The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-12

WASHINGTON, July 1.-THE con-
ferees of the tariff bill held a four
hours session today. The anxiety to
reach complete agreement as early as
possible induced them to meet on the
Sabbath, and tonight both the house
and senate conferees appear satisfied
with the progress that has been made.
Several hundred of the minor amend
ments have been agreed upon, many of
them mere changes Of phraSeology, and
on large majority of these the house
conferees naturally have yielded None
OF the real important problems in the
Dill, however, have as yet been solved.
All Of them have received more or less
consideration, and there has been a
free exchange of opinions. The temper
and disposition of the senate and house
conferees on these important matters
have in this way been ascertained. In
several cases the conferees are very
close to an agreement. Both sides, so
one of the conferees said tonight, show
a commendable spirit of concilation,
and while in several instances each
side seems to be holding out strongly
for it's contention as to rates, he said
there had not yet appeared on the hori-
zon anything which portends such diff
Guilty as would not in time be sur
mounted. There is the best of reasons
for believing that several of the main
points of contention will be compro-
missed. This is especially to be be-
lieved of lumber, hides and wool, and
possibly sugar, though on the latter
the house conferees are standing par
ticularly firm for their schedule. On
the subject of reciprocity, the drift of
opinion seems to be in the direction
of the senate substitute, but with GER
tain Of the house provisions, that is,
the list of articles which can be used
as a basis for reciprocity treaties will
be breadened, but the senate pro-
vision requiring the ratification of the
treaties will be discarded, Several of
the eminent lawyers in both branches
! of congress question the constitutional
| ity of the power conferred upon the
president by the senate reciprocity pro-
vision. The stamp tax on bonds and
stocks provided for in one of the SEN
ate amendments has not yet been &C
certed. The revenue afforded by it fur
niSheS a strong argument for it's ac
| ceptance, in view of the heavy antici
! patory importations, and there is talk
of widening it's scope so as not only to
include a tax on actual transfers, but
on-all recorded sales. This necessity of
| revenue also furnishes a strong argu-
ment for the restoration of the house
rates on imported tobacco. 1t is i'm
| possible to estimate yet when final
| agreement will be reached, and, al
though various dates are given as to
the length of time the bill will remain
in conference, ranging from Tuesday
to a week from tomorrow, one of the
most influential of the conferees said
tonight that all estimates were neces-
sarily pure guess work. He said that
the decisions on the matters of trans
cerdent Importance in the bill were so
inter-dependent that ultimate decision
on one might involve a complete agree
ment on others, and that the final
agreement might come at any time aft
er the rest of matters of secondary i'm
portance were out of the way
When the report is completed it will
at once go to the house, where it is
not likely more than one day will be
allowed for debate. The anxiety to
get the bill on the statute books and
the great loss of revenue involved in
each twenty-four hours delay, it is
argued, justifies the Republican man
ayers in declining to give more than
a single day for discussion.