The times., 1898-06-07
NONPARTIsAA CONFERENCE
Democrats and Republicans at
Wefk On the War Tax Bill.
SPEEDY ADJUSTMENT
There VIII Be Little Friction Be-
tween Parties and 1t Is Expected
That the Bill Viii Reach the
President This Week.

For the first time since 1888 a nonpar-
tisan conference on a tariff bill is being
held. When the managers of the two
houses on the war revenue bill assembled
yesterday afternoon TO consider the diff
ferencesl between the House and Senate
on the important measure, both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans were gathered to-
gether
The Mckinley law, the Wilson law and
the Dingley law was fixed up by the men,
bcrs OF the dominant parties sitting alone.
and after they had settled all their diff
ferences. the representatives of the mi
nority We're called in to go through the
farce of signing their names to the con-
ference report. Since 1888 up TO yester-
day. there has not been a full and free
conference. such as the law contem-
plates.
There was absolutely no friction. both
Democrats and Republicans working to-
gether in apparent harmony, seeking to
perfect bill that will give the Govern
ment ample funds with which to carry
on the pending war. The committee re-
mained at work until after clock. when
a recess was taken for dinner and night
session was held. lasting until a little
after 10 O'clock. There are good reasons
to believe that all differences will be
speedily adjusted and that the bill should
reach the President by the end of the
week
Although nothing definite was agreed
upon yesterday, there are indications that
the House will accept nearly ali the
amendments made by the Senate with
few notifications in some particulars.
While it is not absolutely fixed that the
Senate rate of seven and one-half per
cent rebate on beer tax stamps shall
stand. yet it looks if the beer barons
are TO be granted this bonus.
Mr. Dingley's opposition to many of
the Senate amendments is not of that Wig
orous sort that his friends expected and
he viii probably capitulate to many of
the things wherein he had promised big
fight 1t is pretty safe TO predict that
the conference will end as all conferences
have ended on tariff bills and that the
House wiz accept what the Senate sees
fit 10 give it.
All the Senate amendments Will proba-
bly, be accepted except those which the
three senators on the committee do not
wish to have accepted There are several
of this sort in the bill, put there in order
10 enable the Senate to yield and make it
appear that it met the House half way:
but when it comes to anything that is
really essential the Senate will have its
way and the House viii yie.d, gracefully
N some cases but grudgingIy in many
more.
With the Democrats admitted TO the
conference and with the expressed inten-
tioH on the part of the Republicans to
bring back a bill that will be fair and
just 10 all sections OF the country and all
industries, several of the inequalities that
have crept in ought To be expunged dur
ing this conference. There are several
ways in which these inequalities can be
adjusted, especially when it is borne in
mind that this bill was enacted for the
sole purpose of raising revenue for an
extraordinary purpose.
II beer is 10 be taxed double its present
amount. that tax ought 10 be a straight
tax and the beer brewers ought to pay it
instead Of being allowed a rebate that
makes the tax considerably less than
what the text of the bill really seems
TO Indicate. II stocks on hand of one
line Of goods are to be taxed alFTstocks
ought to be taxed and Mr.. DingIey will
do his best to see that the striking ex-
ception in the case of manufactured to-
bacco is eliminated. II tobacco stocks
are not to be taxed there seems to be
no good reasons why other stocks on
hand should not also escape. For strictly
revenue purposes there does not appear
to be good grounds for singing out one
or two trusts like Standard OH and the
Sugar Trust and taxing their gross re- ,
ceipts and permitting other equally Vi
cious trusts. like the American Tobacco
Company. to go scot free.
But in escaping a tax on its gross re-
ceipts is not the only way in which this
tobacco trust gets an advantage in this
bill, and this advantage is the more
marked when il is known that the one
man in the sugar trust who has manipu-
lated legislation to the advantage of that
trust Is also a large stockhoider and a
director in the American Tobacco Com
pany.
Hidden in the tobacco schedule is an ap-
parently innocent provision that is said
10 be intended TO drive out of business as
many Of the manufacturers who are not
in the trust as possible. and unless the
House managers insist upon their own bill
in this respect, the trust viii have its
own way here.
1t is accomplished by striking out the
House provision regulating the sizes of
the packages of manufactured tobacco
and inserting a line and a half of new
matter This addition Of eleven words. if
statistics prove anything, means the ruina-
ton Of more than two-thirds of the in
dependent tobacco manufacturers who
have refused TO be absorbed by the to-
bacco trust.
The House made the packages Of such
size that the manufacturers could CON
tinue the sale of the popular 5-cent
package. in which size the great bulk of
tobacco is sold. The House did this by
allowing packages to be put up in addf-
tion 10 the amounts now provided by law.
in one, one and tflree-fifths. and TWO and
two-thirds ounces each. This arrange
ment gave the manufacturers fair mar
gin of profit and permitted them to re-
tain the popular sizes of packages and a
the same time permit the retailer to han
die the goods at the same rate of profit
that now exists. The tax of u cents a
pound on tobacco is so large a percentage
Of the cost of the article itself that the
arguments applicable to the tobacco tax
do not apply TO any other article in the |
bill.
In plain language, devoid of the YER |
biage of the bill, the proposition to put |
up tobacco in packages of the sizes pro- |
vided for in the Senate amendment il is |
said, means that tobacco shall be put UP |
by the trust, with its enormous aggrega- |
ton of capital in such a way that the |
independent manufacturers who would /
not submit to the dictation of the trust. |
shall be ruined by being compelled TO man |
ufacture and sell at an actual loss!