The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-11
SENATE COMMITTEES.
Wrangle Between Republicans, DEM
ocrats and Populists Liable to Be
Far Reaching


ocrats and Populists Liable to Be
Far Reaching.
Washington April 10.-The final sxrea-
ment among Democrats, Silver Repub-
licans and Populists in the senate look
ing TO a perfect coalition. was reached at
meeting OF the representatives of those
people today. The agreement had its
origin in an effort to reorganize the SEN
ate committees, but it is destined. appar-
entity. to reach far beyond this situation
and, in fact, to future proceedings in the
senate in all matters. if not to the extent
of shaping party policies throughout the
country. There We're present:
Democrats Senators German. CockeriIl,
Walthall, Jones of Arkansas and Murphy.
Silver Republicans-Senators Cannon
and Mantle.
Populists- Senators Allen and Petit
grew.
1t was decided that the combination
should hold out for the assignment OF
Democrats to all the places on commit
tees heretofore held by Democrats while
it was agreed that the Republicans should
have the places heretofore filled by Re-
publicans. This will give the Republicans
all the committee chairmanShips vacated
by the retirement of Senators Cameron,
Sherman, Dubois. Squire. Mitchell of Ore
gon and Brown, but it will give the COM
binatiOn about 20 vacancies, while il al
lows the Republicans only about 80 The
combination decided against making any
concessions, even that providing for al
lowing the Republicans to fill one of the
three vacancies in the committee on ap-
preparations.
The Silver Republicans say that their
principal incentive in entering the coal
ition is to protect the finance committee,
which they feared might become an
anti-silver organization in case the Re
publicans were allowed to have their own
way in committee organization. All in
tention to interfere with the passage of
the tariff bill through the senate through
the coalition of Democrats, Silver Repub-
licans and Populists is denied by the
parties to the agreement.
so far as the Democrats are con-
cerned. said Senator Jones of Arkansas
C,ho IS a member of the senate commit
tee on finance. their plans are simple
to debate the bill thoroughly and COM
pietely. so as to show up the incOn-
sstency and lack of uniformity of rates
in the bill. and then to allow the bill TO
pass, provided there are votes enough 10
pass it"
I'VE shall. in all probability, offer
amendments making the bill conform TO
our ideas of fairness and uniformity. I
am not prepared to say that we shall Of
fer any amendment providing fol- the
free coinage OF silver. but, so far as
am concerned. | should think that our
party would support amendments looking
to the suppression of the trusts so far as
that can be done in a tariff bill"
The Republican senators are not in
clined to credit the reports of a coalition
against them in the senate, and say, fur
thermOre. that the committees had no au-
thor.ty to represent their parties and
that the agreement cannot be made bind
ing. Moreove-. they predict the election
of p senator from Kentucky next week,
which. they say, would certainly solve
the problem in the interest OF the Re-
publicanS.