The record-union., 1897-07-19

Protest of the minority.
WASHINGTON, July 1S.-The indi-
cations are the tariff bill as reported
bv the Republican conferrees yesterday
probably will have passed both houses
of Congress and be a law at the end OF
the present week. Delays and compn-
cations, now unanticipated, might some
what prolong the final struggle Ihe
Republican conferreeS have been work
ing hard all day consulting and arrang-
ing the details of the report which they
now believe they will be able to submit
to their Democratic colleagues to-mor-
row morning.
The bulk of this work has fallen upon
the shoulders of Senator Allison and
Governor Dingley, who are preparing
the statements of the effect OF the
changes made by the conferrees when
will be submitted to their respective
houses. They have had small army
of clerks at work through the day IN
the room of the Senate Committee on
Finance, preparing the bill for the PRINT
ers. If this task can be accomplished SO
that the printed bill can be laid before
the Democrats tomorrow morning, the
debates will begin in the House to-mor-
row afternoon. 1t is not believed that
there will be any disposition on the part
OF Democratic members of the confer
ence to delay the debate in full COM
mittee, but the Democrats have had no
meeting to determine their course OF ac-
tion on this point.
Dingley expressed the opinion tonight
that an hour would be sufficient time TO
explain the changes made by the con-
ferrees to their minority colleagues on
the committee. One or two of the DEM
ocrats are tonight inclined to insist
upon the day of deliberations on the
changes. but they, of course, realize that
they are hopeless if the majority desire
to report the bill over their protest, and,
inasmuch as the Republican leaders of
the House decided to- night to give two
full days for the discussion Of the report
in the House. they probably will ac-
quiesce in the decision of the majority
to make the report tomorrow. All along
the Republican leaders have been dis
posed to allow but one day for debate,
and, while they still believe one day
would be sufficient after discussing the
question tonight they decided, in order
to disarm the protest of the minority,
who would be sure to cause delay and TO
avoid possible criticism that the report
was to be dragooned through the House,
TO give two full days for debate. The re-
port must, of course, be acted upon by
the House before it is considered in the
Senate. The Committee on Rules Will
meet tomorrow morning and prepare
rule which will bring a vote on the re-
port before adjournment on Tuesday.
The rules will be presented and adopted
as soon as the conferrees make their re-
port, probably soon after noon to-mor-
row. The debate will follow immedi-
ately. 1t is not believed that a single
Republican vote in the House will be
recorded against the report.
The programme in the Senate is much
more definite on account of the wide lat
itude allowed for debate and the alb
sence of any parliamentary method of
bringing the report to a vote. The DEM
ocratic Senators. it is safe to predict
from their talk to-day, intend to assail
the compromise on sugar, to which the
conferreeS agreed, and to make a pretty
stiff fight against the restoration to the
dutiable list of cotton bagging, cotton
ties, burlaps, etc. They also will make
a strong opposition to the restoration of
white pine to the House rate of 81 per
thousand Some of the Democratic
Senators until to-day discussed the pos
sibility of defeating the report in the
Senate on the presumption that they
might be able to secure as many votes
against the report as they did to place
these articles on the free list. But no
Cne imagines seriously that the report
is in danger in the Senate when it comes
to a final vote. And moreover, the most
prominent Democratic Senators freely
express the opinion that the fight in the
Senate, which may be spirited will be
brief They believe a vote will be
reached in three days in the Senate. The
parliamentary procedure on conference
report may have an important bearing
on the course of the debate in the Sen
ate.
One of the conferrees, who is an au-
thority on parliamentary procedure,
said tonight:
There can be no doubt that the con-
ference report must be considered as
an entirety. The rulings Of Speaker
Blaine. Carlisle and others have placed
that beyond controversy, and the same
rule has been observed in the Senate.
The only question before the House is:
Shall the report be accepted or re-
jected as a whole? For that reason
no motion relating to sugar, cotton ties,
cotton bagging or any other item of
the report is in order. The vote Will
be taken on agreeing to the entire re-
port, and it is only by defeating the
report as a. whole that it would be pos
sible to reach any special item. Should
the entire report be rejected an order to
recommit the bill viii be made. The
strength of the bill lies in its entirety.
Some of the opponents of the bill in
the Senate hold that motion to re-
commit with instructions as to separate
items would be in order before the vote
is taken on accepting the report as an
entirety. But the best parliamentar-
ians in both branches say that the
practice is well settled. and that the
vote must be taken first on the adop-
ton or rejection of the report. IF re-
iected. then any other motion would
be in order
1t is learned to-day that there was