New-York tribune., 1900-03-21
TARIFF GAINING SUPPORT.
FRIENDS OF THE PUERTO RICAN BILL IN
THE SENATE ENCOURAGED.
CONFE.RREES ON THE RELIEF BILL hh-ANii
AN AGREEMENT.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrRuSE.l

ny
Washington, March 2O-The advocates Oh Tue
! Puerto Rcan Tariff bill in the Senate to-uas
felt greatly encouraged, and several OF theri
exnressed confidence that enough support hau
already been pledged to insure its passage ohe
of them asserted that forty seven votes III tue
I affirmative could be counted on II the No'e were
to be taken to-day, and that there was e''oiio
ar probability of an increase than OF diinihu-
ton of the support the bill would coililiiahu
whenever the vote should be taken III ths eS
tin,ete which IS considered trustworthy by most
of the members of the Harmony Comni'.tee' DIS
we'll as by other Senators who have pad CON
siderable attention TO the matter, should turn
ont 70 be correct. the bill would pass by a ma
iorftv Of six votes smaller majority Is not
expected by Senator Frye. Senator Hanna ana
most of the other friends of the measure
FREE TRADERS NOT IN HARMONY.
OF course the correctness of the estimate is
disputed by the Republican Senators VINO are
In favor of free trade between the United states
and Puerto Rico. They assert with consloerapie
apparent confidence that their views are saiiiis
ground among Senator'S and that they can mus
ter enough votes TO defeat the tarhi II lhes
can secure the cooperation and ASSISTANCE Vi
tho Democrats Under the circumstances that
is q formidable if regardless OF any error
that NAV have crept into the calculations OF the
Republican opponents of the bill as to their own
voting strength The free trade amendments
suggested by Senator Davis, Senator McCurhpel
and Senator Beveridge, for example couiu not
command any Democratic votes, except per
hans that of Senator Lindsay. because all OF
| them are based the principle or propositioi
| that the Constitution of the United States Goes
| not bv it's own force and vigor extend over
| Puerto Rico and this proposition the Demo-
| Gratis could not consent to accept even WIN
free trade sugar coating. Neither would any OF
those amendments command the support Oh
| Senator Hoar Senator Mason or Senator wei
lington all of whom agree with the De1nocra.ic
| position on the constitutional question: III laN'
| these amendments, which express on'y tne ue
| gree of dissent Of a small number on the re
| pubcan Senators from the attitude OF their
party on a question of policy merely appo"i W
| be extremely weak in votes.
| On the other hand the free trade amendments
| ,-orosad nv several Democratic Senators would
not receive the support of any Republican oeHa-
| tors so far as known or now seems propaoie
| except Mr Hoar Mr. Mason and Mr. Weiiins-
| ton because they express the ldea 'na' INC
provisions of the Constitution are aireaoS III
| force in Puerto Rico. and therefore that duties
cannot be levied goods passing between tue
ports of the United States and the ports Oh the
| island. In brief. neither side Is Wiling or can
| he persuaded to surrender it's convictions Ill
| sake of free trade.
| ADMINISTRATIONS VIEWS UNCHANGED
The efforts that have been made by the Re
| publican opponents OF the tariff bill to lnduce
! the President to modify the views he expressed
| at the time 1t passed the House of Representa-
| ttyes appear to have failed, and the same re-
mark is true as TO the members of his Cabinet
who heartily and unanimously favor 1t now. as
they did then. There are indications that these
efforts have been suspended, If not altogether
| abandoned and they will probably not be re-
| newed Of course. the President is extremely
| anxious that Republican Senators shall har-
| monize their differences and preser.; solid
| front but not at the cost of any surrender OF
| the principles involved in the pending measure
| A number of suggestions have been made for
| modhca tions of the bill which would indicate
| more clearly If possible, that it is designed as
| a temporary measure, the necessity for which
| is shown by existing conditions in Puerto Rico.
| Some of these suggestions which relate only to
| the form and not to the substance of the
| legislation have been to some extent considered
and discussed by its friends among themselves
| and in conversations with the President and 1t
| is not impossible that one or another of them
| may finally be adopted.
| Senator Beverdge, who has sprung into some
| prominence a champion Of the removal of all
trade restrictions between the United States and
| Puerto Rico, has prepared long and exhaustive
| speech on the subject. which he intends to de-
| liver on Thursday His activity in the matter
/ appears to have excited some resentment among
| number of Senators, who his seniors in
experience we'll in age and this feeling,
| it is said, Is by no wholly confined to
those Senators who disagree with him in regard
| to the pending legislation. But Senator Bever-
! idge does not lack either energy or enthusiasm.
| and he may perhaps not only disarm his critics,
but convince them that he is right and that
| they have been mistaken.
REPUBLICANS FOR PROMPT ACTION
| On one question the Republicans in both
! branches of Congress appear TO he substan-
| TALLY agreed. and that is that speedy action
as practicable ought to be taken to end the
! agitation and uncertainty which now prevail
! in Puerto Rico. to the great injury and distress
| of its inhabitants The resolutions adopted at
| the San Juan mass meeting of yesterday to be
| submitted to Congress. which were read by
! Senators and Representatives in their newspa-
pers this morning. produced an evident impress
! sion on their minds but could hardly have ex-
! cited their surprise. The advocates of the
! pending bill will make the most of this i'm
preston in their efforts to have the fate of the
| measure determined without any unnecessary
| delay. AS of them remarked. this afternoon:
| we ought to press the bill to vote to-rnor-
row or before the end of the week at the
| latest" Other Senators share the same opinion
and it is among the possibilities that the meas
| ure may be disposed of sooner than has been
| expected. However, the Harmony Committee
| has not yet finished its canvass and is not
! ready to announce programme and the debate
! the bill lags. The only speech to-day was
| that Of Senator Morgan, and the rest Of the
! discussion, which was cut short by an agree