The record-union., 1896-01-29
TARIFF BILL.
ut VIII Not be Reported to the Senate
IrntiI Er.ae Cninnorn iS Nntnd Tr,,n,,

TT VIII Not be Reported to the Senate
I Until Free Coinage is Voted Upon.
/ WASHINGTON, Jan. 2S-The tariff
/ bill will not be reported to the Senate
until after the vote has been taken in
gthe Senate on the free coinage substi-
ytute to the House bond bill The FL
nance Committee did not take the bill
up for consideration this morning. In
fact, it has not been referred to the
ifull meeting, but an understanding was
reached before the Democratic mem
lbers arrived at the committee-room. It
lis apparent that Jones of Nevada no.
titled his Republican associates that he
would not give them the vote neces-
,sary to report the bill until the free
silver substitute of the Senate had
been clinched. Immediately after this
has been done, the Committee on FL
nance will be able to report the tariff
bill.
A number of matters pending before
the committee were discussed, but no
action taken. Among the more impor-
tant of these subjects was the House
joint resolution directing the Secretary
of the Treasury to cause the immedi-
ate destruction of all income tax reso-
lutions and all records and statements
relative thereto which passed the House
January Goth.
The committee also considered Du-
bois' bill to facilitate the collecting of
revenue. by providing for the construc-
ton and equipment of sampling works,
for the sampling and assaying of i'm
ported silver ores and other ores con-
tanning lead, etc. Both of these were
referred to a subcommittee for further
investigation.
Much of the time of the committee
was consumed in an informal discus
sion of the compromise suggested by
German as a substitute to be reported
from the committee on conference after
the House bond BILL with the Senate
free silver substitute, gets into confer
ence. This proposition, as indicated in
these dispatches yesterday, contem-
plates the issuance of $500 100000 of
gold bonds with which to retire the
Governments present gold obligations
(greenbacks and treasury notes), the
declaration that all bonds now out
standing, regardless of the provisions
of these obligations, shall be payable
in gold, and the opening of the United
States mints to the free and unlimited
coinage of silver. This proposition
found few friends in the committee
Vest was vigorous in his opposition,
and other Democratic Senators op-
posed it because it authorized the issue
of gold bonds and provided for the re-
tirement of greenbacks. The Repub-
licans were antagonistic to man. The
argument was made that this PROPOSE
ton would only work harm to the coun-
try, and was intended more as polit-
ical compromise than a solution of the
financial problem. 1t was pointed out
by one Of the sound money Republicans
that it meant simply gold basis for
the bondholders of the country and a
silver basis for every other class, and
upon such a groundwork the financial
fabric could not rest securely. OF
course, this decision was entirely infor-
NAL, but it developed enough to show
that such a proposition would find few
friends and many powerful enemies in
the committee of the Senate which
dominates its financial policy.