Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-02-26
gABI'S AGREE
ADJOURNED AT MIDNIGHT.
LEAVING THE SITUATION JUST AS
IT WAS ON SATURDAY.

ment VIII Be Made To-Day-The
Dissenting Republican Minority
Stands by the Resolution and the
Outlook is Anything But Favor
able to Any Final Agreement.
WASHINGTON, February 25.-The
efforts to unite the Republicans of the
House in a Puerto Rican bill have fail
ed and at midnight, after prolonged
conferences, it was stated that matters
We're substantially where they were
yesterday. Other efforts at harmony
may be made tomorrow A long con-
ference was held tonight, at the resi-
dence. of Representative Mccall, Of
Massachusetts, between the committee
appointed at. the Republican confer
ence last night, representing the Re-
publicans in favor of the pending
Puerto Rico tariff bill and a committee
agreed upon to-day by those Republi-
cans who are opposed to the measure.
The latter committee was made UP OF
Messrs. Powers, of Vermont; Crump-
hacker, of Indiana; Lorimer, of llli-
nois; Mccall, of Massachusetts,; and
Littlefeld, of Maine. Preliminary TO
this meeting the opponents of the bill
to the number OF about ten has been
assembled at Mr.. McCall's house dur
ing the afternoon and determined up
on the stand they would take and upon
their FIVE representatives. Mr.. Weeks,
OF Michigan, was among those Of the
afternoon session and he remained
with the committee of five to partici
pate in to-night's meeting. PROPOSE
tions pro and con were made by both
sides, but none of those made on be-
half of the advocates of the pending
bill amounted to an abandonment Of
the principle of the measure, viz: The
right of the United States to levy
tariff upon imports from Puerto Rico
and as its opponents consider this their
fundamental objection to the measure
no agreement could be reached.
1t was stated after the conference
by members opposed to the bill that
both sides were practically in the
same position as they had been before
the meeting, that substantially no
progress had been made and that
there was no probability of another
gathering before the conference of
Republicans called for tomorrow
night. From their statements it was
evident they intended to maintain the
position they have held all along, that
under the constitution the govern
ment has no right to tax the products
of territory under control of the Unit
ed States.
1t was suggested by opponents Of
the pending bill that the whole matter
be left in the hand of the President
with the understanding that Puerto
Rico should have free trade with the
United States, but this was objected
to and nothing came Of it,. The op-
ponents of the committee bill also
suggested that the original bill intro
duced by Mr.. Payne providing for free
trade be substituted on the floor of
the House for the committee bill but
this likewise failed to receive favor
able consideration by the advocates of
the pending measure.
Considerable talk was INDUCED in
over the proposition made by the com
mittee bill advocates to fix a time
limit during which the tariff of Is per
cent. against the imports of Puerto
Rico shall remain effective, this time
varying from two years to an indefn-
lite period, but the opposition indicated
their unalterable opposition to any
tariff, no matter how short the time
of it's imposition may be. Mr.. Pow
ers, of Vermont, one of the opponents
of the bill as 1t stands, however, it is
SdlO, was 1dfOldUIS W It's PASSAGE WltH
a time limit, but his associates would
not concur in this. With a view to re :.
moving some of the objections to the
bill its advocates suggested a change
in its role which would indicate
that will be intended as an emergency
measure for the purpose of raising
revenue, but this also found no favor
with the opposition, who reiterated
their hostility to the bill on principle
One OF the advocates of the measure
after the conference expressed it to
be his opinion that the bill finally
would become law with a provision
limiting the time during which it shall
remain in force.
A Disastrous Fire.
D 49,