Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-25
7 ARIF F BILLS FATE
Will Probably Pass the Senate Without
Amendment Next Week.
The President May Allow 1t to Be-
come a Law and Not
Veto 1t.

There is doubt ir the minds Of even the
most earnest anti-protection democrats in
Congress as TO the fate Of the tariff bill
which is now in the Senate finance COM
mittee If it gets to the President The first
impression is, naturally, that the writer of
the famous tariff message which unequiv-
ocally committed the democratic party to a
purely revenue tariff would veto this bill,
especially as he contends now that what
is needed for the relief of the treasury is
not more revenue. 1t appears, however,
that there are considerations which cast a
doubt upon the correctness of this first i'm
preston.
Will Pass the Senate.
1t is reasonably certain that the tariff
bill as 1t passed the House will be put
through the Senate and be sent to the
President. The silver men whose opposi-
ton is regarded as the chief danger in
front of the bill. express the opinion pri-
vately that 1t will pass the Senate without
amendment. They should know, if any
body; for if it is killed 1t will be by them.
The amended bond bill is expected to come
to a vote in the Senate next week some
time. The Utah Senators will probably be
sworn IN on Monday or Tuesday, leaving
no further excuse for delay. The expecta-
ton of the silver men is that as soon as
this bond-silver proposition is disposed of
the tariff bill will be reported from the
finance committee, and that it will ulti-
mately pass the Senate in the form in
which it came over from the House.
Will Rest With the President.
This would, of course, send the matter
to the President, and its fate would then
depend upon his action. The President
would then have to consider two things
before deciding upon his action. In the
first place, he would know that, however
unsatisfactory this form Of relief for the
treasury might be to him, it would be the
only sort he could get from Congress. In
the second place. the question is raised,
and admitted by earnest tariff reformers
of Mr.. Cleveland's own class of thinkers
TO be very doubtful whether the special
provision Of the Constitution that revenue
legislation must originate in the House
does not place such legislation on an en-
tirely different footing from other legisla-
ton, as regards the veto power. The
view is presented that with this discrimina-
ton by the Constitution as regards revenue
legislation it is extremely doubtful whether
the President would feel at liberty to veto
a revenue bill on any but constitutional
grounds. While the last democratic plat
form declared that protection by means of
tariff revenues is unconstitutional, it is not
understood that Mr.. Cleveland has ever
been willing to go quite that far. 1t is not
thought for minute that he would veto
the present bill on the grounds that it
violated the Constitution.
May Let 1t Become q Law.
1t is thought, therefore, to be not at
ali certain that he would not let the bin
become a law II confronted with the prop
osition: He was quite as much opposed
to the German bill, and let it become a
law, not because it was party measure,
for that he denied In his letter to Catch
ings. but because Congress had passed it.
He did not then indicate any constitutional
reasons for not exercising the veto. but
some of those men in Congress who agree
with him best as to all policy are so much
in doubt as to the course he would follow
as to the bill now under discussion that
they are extremely apprehensive about its
going to him.