The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-02
SENATE ALWAYS GOES SLOW.
TARIFF BILL CAN'T BE RUSHED
THROUGH THE UPPER HOUSE.

THROUGH THE UPPER HOUSE.
A Month Sure 90 ne Required to Get
Ii Out of the Finance COMMITTEES.
Next the senate VIII Want to De-
bate IL For Six Weeks or Two
Months-The Republicans 10 Make
An Effort TO RcOrgRnixe the III
nance Committee Mt Once With the
object of Expediting the TarIG
Bill.
Washington. April Administration
senators are going to insist upon filing
the vacancies in the finance committee to
| expedite the consideration of the Dingley
| tariff bill, which is now before the Senate
1t is believed that an arrangement can
be reached between the republicans and
democratic leaders, by which the exist
ing vacancies in that committee can be
! filled.
Many of the new senator's who are now
without committee assignments, are anx-
ious to be placed and they are inclined
to resist any proposition that does not
| embrace a general reorganization OF tho
| committees.
| There was considerable gossip and spec
ulation on the subject at the capitol to-
| day, and there is growing impression
that the republican leaders have decided
to make an effort to fill the vacancies in
| the finance committee without waiting to
reach an agreement on the question of a
| general reorganization of the committees.
| Senator Burrows of Michigan, who Is fa-
miliar with the tariff question, because
of his long service on the committee on
ways and means in the House, is slated
to succeed John Sherman.
| The democrats are unable to agree upon
the successor of Senator Daniel Voorhees,.
| Senators Murphy of New York, Smith of
New Jersey and Lindsay of Kentucky are
suggested by the sound money democrats.
while the free silver men are urging Till
man Of South Carolina, Bacon of Georgia,
or Pasco of Florida.
AS now constituted, the committee is
controlled by the free silver men, and they
are not disposed to relinquish their power
over all the financial legislation that
comes before the Senate. While it is not
believed that they will resort to the meth
ods they employed to defeat the Dingley
emergency revenue bill in the last con-
gress, it is stated that they propose to
| have some definite understanding on the
silver question before they win consent
to release the new tariff bin from the Gus
I tody of the finance committee.
Another republican caucus will be called
| in a few days to consider the question of
| filling the vacancies in the finance COM
mittee, and at the same time outline an
| ironclad policy to be pursued in forcing
| the Dingley bill through the Senate with
| all the expedition possible under the ex-
| listing rules. Ii is claimed that the demo-
Gratis are not disposed to interpose OBJ
struction methods, but it is feared that
the most stubborn opposition will come
| from the republican side, from senator's,
| who are satisfied with the present metal
and cotton goods schedules.
Various estimates are suggested as to
how much time the Senate win require to
| get the bill out of the finance committee
| A republican senator said to-day that he
| believed it would take the committee at
| least one month to give the bill the con-
| sideration IL deserves. He said further that
| six weeks or two months would be neces-
| sary for debate after the bill is reported to
| the Senate. Past experience has demon
strated that 1t IS a very difficult matter to
| hurry the Senate, when II Is inclined to go
slow on any proposition.
| In this connection Representative Terry
| of Arkansas to-day related an anecdote
| applicable to the suggestion that drastic
| measures may be employed to force the
| Dingley bill through the Senate. Several
| members of the House were discussing the
! probable fate Of the bill in the Senate. A
| young republican member who believes in
! the Reed style of transacting congression-
| al business, declared that Vice President
Hobart should follow the example Of
| Speaker Reed, and put the screws on the
| Senate.
THAT is all very well to say" drawled
| Representative Terry in his peculiar Ark
| ansas dialect, but / have been In congress
| long enough TO know that you can't hurry
| the Senate when II Is determined 10 delay
action on pending measure. The SEN
ate pays no attention 20 public sentiment
as expressed in the newspapers, and IL
! reminds me of story. There Is an old
| man living i'm my town, who has wooden
| leg One OF my neighbors owned a little
| flee dog Every time the old man passed
down the street the dog. inside Of the
| gate, set up a terrible barking and tried
| 10 get out and attack the old man. One
! morning the old man concluded that he
would give the dog a chance. so he open
| ed the gate and held up his wooden leg for
| the dog TO chaw on. Well, that's the way
| the Senate does when the press and other
| Influences try to make them hurry up"
! The point of Judge Terry's story was ap-
| preciated by those who recalled the sem
atorial debates on the force bill, the bill
| to repeal the purchasing clause Of the
| Sherman act, and more recently the Ding
| ley emergency revenue bill
|
FAVORABLE REPORTS ORDERED.