The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-09
THE WAR REVENUE BILL
SENATOR JONES MAY FORCE ELM
NATION OF BOND ISSUE.
The House Expects RecOmmen da ton
from the President To-day on
Commodore Dewey's Victory.

WASHINGTON, May S.-The expectation
is that the war revenue bilr will be re-
ceived in the Senate from the committee on
finance about Wednesday, but it's report
may be delayed for day or two beyond
that date. The fact is that the committe
has found so many changes considered de-
sirable from it's standpoint that progress
has necessarily been slow. This has proved
to be true without regard to party lines.
The Republicans have suggested many
more amendments to the bill than have the
Democratic members, and many of these
suggested by them have been of such i'm
portance as to require careful attention and
much time. There are many matters yet
requiring consideration, and until these
shall have been voted on in committee it
will be impossible to fix day for reporting
the bill Whether the bill shall carry a
provision for new government loan on
bonds depends entirely on Senator Jones'
of Nevada. So far as can be learned, he
has not yet made known his position in the
committee, and the other members profess
to be ignorant on the subject. The under
standing on the outside is that he will OPP
pose the bond feature, and that conse-
quently when the bill is reported this pro-
vision will be eliminated and probably an
authorization for the issuance of green
backs substituted for it,
Whatever the verdict of the committee
on the bond clause, the bond question will
fern the basis of the Senate's considera-
ton of the bill. This subject will, in any
event, be debated at length in the Senate
1t is generally conceded that even though
the committee displaces the provision the
friends of the bond policy will be strong
enough tn reStore IT in the Senate q vota
is taken. The opponents of bonds hold
that the strength of the bond provision is
due to the fact that state of war exists,
and they are hopeful that the war will
come to close before it will be necessary
for the vote upon the bill. They do not in
dictate any purpose of holding the bill in
the Senate with this purpose in view but
they now assert it to be their intention to
debate the bill at length, or at least to the
extent necessary to present their views
fully to the country. The Republican
amendments are directed to the improve
ments of the details of the bill and to the
elimination of many small items and the
insertion of others which will bring more
revenue. The Democratic members of the
committee are generally assisting their
Republican colleagues in this matter. and
admit the bill is being improved by the
process; but they insist that as they have
so far been engaged on Republican amend
ments, that party should take the respon-
sibility for the delay that has occurred. 1t
is expected that one or two days more will
be necessary to the perfection of the meas
ure according to the Republican plan. How
much more time will be necessary for the
Democratic suggestions cannot be foretold.
1t would not, however, be very surprising
if the bill should not be taken up for de-
bate before the last days of me week. In
the meantime the Senate will devore its
time to miscellaneous questions. Monday
Will be devoted to the postoftice appropria-
ton bill, and speeches will be made by
Messrs. Faulkner Butler, Pettigrew and
others.