The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-29

pOrtunity offered for talking, and as no
injury can be done 1T is likely that the
leaders will indulge the members to
some extent in this regard.
The senate will devote its energies
this week to the arbitration treaty with
the vague hope on the part of some of
the friends of that instrument of secur-
ing a final vote on Friday or Saturday.
The senate will early tomorrow go into
executive session to consider the treaty
if no unforeseen circumstances prevent,
and thus afford ample time to COM
plete all speeches by Wednesday, when
the voting is to begin on the miScella-
neous amendments The consideration
of amendments is to continue Thurs
day, provided new ones are offered
after Wednesdays proceedings. Later
than that day the senate procedure is
not clear. Consent to naming a date
for the vote on the treaty itself is still
withheld, and will not be given until
after the fate of the amendments be-
comes known. 1t is surmised that if the
Chiffon amendment should be accepted
the debate on the treaty would soon
come to a conclusion, but that if it
should be beaten the subsequent dis
Cussion would be of indefinite duration.
The appropriation bills are expected
to be reported to the senate after the
meeting of the committee on approprl-
ations on Tuesday, but they will not
be taken UP in the senate until the
treaty is disposed of. The bankruptcy
bill will also yield precedence to the
treaty. The question Of organizing the
committees continues to press for at
tention and may reach a climax dur
ing the week. The tariff bill will reach
the senate late in the week and be re-
ferred to committee, which, however
already has the various schedules un-
der consideration.
The Republican members Of the ways
and means committee were in session
several hours today and again tonight
considering amendments to the pending
tariff bill, some Of which have been
urged by those whose interests are
affected by the schedules as originally
agreed on and others which have been
suggested by the debate on the bill A
number of amendments were agreed
on unanimously by the majority, and
will be presented in the house by Mr.
Dingley before the vote is taken. on
Wednesday. There was nothing new
added to the bill, said a member to-
night, but the changes were simply in
the schedules already reported and
none of these is of great Importance
These amendments were mainly in the
way of changes in punctuation, classi-
ffcatiOn and phraseology. Probably
the most important amendment agreed
Oil W do " Lld-AC lAlS IdlOS Oil
stock specific by the thousand cuttings
instead of uniform ad valorem, as they
now are in the bill. The present rate
in the bill is 80 per cent ad valorem,
and the changes made fix a specific
rate, that will equal the ad valorem
duty. This change was made on the
representation of the nursery interests
of the country, which contended that
the pending rates were inimical to
their welfare Several other
ments agreed on were to reduce the
rate on imports the like of which are
not produced here and where no great
interests will suffer from such reduc-s
ton. The duty on dates was reduced
from 112 cents per pound to a half-cent.
There. was no discussion looking to a
possible postponement on the final vote.