The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-11
lHNN9lhFF Bill
New Measure Will Pass
House Without Delay.
Work to Begin at Once By Ways
and Means Committee.
Hope to Have the Bill Perfected For the
Opening Of the Extra Session.

means committee of the house will begin
work before the holiday recess Of con-
gress upon the tariff bill, which Is to be
the chief feature in the policy of the In
coming administration, and will en-
be presented to the house of the Fifty
fifth congress early In the session which
President Mckinley will summon fol
revising the tariff laws.
This program was formally decided
upon last night by a conference of the
Republican members of the committee
held in General Grosvenor's rooms at
the Cochrane hotel. 1t gives semi official
confirmation to the announcement a
week ago that the president-elect had
concluded to have an extra session, and
that the Republican leaders had aban-
doned the Dingley bill, the temporary
measure which was passed by the house
in the last session and amended with
free silver substitute by the senate.
All the Republican ways and means
inen attended the conference last night,
except Mr.. steele Of Indiana, who was
detained. They were: Dingley, Maine;
Payne, New York; Dalzeli, Pennsyl-
vania; Hopkins, Illinois; Grosvenor,
Ohio; Russell, Connecticut; Doliver
Iowa; Johnson, North Dakota; Evans,
Kentucky, and Tawney. Minnesota.
They decided that Chairman Dingley
shall call a meeting Of the full commit
tee for Saturday, at which the usual for
mality of giving the minority members
an opportunity to vote upon the program
will be enacted. The proposition to be
laid before the committee L. that hear
ings be given by the full committee, at
which all parties having an interest in
the tariff will be invited TO give their
Views, these hearings to be commenced
within few days.
Apart from this official plan, the Re-
publicans are determined TO take up the
framing of the bill themselves-the
usual course pursued by majority
perty-after the hearings are under way
and TO work to that end informally at
once. There will be no Subcommittee
given charge Of the measure, but the full
Republican contingent will work to-
gether, although the various members
will devote their attention to the par
ticular schedules with which they are
most familiar.
Dalzell and Hopkins will give most OF
their time to steel. Grosvenor will have
most to do with wool, Russell with cot
ton and machinery, Evans with spirits
and wines, and Dolliver, Tawney and
Hopkins with reciprocity.
According to the trend Of discussion,
the reciprocity policy is to be made an
important feature of the Republican
tariff system. even more important than
1t was in the Harrison administration If
q practical scheme can be devised. Great
difficulties have presented themselves in
\
which were made apparent during the
investigation Of the subject made by a
subcommittee last session, not few of
which arise from changed conditions of
the governments foreign relations. The
reciprocity features of the tariff will be
woven into the original bill. In the last
Republican tariff they were mostly after
thoughts. The conference was of two
hours duration, and the participants
said that they had been unanimous upon
the policy to be pursued. "A moderate
tariff BILL" they explained, was to be
their object. A moderate bill is under
stood to be one whose average rates will
be somewhat lower than the rates of the
Mckinley bill of 1890, though consider
able average advance over the Wilson
German duties, and committeeman said
they would not hesitate to advance rates
beyond the Mckinley bill in cases where
experience had shown advances to be
advisable.
General Grosvenor and Mr. Dingley,
II is understood. conveyed the views of
the president-elect upon the program to
their colleagues More than half the two
hours, il was said. was given to discus
sion OF the difficulties in the path of the
Republican program, the oversha dowing
one being the possibility of an unfriendly
senate I'm the next congress. One of the
members said that they recognized a
distinct possibility that the next senate
might block tariff legislation, but hoped
that the free silver senator's vNlo walked
out OF the st. Louis convention would be
ready TO cooperate in re- establishing a
protective tariff.
Saturdays meeting OF the committee
may be postponed until next week, in the
event that Representative Turner of
Georgia is unable to attend. No appoint
ment has been made to ell the commit
| tee vacancy created by the death OF ex
| Speaker Crisp, and with Mr. Turner. who
| is one of the Democratic leaders, absent
| the minority might complain that II was
not properly represented. Speaker Reed.
| II is expected. will designate Mr. Crisp's
| successor this week. Mr.. Newlands of
| Nevada has been discussed by Republi-
| can ways and means men as one quail
| fled to I'LL the vacancy. whose selection
| might do something to help the passage
| of a tariff bill. Mr.. Newlands is a rep
resentative OF the Independent Silver
party. so designating himself In the con-
| gressional directory, having formerly
been a Republican. IL In thought by
some that IL recognition were given the
independent silver men by such an ap-
polntment II would tend to draw the sup
port of several senator's belonging to that
| faction.