Evening star., 1897-05-29
THE TARIFF BILL
May Not Reach the President Before
September.
10 OPEN THE WAY TO BETTER TIMES
Even Though It Does Not Satisfy
All interests.
HOW IT WAS PREPARED

| HOW IL W. AS PREPARED
| Written for The Evening Star
The cloud of uncertainty still hangs over
| Washington. 1t is a cloud that paralyzes
the business interests of the country and
awakels the activity OF the politicians.
There is no certainty as to what sort of a
tariff bill will be passed. Some smile and
! say that no tariff bill whatever will be-
| come law. Others assert IL 1t does be-
come a law 1t will not clear the way for
prosperity. They declare that the healing
process requires financial legislation. The
| situation is becoming more Intricate. Mr..
| Dingley aptly expresses 1t when he says
that ut must be borne in mind that there
is no Senate bill as yet" The Senate bill
so called is simply the House bill reported
to the Senate by the finance committee
with amendments. What 1t will be when
| the Senate gets through with 1t no one
can tell. When the Wilson bill was in
| similar predicament the problem was
quickly solved. The House was virtually
| told that 1t must take the Senate amend
| ments. mistakes and all. or nothing. That
House of Representatives. and even the
President himself. was bulldozed. 1t gave
| way to the Senate. and the result was dis
astrous to the people and to the admins
| tration.
1t Is evident that there will be no such
action in this House of REPRESENTATIVES.
The Speaker is the real leader of the ma
jorty in the House. and his followers are
loyal to the core. Mr.. Dingley makes a
magnificent lieutenant. The bill must go
| to a conference committee. This commit
| tee will undoubtedly wrangle over IL in
definitely, but In the end 1t must come to
| some agreement. OF course, 1t Is possible
that Congress may adjourn without ac-
inn Thn I'M mo
1t cannot be cut by an adjournment of
Congress. The President is well known to
| be a man of nerve and capacity, when
| nerve and capacity are required He dem
| ty-first Congress.
If Congress adjourns without action. he
will act promptly If not sagaciously. The
two houses will be called together again in
a second extra session, and practically
forced to come to an agreement
Differences OF Opinion.
There are evidently wide differences be-
tween the two bodies. The virtual leader
in the SeEate Is Mr.. Aldrich of Rhode
Island. He has had much experience in
revenue legislation, and has decided opin-
ions. He clings to them with tenacity, and
his hold can be shaken only by the action
of the Senate itself What the Senate may
do with the bill is of course problematical.
| 1t may rend the action of its finance COM
mittee. 1t may make radical changes in
| the proposed amendments. The sugar
schedule will undoubtedly lead to a bitter
fight, equaling in intensity the fight over
| free hides and WOOL Sectional feelings are
already aroused, and may predominant. 1t
| seems almost certain that the west will be
| arrayed against the east. Each will look
for allies. and they are to be found only in
| the south.
The debate in the Senate promises to be a
| &C ntest Of extraordinary interest. There Will
be flashes of populistic lightning and rever-
| berations of democratic thunder. The dis
cussion might well recall the days of Doug.
las. Sumner. Toombs Ben Wade and Fes-
senden. There Is fully as much ability and
eloquence in the Senate today as In those
| troublous days. Sectionalism may not he sc
| rampant, but 1t lies at the root Of the con.
tentiol. and will undoubtedly inspire much
OF the discus sion. Senator's Hear and Lodge
| are the equal of Sumner and Wilson For
aker will undoubtedly flourish his fiery
talchion and Tfllman poise his pitchforis
anew. Allen of Nebraska will use congreve
rockets. and Vest shower the Senate with
| Greek fire. You will hear the clarion trum-
pet Of Roger Q. Mills above the din of ba l.
tie. while Hawley of Connecticut and Frye
Of Maine serve the new and improved re.
publican artillery.
In the Front Rank.
Julius Caesar Burrows will undoubtedly
be ia the front line welding the broad.
sword Of Kalamazoo. while Turpie of In
diana uses his rapier of sarcasm in thrust
and parry with the exquisite grace of an
intellectual maitre d'armes. The leonine
name of Mason of Illinois is sure to ne
conspicuous. And Krute Nelson, the Vik-
ing Of Minnesota. may possibly create dis
may among his associates by hurling anew
the javelin of free trade. Stewart of Ne
vada threatens to wave aloft the gonfalon
| Of free silver, adding confusion to the con-
test, while German of Maryland and Dan.
| lei of Virginia, with others, will serve
the democratic guns with precision and
regularity. The country may manifest an
interes; in the debate. but it will be far
more interested in the result 1t has well
been said that what is fun for the Sen
ate is death to business.
| The members of the House of Representa-.
tives all have an active interest In the
fate of the bill in the Senate. They re-
ceive in every mail protests from manu-
| facturers importers, and business mer
committee on certain schedules. The rep
resentatives. however. are powerless. Even
when the bill comes back to the House
they will probably have no opportunity to
offer amendments to IT. They had no such
opportunity when the Dingley bill origi-
nally passed the House. and they will GER
tainly have lone after the bill reaches
the stage of conference. There will prob
ably be three coIferees on each side
Aldrich. Allison and Jones Of Arkansas on
the part Of the Senate and Dingley, Payne
gentlemen will be clothed with full power
and to them all outside protests ought to
be made. The House conferees will en-
body the individuality of the House. and
the Senate conferees the individuality of
| the Senate.
Spinning the Web.
Those interested should bear in mind the
difference in the action of the two houses
In the compilation of the bill The Ding
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