The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-01-04
AT THE CAPITOL.
Commission Getting Ready to Go
to Work.

WILL THE TARIFF BILL PASS
THE SENATE?
War Feeling Not Entirely Subsided-Evi-
dent From the Nature of Bills and
Neutrality-suspicious. of House Repub-
licans-Coast Defenses-Carribean Is
lands ETC., etc.
Washington, Jan. 8, Four members
of the Venezuelan boundary
commission will assemble in the
diplomatic room of the state depart
ment tomorrow for the purpose of having
an informal talk over the work before
them. Mr.. White is unable to be present
and it is likely in his absence the orga-
nization will be postpone. No quarters
are yet secured and until they are, the
commission will probably hold sessions
at the residence of Justice Brewer.
Judge Brewer has notified President
Cleveland and Secretary Olney of the ac-
ceptance OF commissionship. Neither he
nor his four colleagues have received
their commissions from the President,
but will get chem probably tomorrow. AS
the commission is not an international,
but q national body, subject to no official
supervision from any other nation and
created solely for the purpose of ascer-
tanning facts desired by tine United States
government, the President and Secretary
ff fa NV olrr1 4, 4l,<,
members, but this will be avoided, even
it the occasion for it should arise, in order
that the commissioners conclusions may
be arrived at free from o,lJside pressure.
The commission will be obliged TO call
on the Secretary of State for Information
on the subject ofsthe various boundaries
claimed by Great Britain, but this will
be merely a formal proceeding Any in
formation the commission may desire
from the governments of Great Britain,
Holland, Spain and Venezuela, must
be requested through the State Depart
ment.
Resolutions, bills. etc., introduced in
Congress. indicate that the war feeling
is not entirely abated. This is evidenced
again today in resolution by MIR. Lodge,
directing the Secretary of the Navy to
inform the Senate what it would cost
to equip with guns and machinery, and
put in suitable condition for purposes Of
harbor defense, all monitors not now in
commission or undergoing repairs.
Mr.. Lodge also introduced a resolution
in the Senate this morning which directs
the Secretary of War to inform the Senate
what disposition has been made of the
appropriation of September 20. 1888, for
Itn md hath tho,.
any batteries have hasn established un-
der this act, at any port of the United
States, and whether it would be possible
to establish suoh battery at Fort War
ren, Boston harbor.
Owing to the absence from the city of
several members of the Senate committee
oD coast defences, only an informal meet
ing was held this morning to consider
Senator Quay's bill appropriating $S7.
100000 toward tortifying the cities on the
coast. General Craighill. chief of engi-
neers, U. S. A., and his assistant Capt.
Siack, were present, and submitted
d TIA concerning the needs of defences.
ne committee will hold meeting Tues
day afternoon, by which tim the absent
members will have returned.
Some days ago certain newspapers an
nounced that the Danish government
being desirous of a voidlng the expense of
maintaining the government of ts pos
session on the Caribbean Sea, decided to
dispose of the three islands belong ing to
it in those waters. The subject was
brought to the attention of the Senate
today, by Mr.. Lodge, in resolution
which directs the committee on foreign
relations to inquire and report to the
Senate whether the islands of ST. Croix,
St. John and ST. Thomas in the West
Indies, can be purchased from the DAN
ish government as provided by a treaty
signed at Copenhagen, October, 1867, and
whether, if these islands are not pnr-
chased by the United States, it is proba-
BILE they will be sold by the Danish Gov
ernmentt TO some other government.
There was an impression among
some of the leading Republicans
in the House today that the
revenue bill sent to the Senate about a
week ago may pass that body. 1t is re-.
garded as not unlikely number of
amendments may be offered to the bill,
but this will be done, not in the expecta-
tion that they will be adopted, but rather
to crafty the constituents of the Sena-
UOI6 VINO proS0lU bu6Ll. III WAS assumed
by members of the House, that the bill
will be regarded in the Senate as pure
revenue measure, designed to meet an
emergency and it will for that reason re-
ceive sufficient strength to insure the pas
sage.
During half hours conference this
morning, the Republican members of
the finance committee, discussed the tariff
bill, and endeavored to devise mean s
by which the measure would sue oessfully
pass the Senate. The bill, as it passed
the House, is found to be lacking in some
essentials, but this deficiency is to be
corrected before the report is made to the
Senate. There will be no change likely
to open the doors to general amendment
in the Senate under the House bill agri-
cultural products are increased l5 per cent