The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-03-20

The Washington correspondent of the
New York Journal says: The Republican
leaders of the Senate are against the Ding
ley bill as it now stands. They intend 10
cut down every schedule imposed by that
measure. In SO doing they put themsclycsIn
opposition to President Mckinley. That
does not matter. They intend To show the
Executive that he is not the legislative
branch OF the Government. They 10 not
mean 10 pass measure which, in its pres
ent form, threatens party disaster and de-
feat.
They intend to amend the bill SO that the
author himself will not recognize it when
il is sent back to the House. They VIII
stand by their amendments until the House
gives in, be that until the expiration Of the
present Congress. They have given heed
to the warnings Of the Democrats. Fault
is found with the measure from beginning
to end. Nearly ever rate, they holl is
too high.
The Finance Committee will take the bin
in hand on April / The House could not
have selected a more fitting day on which
to forward the measure in the Senate.
Work on it will be begun at once, and
plenty OF time win be taken to thoroughly
study and weigh each detail. But the
measure goes into the hands OF a strong
wiIled jury. Those who viii pass on it
have already made up their minds. The
rates are too high, they say, and the rates
must come downi
The business men OF the Senate are at
hn hot Of vol
ley rates and the open approval OF them
by the President. They have been study
ing the bill since il was made public They
have been surprised and shocked. They
have seen that this time, at least, the
Democrats are crying wolf with the best
Of reasons.
The first intimari0n OF a failure n the
plan mapped out by President Mckinley,
Vice President Hobart and Mark Hanna
came on Monday, when it was learned that
Senator Aldrich would not support the
cIoture rule that Senator Hoar had been
inveigled into giving notice OF presenta-
tion. The senior Senator from Rhode Is
land, one Of the shrewdest men ia public
life, had heard the murmuring Of the pco-
pie before, but did not fully appreciate tie
storm hanging over the party until he had
finished his first hasty study Of the bill.
Hasty as it was, ii sU1liced- He saw IN
an instant where the passage Of tie cloture
rule would place him and the other busi-
ness men Of the Senate. That was enough.
He served notice. Mark Hanna gave in,
and has bowed TO the superior Political
nceandfOresightOfthe Rhode Island
er The combination of the President,
Vice President and Hanna to pass the
Dingley biIl as it comes from the House is
doomed TO failure in advance
Already the Finance Committee Las seen
enough of the bill TO know that the wool
schedule is preposteTOHs. The carpet men
have served notice that the classificat IONS
under the new schedule viii ruin their
business. Already the competition is Iuin-
ous and trebling the import duty will
simply close up their manufactures. The
committee realizes that this is true.
Mckinley dotes on the wool schedule, as
did President Cleveland on his free raw
material 1t is the pet product of his
own state but the Senate has concl1dcd
that there are other people in the world
besides wolI-growers. They intend TO
protect the interests of these other people.
The wool classification will not stand
TheIumber schedule will fare badly IN the
hands OF the Finance Committee. White
pine fir and hemlock viii not remain in the
50 class The Wilson rates on lumber
workedvery W ell and a slight increase would
not have caused objection. But the lumber
interest asked too much and the Ways and
Means Committee weakly receded from its
original position. The Senate proposes to
see that this weakness is remedied. S should
the rate stand, commercial fight with
Canada will commence. A retaliatOry
policy is 70 he at once entered into by the
privy council.
The attitude Of the House cannot move
the Senate There is no majority in the
Senate on which the President can count.
He must take what he can get. Senator
Allison Of Iowa, chairman of the Appro-
priations Committee, when asked about the
feeling in the Senate that the rates Of the
Dingley bfll were too high, said tonight:
at would be strange thing if a till,
passei by the House with few days de
bate, came from the Finance Committee
without amendment. 1t would be stranger
yet should it pass the Senate without fur
-her debate. We will meet the House on
She principles of ample revenues and tafr
protection to American Industries.
"But we will decide the details for our
selves.
1--WE amended the Mckinley 5ill in 1890
III my memory be not at fault, we made
363 amendments to that measure. We
amended the Wilson bill until it was al
most unrecognizable. 1t would be strange
n this measure were not amended as we
shink best.
II have heard that some Of the rates
are too high. 1 cannot say that they are.
t have not studied the bill carefully yet.
The measure will be thoroughly debated,
and all changes will be made after due
consideration"
House Officers Appointed.