The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-27
STATEMENT FROM MIR. CANNON
NATURE OF THE AMENDMENTS
AGREED TO By THE CAUCUS.
Assurances Given that President Nc
Kinley Believes the Proposed
Law to BE Constitutional.

WASHINGTON. Feb. 2e.-At the confer
ence of House Republicans tonight on the
Porto Rican tariff bill. assurances were
given that the President believed the meas
ure constitutional and would approve IL IL
il came to him. and an agreement was
reached to limit the operation OF the bill
to two years and to reduce the duty inn
posed by it from Is to Is per cent. OF the
American tariff. AS a result, the Republic
an leaders claim the bill will have the sup
port of all the Republicans except four
Messrs. Mccall, of Massachusetts,; Little
field, OF Maine; Lorimer, of Illinois, and
Crumpacker, of Indiana-and that this loss
will be offset by Affirmative votes Of the
opposition. They claim the passage OF the
modified bill is certain.
After the conference adjourned at II
o'clock, Chairman Cannon gave out the
following statement OF the amendments
agreed upon: 1.-The conference required the
ways and means committee TO offer an
amendment to the bill as follows: Amend
the title to make IL AN act temporarily to
provide revenue for the Island of Porto
Rico and for other purposes and to add
the following section: This act shall be
taken and held to be provisional I'm pur-
poses intended TO meet a pressing present
need for revenue for the Island OF Porto
Rico and is not to continue in force after
March !. 1902 These amendments were
adopted with practical unanimity. Another
to reduce the duty imposed by the act from
Is to 15 per cent. was adopted by q vote OF
105 to IL. A further amendment is to be
offered by the ways and means committee
to make it clear that no double duty is
imposed-that the payment Of one internal
revenue tax is the total tax on importa-
tions."
VISITED THE PRESIDENT.
About Us Republican members attended
the second conference on the bill I'm the
hall OF the House OF Representatives to-
night. The members had been in consulta-
ton during the day discussing plans for
allaying the opposition TO the bill and
bringing the recalcitrants into line So
much had been made by the kickers OF the
alleged opposition of the President TO the
measure that managers were particularly
desirous of being able to offer some assur-
ances that would remove all objections TO
the measure on that score. and this after
noon the Republican members OF the ways
and means committee, with the exception
of Mr.. Mccall, the Massachusetts dis
senter, called on the President at the
White House.
The Republican members OF the ways
and means committee, together with
Speaker Henderson, remained at the Capi-
tol canvassing the situation during the in
terim between the adjournment OF the
House at 5 o'clock. and the assembling of
the conference at s.
Chairman Cannon presided over the eau
Gus. AS soon as IL had been called TO order.
Mr.. Payne, of New York. the floor leader.
submitted two amendments which, he said.
the ways and means committee were pre-
pared to offer TO the bill. One OF them
changed the title OF the measure TO make
IL a bin for temporarily raising revenue
for Porto Rico. The other added a new
section TO the bill, limiting it's operation
to March ]. 1902. unless sooner repealed.
General Shattuc of Ohio. opposed the
proceedings with plain statement TO the
effect that he was willing TO defer his own
opinion in this matter TO the wishes OF the
President although ne was convinced that
his constituents favored free trade with
Porto Rico. He demanded TO know. how
1t, whether the President believed the bin
was constitutional and whether he favored
the measure. II he did not, Mr. Shattuc
announced that he would not be bound by
the action Of the caucus.
This brought Mr.. Payne to his feet He
said he had seen the President this after
noon and he announced emphatically that
the President was convinced that the bill
was constitutional and that he would sign
the bill. Mr.. Corliss. or Michigan. backed
up Mr.. Payne with the statement that he
had seen the President since the House
adjourned and that the President desired
the bill TO be passed.
AN EMERGENCY MEASURE.
Mr.. Grow. OF Pennsylvania. the vener-
able ex-speaker OF the House. said the
amendments proposed made the bill an
emergency measure against which the
question OF constitutionality ought not
TO be raised. and Mr.. Marsh. OF Illinois.
earnestly appealed TO the recalcitrants TO
rally around the Republican standard and