The herald., 1896-01-09
THE TARIFF BILL
To Be Reported to the Senate Without
Amendment

To Be Reported to the Senate Without
Amendment
WASHINGTON, Jan. S.-The feature of
the Republican senatorial caucus held to-
day was discussion of the advisabiIity OF
amending the house tariff bill by adding a
free coinage amendment to it in the senate.
This discussion was confined to the free
coinage wing of the party. The result of
the NEE ting was the adop' ion of Senator
Quay's resolution. in reduced yesterday,
expressing the sense of the senate caucus
to he that the finance committee should
report the bill as it came from the
nouse with a few verbal changes which
will not alter the meaning of the measure
in any essential feature. There was no
roll call upon this, but there were a few
dissenting voices. There was no formal
effort to bind the senators to support the
bill when it shoul come before the senate,
ana it was left open to amendments at
that stage of the procee Iipgs 1t was
while the advsability of attempting to Sc
cure pledge of support was under consid-
Grafton that the silver question came up.
1t was sprung by question as to what the
silver Republicans would do in case free
silver amendment should be offered 10 the
tariff bill in the senate.
Senator aitchell of Oregon was the first
to respond to this inquiry. He ated that
to secure the adoption of the free COMA ge
Substitute for the house bond bill but that
with the silver question disposed of in
that connection, he would advise that the
silver Republicans refrain from participa
ting in any effort that may be made TO
amend the tariff bill by adding a free coin
age provision.
Senator Carter followed with a
speech in the same line. advising
united action on the present silver Repuh-
Iicans in opposition to such an ameud-
ment in the event of the previous passage
of the silver substitute for The bond bill.
He said hat he thought their action on the
bond bill would be a sufficient indication
TO the country to their attitude. he did
not saw that he would oppose such an
amendment by his vote in case of failure
to secure concerted and unanimous action
on the part of his silver colleagues. but
urged them strenuously to agree to this
line of action.
Senator Teller announced his intention
to vote for q silver amendment il offered
from any source, without announcing any
purpose of presenting such all amendment
himself. He talked very earnestly on the
subject, saying that he had, when the Nc
Knley bill was before congress in 1880,
foregone the opportunity to amend that
measure with free coinage provision on
the representation that the bill with such
an amendment wouln be voted. only to he
told afterwards by the friends of the bill
that the Sherman silver bill was passed as
ihe only hope of defeating free coinage.
He declared ne would not again be placed
in that pred cament.
Brief speeches were also made on this
feature Of the question by Senators Dubois,
Mantle, Shoup and others.
Senator Baker announced himself as
friendly to the proposi ion to coin the
American silver product, and said he
would offer an amendment to this effect to
bo,h The bond and the tariff bills.
MIR. Raker also reiterated his declaration
of yesterday to disregard the instructions
of the caucus and vote against the bill un-
less amended on protection lines.
There was general expression OF opinion
that the bill, whether amended or un-
amended in the senate, never would become
a law. Several senators expressed the
opinion that it could not receive executive
sanction.
After the conclusion of the tariff bill an
effort was made to proceed to the consid-
GRAFTON Of the reorganization of the senate