The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-30
MATTER OF TARIFF LEGIs-
LATION.
DINGLEY BILL UNAMENDED
MAY BE REPORTED TO THE SEN
ATE BY THE FINANCE COM Y
MITTEEs
JONES is WITH THE DEMOCRATS.
He Will Not Permit Practically
New Bill to- Be Hurried in With
out Consideration.

WASHINGTON, April 29-The SEN
ate finance committee was in session
for an hour today, four Republicans
and four Democrats being present The
absenteeS were Platt Republican;
Jones. Democrat, and Jones, silver Re
publican. No conclusion of any kind
regarding the tariff bill was reached,
although the Republicans said they
hoped to be able to report the bill to
the full committee on Monday. The
Republicans asked that time be fixed
for reporting the bill to the senate, but
the Democrats would not agree to fix
date, saying that they wanted a
reasonable time to consider the bill,
and that there would be no undue de-
lay. The Democrats were not shown
copy of the bill nor did they receive
any information regarding it's charac-
ter.
The discussion was confined entirely
to the proposition of the Republicans
to permit the bill to be reported direct
to the senate and the alternative propo-
sition to considel 1t very briefly in COM
mtttee. The Democrats declined the
first suggestion, but said with refer
ence to the second that they could
make no reply until they should have
an opportunity to see the bill. They
stated, however that under any cir
cumstances they would expect to be
given sufficient time to thoroughly ex-
anime the bill before conserving to it's
being reported. Beyond this, they
would ask nothing, as they would not
seek unnecessarily to delay the bill
for a day. The Republicans stated
their reason for making the request to
be that they were much fatigued with
their work in committee, and admitted
also that they were DESTROYS of avoid
ing the Importantly to which they knew
they would be subjected when the con-
tents of the bill should become known
They also stated that their work was
not sufficiently advanced to permit the
presentation of copies of the bill to
the Democrats, but they vouchsafed no
information in regard to changes be-
yond stating that they were generally
in the line of reductions.
The discussion was of a conversation
al character and was participated in
by all the senators present. One fact
developed during the the conference
was that the Republicans did not feel
absolutely aSSul ed of the vote of Sen
atOr Jones, of Nevada, in committee
On the other hand the Democrats ex-
pressed confidence that he would stand
with them at least to the extent Of
seeing that they had time for consider
alton of the bill in the committee The
Republican members of the finance
committee do not accept with good
grace the refusal of members to per-
nit speedy report of the tariff bill.
They say that the opposition Of the
Democrats is unprecedented, the rule
being to allow the majority to bring in
and present its amended bill without
effort on the part of the the minority
to change the result in committee.
There is a possibility that they may
evade the demands by reporting the
Dingley bill back to the senate with
out any amendments whatever. This
could be accomplished by the adop-
ton Of a resolution by the senate,
discharging the committee from the
further consideration of the bill and
ordering it to report it back. The
ACCESSIBILITY of adopting such a course
as this was discussed somewhat by
the Republican members of the finance
committee after receiving the refusal
of the Democrats. They say the
amendments could be presented from
time to time in the senate, and they
feel that there would be great advant-
age in this course in avoiding the ne
cessity of getting the assent of Senator
Jones, of Nevada, to every change
made before presenting the bill. The
Democratic members do not regard
the outlook thus presented very seri-
ously. They do not believe that the
Republican members of the committee
would take the responsibility of re-
porting the bill without a change and
pronounce the talk of such a course as
bluff"