Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-09
INFORMALLY AGREED
The Democratic Tariff Conferees
Reach an Understanding.
MANY DETAILS Yet TO ARRANGE
General Outline of the Schedules
Determined Upon.
SUGAR, COAL AND IRON
SUGAR, COAL AND IRON

have informally agreed among themselves
and the question is now how the Senat.
Will regaJi the agreement. OF course ther,
Is no ofncial agreement until the repuhli
cans have been c. lied In and a formal vot,
has been takep The fact is that the dem
ocrats have got together on a plan of set
tlement which they are willing to submit
to the Senate. Even when they have de
cided to agree and know the lines of tn,
agreement there is a great deal of vark
TO De done concerning matters not especial
y In controversy, but which have to h.
adjusted as part of the report For thi.
reason an official announcement of al
agreement is not to be expected at once.
Unfounded Stories.
Stories were started last night the DUR.
port of which was that Mr.. Cleveland had
sat down an the whole agreement and that
therefore, the whole thing was busted -
Inese stories grew out of ignorance of the
true situation and consequent misinterpre-
fation OF certain statements made. The
uncertainty in the reports given out as 10
whether 1t was coal or iron ore that was to
go on the free list gave rise to the impress
sion that there was a fight In conference
over this question which might be fatal to
the agreement, when, as a matter OF fact.
II was only a matter of choice almost with
out contest.
IL 1t were not for the repeated decIara-
tion on the part of the supporters Of the
Senate bill that the Senate conferees would
never consent to any change in their bill
the result of the conference might properly
be regarded as a drawn battle. After all
that has passed, however, any yielding on
the part Of the Senate Is somewhat of q
victory for the House. and nearly an
equally balanced compromise as has been
reached Is decided House victory AS
Cleveland stood with the House in this
matter. 1T is victory for him. too
Compromise Favorable to the senate.
Laying aside all considerations Of per-
sonal pride Of opinion, wherein the House
and Cleveland are the victors, the compro-
mise is much more favorable to the Senate
could have been expected if the tariff
thai had had a larger majority in
reformer~ m which to draw their sup
the Senate fre he bill as reconstructed
port. Whether T.. Senate Is a question
can get through the prove that the
vet to be settled 1t ma conservative
gift that has come from the merely
Senators is a Greek horse and W. - of
shift the opposition on to the shoulde.
other Senators and relieve German, Smit..
ct al from the responsibility of killing the
kill without making its death less certain.
The friends of the measure are sanguine,
however. and have perfect confidence In
the sincerity of both German and Smith
Senator Irby, who was telegraphed for.
has returned, and II Is claimed that he will
vote for the bill However this may be, the
agreement in conference by no means set
ties II that the bill will go through the
are sun many "a ~, rocks to be
the harborage has been reached.
Sugar, Coal and Iron.
The House people do not get all they
were contending for, but they have not
been compelled to surrender completely to
the Senate, as it was declared they would
have to. and anything short of a surrender
Is In measure a victory. The present ar
rangement will result in a bill not exactly
like either the House or the Senate bill.
but about as near balance between the
two as could be had.
The sugar schedule contained IN the Sem
ate bill is reckoned to have given the sugar
trust about 4O-1OO protection. The COM
promise schedule is just half that. The
House made both coal and iron free. The
Senate Iut a. duty of forty cents on each.
In the compromise agreement coal Is free.
The Other Schedules.
AS to the other schedules there is a great
deal of guess work, hut 1t is believed that in
a general way the more important ones will
be adjusted on the following general plan:
In the wooden schedule the line is drawn
about half way between the House and
Senate. In some of the higher grades of
goods practically the Senate rates obtain,
while on the cheaper grades of goods the
rates are practically those of the House. In
the schedule generally the duties are about
half way between the low rates of the
f1OuSe anu tnc ElSncT rates III tne senate.
In many items of the chemical schedule the
House yields to the Senate. In the metal
schedule the Senate rates are preserved for
the most part. In the cotton schedule there
are some reductions under the Senate rates
and slight change in the form. The glass
schedule is considerably lower than In the
Senate bill. Cotton bagging Is free. Barb
wire Is on the free list. The linen schedule
and Pushes and velvets stand about where
the Senate put them, and there Is no ma
teral cut In silks. The House rate Of
dollar a gallon tax on whisky and the Sem
ate extension Of the bonded period stand.
TOdny's Sessions.
The tariff conferees remained I'm session
until a few minutes past II o'clock and
when they adjourned the Senate conferees
proceeded to the Presidents room. where
they held private consultation free from
Interference or interruption.
A report. however, soon gained general
circulation to the effect that an agreement
had been absolutely arrived at, and that 1t
was on the lines of the understanding
which was reached last night that iron ore
should be made free. coal made dutiable at
40 cents per ton, and that the compromise
sugar schedule should stand.
The indications point to the verfhcation
of this latter report The republican men,
bers of the conference had not received any
formal notifica ton to attend meeting, but
they had received an intimatiOn that a full
conference would be held this afternoon,
and Immediately began consultations with
the leaders that side of the chamber
apparently with the view of preparing
themselves for the final conflict which they
believe TO be at hand.
Chairman Wilson Sees the President.
Chairman Wilson vas with President
Cleveland until 1880 o'clock last night
secretaries Gresham, Carlisle and other
cabiret officers bel1g present and the pro-
spective tariff agreement was fully gone
over.
Representative McMi,lin, one Of the House
conferees. when seen, stated that since the
first Getting today he believed an agree
ment was in sight. Coal and iron ore he
added, had not yet been settled but the
main features of the bill would be agreed
Gpor, 50 that the republicans could be call
el In tomorrow.
Conferences Between Conservatives.
During the recess of the conferees there
were conferences between leading conserv-
ative Senators, and the impression prevail
ed that the manufacturing schedules were
being Considered. A copy of the tariff bill,
which had been in the hands of Senators
German, Murphy, Vest ana Jones, was
taken toto another room, where Senators