The times., 1897-07-12
PROGRESS OF THE TARIFF BILL
Senate and House Conferees Lock
Horns ON Important Schedules.

The conferees on the tariff bin spent
four hours of the Sabbath day in an in
effectual effort to come to an agreement
on some OF the big items. They met at 10
O'Clock aud remained in session until the
luncheon hour when they adjourned for
the day. The struggle will be resumed
this morning at $50 O'Clock.
There were conflicting stories as to
yesterdays proceedings. From the House
side OF the conference it is said there are
no oyershadowing difficulties that seem
to stand in the way OF full and final re-
port. On the other hand, IL was asserted
last night upon W hat oug ght to-oe good au
thorty that until the House yields TO the
Senate rate on sugar there can be no agree
nent ON any of the eimportanti5ems.
II is known that Senators Aldrich, Bur
rows and Jones OF Nevada are contending
for the Senate schedule, and if Messrs.
Jones and Aldrich have their way 1t VIII
prevail or there VIII lie no report. There
seems TO be little doubt but that there IS
something of an ugly feeling over this
matter, growing out Of the agg1essIveness
with which the Senate people stuck out
for their schedule. The opinion yester-
day was that the schedule would finally DC
fixed up in contemporaries shape between
the rates of the two houses. The trust
har neat increase in the Senate rate of
duty. amounting TO 1-2 cents hundred
pounds OH the sugar refined This ap-
pears TO be an insignificant sum, but
wher figured upon the enormous aggregate
of the yearly output is an item fof which
the trust will fight bitterly.
When the conferees viii report is again
doubtful question. Last night the mem
bers of the committee were not SO certain
that il would be Wednesday The various
important changes are so interviewer with
each other that they must be finally con
sideI cd the one with the other in order
to arrive at final agreement AS one
member or the committee said last night,
tie break may come at any time, and IL
may be week distant Something over
400 OF the amendments have been agreed
to, but the great majority are immaterial
and would not have been necessary had the
| bill not been put through the House with
| stlcl: undue haste under the " hip and spur
| II reaching for compromise, suGGes'
ton may be offered at any time that VIII
| solve the whole situation, and lead TO a
| speedy settlement, but this is hardly eX'
| pected for several days
Coal appears 10 have been agreed upon
| al the House rate The Senate reduced I
| from 10 cents to 81 cents ton, and struck
out the reciprocity clause
There will probably be a compromise in
! lumber The House fixed 1t at So pen
| thousand feet, and the Senate cut that in
| half The House managers are assisting
upon their rate, and while the Senate
| conferees are not standing out very strong
| ly for the rate, they think So is a !Itue
! high II is the impression that n ,on-
| promise figur of SI.50 will be agreed upon.
The arrangement to be reached on cut
and polished diamonds may affect the
revenue very materially.
The House put it at 5 per cent, but
il has been shown that under this rats
smuggling has prospered, and duriug tho
| past fiscal vear the Government thereby
lost more than a million of dollars in
revenue by reason of the impossih!lity
OF responsible dealers to import, pay the
duty and compete with smuggled goods
The highest revenue has been derived from
10 per cent duty as fixed by the Sen
| ate, and it is unde rstood that the House
conferees, anxious TO secure that one
| million of revenue, have agreed 10 th'
Senate rate Of 10 per cent.
The inconsistencies of the chemical
| schedule have been gone over and severa
! attempts made to remedy some OF it,
evils. In some cases this has been sue
cessful, but in Others the ahsurdities
not to call them by haTsher names
still remain The borax outrage las no
been corrected. but the House men arr
making a determined effort to defea
the concession on this item made to MI
Jones.
If the committee is to reach an agree
ment this week much hard work is stu
tC. be done, but, as has been stated thf
break may come at any moment and th'
unexpected happen. The Presi dent |:
uneasy and wants Congress to adjourn