New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-16
PRICE THREE CENTS.
SUGAR THE OBSTACLE.
TARIFF cONFERREEs IN AGREEMENT on
MANY IMPORTANT MATTERS.
WHERE THE HOUSE AND SENATE REPRESENTA-
TTvEs ARE AT ODDS on THE SUGAR
scHEDULE-rHE ABSURD RUMoRs
IN CIRCULATION
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE raIBryy.l

fDY TELEGRAPH TO THE raIBryEl
Washington. July 15-To reproduce a 1.-THE
Of the absurd rumors anoat and published In ~.
gard to the proceedings OF the Conference Com
mittee on the Tariff b-many OF which seem
to be designed to affect the stock n,arket-woud
require at least page Of The Tribune. They
may be dismissed with scant but sufficient cour-
tesy In much smaller space At o'clock this
afternoon, according to the chairman Of the
Ways and Means Committee. the Conference
Committee had reached nominal agreement"
respecting most OF the important matters In
controversy including wool and woolens. but
excepting sugar. Indeed. 1t appeared that the
sugar schedule at that time. despite the numer-
Gus reports TO the contrary. had not received
the benefit Of a half hours discussion in the Con.
ference Committee. OF course however. II had
been we'll understood even before the bill was
sent to conference. that the difference between
the Senate and the House this schedule was
more radical and irreconcilable than any other.
In the course Of this mornings sitting 1t was
finally developed that the Senate conferrees
were willing to yield everything except the re-
duction Of one-tenth of a cent pound In the
duty on sugars testing 81 degrees and below
This was exactly the poin, that the House con.
ferrees felt to be most important OF all. and In
yielding which they would not be sustained by
the House of Representatives. but the battle
was not Joined before the Conference Committee
took it's midday recess. That is the situation
in a nutshell" remarked one Of the most active
and influential members OF the Conference Com
mittee.
SOLUTIONS SUGGESTED
Whether this indicated that the Senate con.
ferrees will recede from their agreement to oil
demand
gard 10 the duty on sugar testing 81 degrees or
under shall be agreed to by the House confer
rees remained to be seen. Two possibilities
were suggested. Ore was that the conference
cornmittee might report agreement on all
items in controversy except those relating 70
sugar. that direct vote on the latter might
be had In both branches Of Congress. Such
solution of the difficulty would be heartily well
coined by the advocates OF the House schedule,
who believe that It would be adopted by an
overwhelming majority Of both parties In both
houses.
This would be the ideal solution Of the trou-
be.' said a member of the Ways and Means
Committee to a Tribune correspondent to-day.
The other possibility suggested was that In case
the House conferrees should yield an iota In
regard to the sugar schedule the report would
be rejected by the House itself. In regard to
this the utmost confidence was expressed by
the friends Of the proposition that 1t would
carry II brought to a vote. II was asserted
that at least four of the Republican members OF
the Ways and Means Committee would sup
port 1t. 1t is hoped by everybody that no such
contingency as this may arise. and II Is men
toned here only to indicate the sentiment In
the House Of Representatives in regard to this
question.
SPEAKER REEDS ATTITUDE.
The assertion however has a direct bearing
upon the stories that have been published re-
specting the alleged attempts OF Speaker Reed
to 'bulldoze' the House conferrees and keep
them in line in favor Of the House sugar sched-
ule OF course, the stories are untrue In the
first place. the House conferrees are not the
sort Of men to be bulldozed to do their duty and
in the second place they are-so far. at least.
as the Republican conferrees are concerned-as
stanch advocates of the House schedule AZ
Speaker Reed any other man can be. the
fact Is that while Mr. Reed has exercised his un-
doubted right TO express his opinion. which 10
strongly in favor of the House BILL he has also
undoubtedly reflected the sentiments OF large
majority of the Republican members or the
House as well as his own in doing so.
1t is indisputaby true as matter OF fact. and
as Representative Tawney. of Minnesota. said
to-day, that: However strong may be the DE.
sire OF Mr.. Reed that the House conferrees
should stand firm. it cannot be stronger tnan
that of the members Of the House generally. 1t
would take all the power he possesses In the
House. IL he chose to exert 1t. to secure the
adoption Of conference report which YIELDED 20
the Senate on sugar. Republican members OF
the House in great numbers have gone TO the
Speaker to inform him that they will be obliged
70 vote against the report II It contains anything
more favorable to the Sugar Trust than the
House schedule. If he favored the Senate
schedule it is doubtful whether ne could secure
its adoption by the House II he has accurately
reported TO the conferrees the sentiment OF the
House as expressed TO him, II should he enough
to discourage the friends or the trust. There ~
no evidence that he has In any way nterfered
with the conference. II is unnecessary for him
to speak to the House conferrees 90 the subject
They are thoroughly informed a. TO the senti.
ment Of their colleagues.