The sun., 1896-12-15
A DINGLEY TARIFF BILL.
HE WILL NAVE 1T READY FOR PAS
SAGE THIS SESSION

On the Senate VIII ne Placed the Ro.pon.
sibiiity of Deciding Whether There shall
he M Extra Session or Another sale Of
bonds - Hearings the Schedules ..
WARRINGTON. Doc. 14.--It Is now possible
| that upon the United States Senate will be
| placed the responsibility of deciding whether
there shall be an extra session OF the Fifty fifth
Congress, or whether Republican Tariff bill
shall be passed at the present session. 1t is tho
purpose of Chairman Dingley and his colleagues
on the ways and Means Committee to have
their new bill, upon which work has already
commenced ready to be presented to the House
about tho middle OF January. Under the House
rules vote can be had at any time after a
reasonable amount of debate. and then IL will
be for the Senate to saw whether or not the bill
can be enacted into law. The leading Repub-
licans in both houses of Congress agroe
with Chairman Dingley that an extra ses-
sion of Congress should be avoided IL possible
and revenue raising bill passed at once In or
der to relieve the business world OF the uncer-
tainty and suspense that would be caused by a
Six months agitation of the tariff question. 1t
Is thought by some of the shrewdest Republi-
cans In the Senate that notwithstanding tho
TACT that the number OF Senatore who now at
tend the Republican caucus does not constitute
majority OF the Senate. n sufficient number of
votes would be forthcoming to pass new Ding
ley bill. 1t would be amended OF course but
this would send the measure to conference,
where 1t could readily bo put into shape and
agreed to by both houses. This programme will
be carried out IL 1t is found at the tme the bill
is ready to he reported to the House that 1t is
likely to succeed.
Chairman Dingley expressed the sentiments
of the President elect when he said that an ex-
ira session should be avoided IL possible and a
revenue-raisiDg tariff bill enacted at once bnt
he Is not yet ready to admit that there is good
ground for the belief OF certain Senators that
such bill could pass the Senate at the present
session. That the present Dingley bill is dead
there Is no longer Il shadow of doubt. 1t is
thought. however, by some OF the Republicans
that sound Senators on the Democratic
side OF the chamber and protection Senators,
who are now known as silver Republicans, or
Populists. will not care to assume the responsi-
bilty of preventing the passage OF new Tariff
bill and thus making another sale OF bonds
necessary.
If the plan now suggested is carried out by
the House and the new Dingley bill sent to tho
Senate about the first of February. 1t would of
course be possible fora handful of Senators to
defeat 1t II they took the notion to resort to
flibustering and dilatory motions. 1t would be
great responsibility for them to assume, how
ever. because it would make necessary an extra
session Of Congress that otherwise would be
avoided. II the tariff question should be post
poned until the extra session, these men could
Sill prevent action upon a bill indefinitely.
but by SO doing they would be directly responsible
for forcing another sale OF bonds, as 1t is alb
solutely certain that revenue for the operations
of the Treasury must be provided before the
end OF the present fiscal year.
Chairman Dngley is not hopeful that tho
Senate as it is constituted at present will permit
the passage of the Tariff bill that the Ways and
Means Committee will prepare. bat he thinks
they should be forced to face the issue squarely
and accept the responsibility for the result of
their refusal. He intends, therefore, to !
have the new hill ready for passage by the
House before the LIST OF February II it is deemed
advisable to send 1t to the Senate during the
present session.