The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
All Arguments of Manufacturers
for a Postponement Not
Needed.
COMMITTEE VIEWS UNCHANGED
Importance of the Two Bills That Will
Be Presented for Consid.
GRAFTON.

WAOaINO1ON, u. ", DeC. r. Lev
the country understand" said leading
Republican member of the Ways and
Means Committee to United Press re-
porter to-day, ''that the bill we shall pre-
sent to the House on Thursday is a pure
revenue measure. hurriedly prepared to
meet the exigency in our National finances
and in response to the Presidents plea
that some measure for relief must be at
forded by Congress. There has been no
attempt at tariff revision. Our measure is
purely revenue measure
The correctness of this declaration was
shown by the action of the committee
to-day in declining to hear Judge William
Lawrence of Ohio, president of the Ma
tional Wool-Growers' Association, who de-
sired to be heard in support of higher
rate on wool than that previously agreed
upon.
Repeated applications have been made
to the committee in its collective and indi-
yidual capacity from Eastern manufacture
ers, who have deprecated hasty action in
the preparation of the bill. that postpone
ment in its preparations be had until their
arguments could be presented. To all
these applications the committee has
turned deaf ear, and the bill will have the
unusual distinction of being presented to
the House as the sole result of the COM
mittee's labors, uninhuenced by outside
considerations.
At this afternoons session of the Re-
publican members of the com mittee several
changes were made in the rates agreed
upon yesterday. When an adjournment
was bad at o clock the framework Of the
bill had been completed. and nothing re-
manned but to put it in proper form.
At yesterdays meeting it was decided
that farm products, including livestock,
should enjoy % per cent horizontal in
crease over the present law, because of the
rmnous competition which the granger
element along the Northern frontier
claimed to suffer from their Canadian
neighbors across the line. This led some
of the Eastern members to-day to ask a
corresponding increase on manufactures
of iron and steel.
This precipitated spirited discussion,
in which the committee divided, practi-
cally, on geographical lines, the Western
men strongly opposing higher rate than
Is per cent. After some debate an agree
ment YVES reached that the agricultural
schedules should be placed in the same
category as the other schedules namely,
at a Is per cent horizontal increase. This
was the only serious difference of the day,
and it was speedily settled.
The sugar schedule alone is exempted
from change. 1t was deemed inexpedient
to include sugar in the horizontal increase,
owing to the EN- barrassments which might
arise from increasing the dlfferential duty
on refined sugars.
The most important change made at to-
days session was that relating to carpet
woods, which in the new bill will be re-
stored to the Mckinley rate. On all other
woods the duty, as stated in the United
Press dispatches last night, will be 60 per
cent of the Mckinley law, with the COM
pensatory duty on the manufactured prod
net, also 60 per cent of the previous law.
The duty on all grades of lumber will be
placed at 60 per cent of the Mckinley.
The bond bill was completed to-day and
will be sent tonight to the Government
Printing Office.
Both it and the revenue bill will be laid
before the full committee at II o'clock to-
morrow morning.
When the committee adjourns the Dem
ocratic members will hold secret session,
at which they will decide upon the policy
to be pursued by them when the two meas
ures are called up in the House.
The two bills, as has been previously re-
ported, will be presented to the House on
Thursday. The Committee on Rules will
report and pass through the House a reso-
luton setting aside Thursday for consider
ton of the tariff bill and Friday for the
bond measure.
1t may be said in passing this latter bill
is understood to have the approval of
Secretary Carlisle, and consequently of the
President as well. This encourages the
Republican leaders to believe that it may
pass the Senate, Notwithstanding the pre-
ponderance of free silver sentiment in that
body. With the President favorable to the
proposition, it is believed that the whole
power of the administration will be ex-
erted upon certain of the Democratic Sem
ators from the South, with possibility
that a sufficient number may be secured to
Join the sound money" Republicans and
pass the measure.
The bond ill is simple in its details It
provides for the issuance of bonds, inter-
est and principal payable IN coin and re-
deemable at the option of the Government
at the end of five years. 1t changes the
rate of interest provided in the act of 1875.
under which bonds are now issued, to per
cent, which is also the rate of interest that
the $5O,OO0,0 900 coupon certificates of in
debtedness, which will be used only to
meet the deficit in the treasury, will also
bear. No provision is made in the bond
bill regarding the legal-tender notes. The
bill, by simply separating the redemption
fund from the general assets of the treas
ury puts it in the power of the Secretary
of the Treasury, temporarily, to isolate the
legal tender when redeemed.
The two bills will go into effect upon
their passage and remain in operation
until August 1. 1898.