The times., 1898-06-09
TIE SENATE WINS AGAIN
The House Yields Nearly Every
thing in the War Tax Bill.
SILVER COINAGE CHANGED
The SeiSnioraEe Amendment So
Altered as to Be Void of the Vital
Principles Intended - The Bond
Provision Remains in the Bill
Trusts Must Pay Their share.

AS has been predicted in The Times,
the House has yielded in almost every
case in the war revenue measure and the
Senate has won in more than 80 per cent
of the amendments it made to the bill as
1t came from the House. The Senate
yielded to the House only on such amend
ments as II was intended a concession
should be made when the amendment was
agreed to in the Senate. Not a single
amendment lthat the Senate really put
into the bin With the intention of keeping
it there has been given up. 1t matters
little how vigorous a protest may be made
in the Senate when the conference re-
port comes up for consideration, the con-
ferees will have their own way and the
Senate win ultimately agree to the re-
port and the bill will become a law as
it has been fixed upon by this committee
OF six.
The most notable concession of the
Senate was the yielding of the coinage
of the seigniorage amendment and the
Chiffon amendment. which extended the
taxes in schedule B TO all sorts and
conditions of proprietary articles made
anu patent ii5htS-
Neither oft hese was intended to become
a part of the law of the land The seign-
forage amendment has been modified in
such way that while it appears in a meas
ure TO have been retained, it is void of
the essential and vital principles of the
amendment as it passed the Senate.
The Senate provision with respect to an
issue of bonds remains in the bill with
a few trifiing notifications that do not
interfere with the purport OF the Senate
provisions. The Sugar Trust, the Stand
ard Oil Trust and the sleeping car com
panies had a powerful lobby here en-
deavoring TO defeat the Senate amend
ment taxing them. but the lobby was un-
successful; the taxes remain The tax
against the gross receipts OF the Sugar
and Standard OIL Trust Will net the Gov
eTnment at least couple of million
year.
The Mason amendment providing for a
tax on the manufacture Of adulterated
flour has been retained but in different
form Mr. Mason made a vigorous fight
for mis- amendment and il was not believed
that he could possibly secure its adoption.
But he did and its salient features have
been maintained. His amendment as
passed by the Senate has been superseded
by the Tawrey bill which was yesterday
fayorably reported TO the House by the
1OHlHiltltG bu W dN anu -dteiAo- AAS
bill requires all packages of mixed flour
to be plainly marked as such. with their
contents and the proportion of each. a
tax of four cents barrel is levied against
every barrel of such flour made.
The inheritance taxes inserted in the bill
at the instigation of Mr.. Wolcott are to
stand. These taxes give promise of add
ing very materially TO the United States
Treasury as the years roll by and II is
claimed that the inheritance taxes will
never be repealed. Ii is believed that
in course of time they will prove popular
with the masses OF the people.
The tax on tea Will probably remain in
the bill. II is said that the Republicans
were anxious to tax tea. realizing that
that tax would net them at least ten mil
lions of revenue. but they were afraid Of
the political effect of such action. 1t
was. therefore. voted down by Republi-
cans in their conference before the bill
was reported for political reasons, and
when. in the open Senate. Mr.. Tillman Of
fered this tax as an amendment ii was
put into the bill through the aid of their
votes
The exorbitant tax of 4 per cent. on
proprietary medicines. cosmetics and per-
fumery il Is understood has been ma
terally cut down. The tax of per cent,
| Is il said was sufficient 10 drive many OF
these manufacturers out of the business
In these days of close competition. many
| manufacturers in various lines are glad
to be able to earn per cent. on their in
vestment; but with an additional tax of
4 per cent. on their product the result
can be very easily figured out even by
those who are not expert at figures. This
schedule has caused more discussion than
any other before the committee.
The job in the bill intended to aid the
Tobacco trust in its opposition to the in
dependent manufacturers by forcing up
on them sizes of packages that could not
be manufactured save at loss, was
punctured, and the conferees were com
PEELED to return practically to the House
provision. which gives the manufacturers
margin that will enable them to meet
bacco without absolute loss.
The conference committee adjourned at
12:30. leaving one section of the bill un-
finished II viii be taken up and con-
ciuded today.