The Portland daily press., 1897-07-13
Tariff Bill Held Up In Cense.
quence.
NEITHER HOUSE OR SENATE is
DISPOSED TO YIELD.
No Agreement Yet Reached on Any I'm
portant Feature-Outlook is That Sew
eraI Reports Will Have to be Made Be-
fore Agreement Is Reached.

| fore Agreement Is Reached.
Washington, July 12.-The tariff con-
ferees have struck some snags in their
| work. The minor matters were easily ad-
Justed, but there has been no agreement
on any important feature and the outlook
| today was that several reports would
have to be made before an adjustment
could be reached. The House &C n 'erees
are standing solidly by their bill and the
Senate conferees are no less tenacious.
The Senate conferees have laid before
the House members the condition in the
Senate, where there is not an actual ma
jority of the Republicans and where 9th
er than Republicans votes are necessary
to pass the bill or adopt conference re-
port. They asserted that in 1894 the
Democrats were in better shape in the
Senate than the Republicans now, as
they had an actual majority, yet the
House was finally compelled to accept the
Senate bill in order to pass it.
The members of the House are standing
by their bill nevertheless, and have told
the senators that they cannot accept the
Senate amendments on many important
| items. The moro important features Of
the bill are not settled and the conferees
find trouble on items outside OF sugar,
| wool, coal and lead. Lumber has been in
dispute and the House conferees have in.
| sisted that the House rate on white pine
| must be accepted and they have been
supported in this by Senator Burrows of
Michigan. The House rate was 50 and
| the Senate reduced it to ST. The Senate
conferees say that If the House rate is
restored it will provoke long discussion
| in the Senate and that no one can tell
when the bill would get out of the Sen
ate again. Straw mating, which the
| Senate put on the free list, is an item of
contention. The House conferees have re
fused to accept even the rate which was
originally reported in the Senate bill and
| stand for the House rate. Burlaps. cot
ton ties and other items which were
placed on the free list by the Senate met
with great hostility from the House con-
ferees and so far nothing in the war Il a
compromise offered by the Senate M.
bers has been accepted.
The House conferees are also insiss ng
upon higher compensatory dutieex m
] p>a nufactl1rcs of cotton an ecso,lnt Z
duty of 20 per cent on raw cotton .Ine
House members have maintained that
the House bill has been commended
more than the Senate bill and that the
conference should get as close to it as pos
sible. The Senate conferees in addition
to presenting the present political CONF
pleXion of the Senate have pointed out
the difficulty that will occur if several
reports of party agreements and disagree
ments are made. They have told the
House members that it will lead to end
Lace r. iccncSinn that thou bau
to force vote and that there is not ma
jority in the Senate to keep the Senate in
session in case of a filibuster against the
conference report.
The noon recess of the conferees was
largely devoted to a conference with in
dividual senators in which the House
representative in the conferees participat
ed. The conferences developed the fact
that the wool schedule had been under
special consideration during the forenoon
session and that the House men had
shown decided disposition to hold the
House rates There was evident appre-
henSlOn that if this contention was grant
ed, there would be difficulty in getting
the bill through the Senate and it is not
believed that this apprehension was
changed by the results of their inquiries.
There was also hurried conference be-
tween the Republican representatives of
the Senate in the conference and the
Democratic members of the finance COM
mittee in regard to the probable course of
the Democrats in case the articles which
they were especially instrumental on
having placed on the free list should be
made dutiable.
These articles include cotton bagging,
gunny bags, burlaps, cotton ties, paris
green, floor mating, etc. The House in
sisting upon their restoration to the du.
table list, and some Of the Senate con-
ferees are inclined to yield because of
the need for the revenue they would pro-
duce.
The conference with the Democrats was
by no means reassuring. The Republicans
We're told that if these changes were
made they (the Democrats) would be dis
posed to insist upon full explanation in
committee and an elaborate debate in the
Senate which might indefinitely prolong
the session.
The result of the inquiry as to the effect
OF a restoration of the House rates on
which pine lumber was also disquiet1ng.
The senators from the middle northwest
are especially. concerned in the holding
the Senate rate, and the conferees have
been notified that any yielding on this
question will Z result in no little delay,
The problem is giving the committee con-
siderable concern.
The advocates of lower duty on
- N - - ma rm