assembled. 1t was suggested by
Senator Aldrich thut the bill should be
taken up item by item aud be considered
by Republicans and Democrats, but the
point was raised that this appeared to be
hardly worth while in view of what the
Democrats had just disclosed that there
was no prospect of agreement on the main
question.
The meeting yesterday was not marked
by any sharp controversy or criticism aud
only once did the sarcasm of Mr.. Reed
find utterance. 1t was when Chairman
Wilson, speaking rather personally of
the amendment urged by certain Demo
cratic senators, suid that it might be we'll
to inform the public of the situation by
printing in the tariff bill the names of the
senators alongside their respective amend
ments. 10 this Mr.. Reed responded that
the public would probably mistake the
tariff bill for a biographical dictionary.
As a result of the meeting the Repub-
lican conferees concluded that general
disagreement could be reported to both
houses within few days. There was no
distinct statement or proposition DO this
effect, but it appeared to be the only con-
clusion to be drawn from what had oc-
CURED. Senator Aldrich and Mr. Reed
said there would be no disposition on the
part of the Republicans to delay report
of disagreement. At the close of today
meeting Chairman Wilson stated that nc
exact plan was in view for reporting back
to congress.