The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-12-11
Conference mt Which 1t Was Agreed
1ey's Name Attached.
MILLION AND A HALF At STAKE
EXPRESS COMPANIES FIGHTING TAX
ASSESSMENTS OF THREE STATES.
Attorney General ketchnm to Speak
Behalf of Indiana COmmissiOners.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

SpeclaI 10 tne lnul1n1p0llS journal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-There seems to
be authentic grounds tonight for again
predicting the selection of Dingley for Sec
retary of the treasury. Conferences We're
held to-day in private room of the Capt.
tol in which Messrs. Proctor, Ding
ley. Grosvenor and others participated, and
in which tariff legislation was the subject
of much discussion. Tonight a private
meeting of the ways and means committee
was held in Mr.. Grosvenor's room in the
Cochran House. and after full discussion
it was decided to GO ahead on the tariff
measure. along Republican lines, and intro
duce the same with Dingleys name at
tached. that it might be discussed at the
present session, and if possible secure it's
passage. doing away with an extra session.
failing in which TO introduce the same at
the extra session, when, it is now hoped, a
Republican majority may be Forthcoming
in the Senate.
The Associated Press reporter says:
The ways and means committee of the
House will begin work before the holiday
recess of Congress upon the tariff BILL
which is to be the chief feature in the
policy of the incoming administration, and
will endeavor to perfect the bill so that it
Fifty-fifth Congress early in the special
session, which President Mckinley will
summon for revising the tariff laws This
programme was formally decided on to-
night by a conference of the Republican
members of the committee, held In General
Grosvenor's rooms at the Cochran Hotel.
1t gives semi-official confirmation to the
announcements made a week ago that the
President-eIect had concluded to have an
extra session and that the Republican
leaders had abandoned the Dingley BILL the
temporary measure which was passed by
the House in it's last session, and amended
with a free-silver substitute by the Senate.
All Republican ways and means men at
tended the conference tonight except Mr..
Steele, of Indiana, who was detained.
They were: Dingley, of Maine; Payne, of
New York; DalZell, of Pennsylvania; Hop
kins, of Illinois, Grosvenor, of Ohio; Rus
sell, of Connecticut: Dolliver of Iowa;
Johnson, OF North Dakota; t. ans, of Ken
lucky, and Tawney OF Minnesota. They
decided that Chairman Dingley shall call a
meeting of the full committee for Satur-
day, at which the usual formality of CIV
ing the minority members an opportunity
to vote upon the programme will be en-
acted. The proposition to be laid before
the committee is that hearings be given by
the full committee at which all parties
having an interest I'm the tariff will be in
vited to give their views, these hearings to
be commenced within a few days.
Apart from this official plan, the Repub-
licans determined to take the framing
of the bill themselves-the usual course
pursued by the majority party-soon after
the hearings 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 contin-
gent will work together, although the vari-
Gus members will devote their attention to
the particular schedules with which they
are most familiar.
Messrs. Daizen and Hopkins will give
most of their time to steel, Grosvenor will
have most TO do with wool, Russell with
cotton and machinery, Evans with spirits
and wines. and Dolliver Tawney and Hop
kins 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 i'm
portant than ii was in the Harrison ad-
ministration, II practical scheme can be
devised. Great difrculties have presented
themselves in the consideration OF the reel
procity, some OF which were apparent dur
ing the investigation of the subject made
by a subcommittee last session; not a Few
OF which arise from changed conditions OF
the governments foreign relations. The
reciprocity features of the tarin Will be
woven into the original bill. In the last
Republican tariff they were mostly after
thoughts.
To-night's 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 tariff bill is understood to be
one whose average rates will be somewhat
lower than the rates of the Mckinley bill
of 1890, though considerable average ad-
vance over the Wilson-Gorman duties, ano
the committeeman said that they would
not hesitate to advance rates beyond the
Mckinley bill in cases where experience
had shown the advance TO be advisable
General Grosvenor and Mir. Dingley, Ii Is
| understood. conveyed the views of the
President-elect upon the programme to
| their colleagues.
More than half of the two hours, il was
said. was given to discussion of the diff
culties in the path of the Republican pro
possibility of an unfriendly Senate in the
next Congress. One of the members said
that thaf they the neSt Senate might block tar
legislation, but hoped that the free-silver
senator's who walked out of the St Louis
convention would be ready 10 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 appointment has been
made to fill the committee vacancy created
| by the death OF ex-Speaker CrlSp, ana with
Mr. Turner who is one of the Democratic
| leaders absent, the minority might COM
plain that it was not properly represented
| Speaker Reed. II is expected, will designate
MIR Crisp's successor this week. Mr. New
| lands, of Nevada, has been discussed by
Republican ways and means men as one
qualified 10 fill the vacancy whose selec-
| ton might do something to help the pass
age of tariff bill. Mr.. Newlands is Re-
publican of the independent silver party,
so designating himself in the Congressional
having formerly ReDQh-
lican. 1t is thought by some that if recog-
milton were given the independent silver
men by such appointment il would
tend 10 draw the support of several sena-
tors belonging TO that faction.
Rumors I'm political circles tonight had il
that Mr. Hanna took part in the tariff con-
| ference but this was without basis. The
chairman of the national committee went
to the House this afternoon TO talk with
Speaker Reed. but found the speaker i'm
the chair and. after talking with General
Grosvenor. departed. General Grosvenor
informed the speaker of the call.
TAX ASSESSMENT CASES.