The evening times., 1897-04-08
TARIFF BILL ENDANGERED.
Senator Chandler Gives Plain
Warning to Republicans.
DANGER IN HIGH DUTIES
The Pressure Comes From All Parts
of the Country, aud If Yielded to
IL VIII Defeat the Bill, Mr.. Chau-
dIer Says-SmaIl Margin to Go
On at the Present Time.

Senator Chandler, in an interview, au-
thorzed thesta ternent that the passage OF
the tariff bill might be endangered if the
pressure for high duties continues.
This pressureis enormous from all parts
of the country he said, land it is so
strong that there is some danger it may be
yielded to. There is, for instance, a gen
eraI demand that the wool tariff shall
be increased so that, instead of q rate of
or cents a pound On wool, we shall
have 10 or IL. The woolen manufacturers
want compensatory rates, which amoun. to
prohibitive duties, on woolens.
"Californians ask US to place such duties
on fruits that all foreign fruits shall be
kept out in the interest of the California
products. Indeed, there is great pressure
from all parts of the country, and in the IN
terest of almost every industry for prohib-
itive duties. If the pressure continues and
is yielded to, there is great danger, L re-
peat, that the bill viii not become a law.
There will, in that event, be such an Upris-
ing against the bill that there will be a
majority against it, instead of for il. The
margin is small, at best.
The Republicans have not jority
without assistance from other parties, and
the danger is that there will he such a gem
eral reyulsion of feeling as Will cause the
outsiders, upon whom we are counting, to
refuse to cast their votes for the bin. So,
at least, the matter presents itself TO my
mind. The Republican members of the
Finance Committee are disposed TO he con-
seryative, but the pressure is so strong
that they may be forced to yield The
people who are creating the pressure are
thus preparing TO pull down upon their own
heads the temple that shelters them"
Anumber o Western Republican Senators,
more particularly those from the Rocky
Mountain States, have united in a movement
10 make sure of securing certain concessions
in the tariff bill which they consider
Important to that section of the country.
There have been several informal con-
ferences recently, hut up to date no con
clusions have been reached The articles
which the Senators have especially in view
are wool, hides, coal, and lead ore.
The tendency is TO ask a change in the
portion of tie wool schedule which relates
to third-claSs wools. The probabilities
are that there will be a demand for specific
instead of ad valorem duties on wool of
this class, and one Western Senator said
today that he would not be satisfied with
less than six cents per pound On any wool.
There is quite a determined movement
among these Senators for duty on hides.
The Finance Committee, Western Senators
say, did not manifest at first disposition
to grant this concession, but the Western
men say they now find reason to feel en-
couraged over the outlook. They probably
will ask that the duty be fixed at two cents
per pound, but some OF them appear willing
to compromise at one and half cents or
even one cent.
There will be a determined effort to in
crease the rate on lead contained in ore
from l cent per pound as fixed by the
Dingley bill as it passed the House to l 12
cents, and to change the language of the
provision This would mean return to
the Mckinley rate, but the language Of
the Wilson law is considered preferable
to that of either the Mckinley law or the
Dingley bill.
There will be an effort also 10 prevent
any reduction OF the House rates on coal
and lumber. The Wyoming and Colorado
Senators are especially interested in coal
and the oregon and Washington Senators
in lumber. Some of the Western Senators
are inclined to fear that the bill may be
made to discriminate against Western n
terests and desire to organize to prevent
that result.