The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-03-13

Immediately teslseed By Republicans Of
an shades Of belief on Porto Riean policy.
while several Of the Republicans sop
ported his proposition as q wise one,
many others commanded against 1t IS cal
culated to commit the country to q course
which might be more easily rspentsd Of
than Temedisd.
They held that IL would be easier In the
future to change from n present policy Of
I'm poslns a tarin to free trade than It
would be TO change from free trade to
tsrIff. Fear Was felt By the advocates Of
the tariff that such an amendment could
be passed with the assistance Of the
Democratic free traders. The conversa-
lives held out for the present bill. Some
Of them expressed the opinion that the
bill was not strong enough to win It's
way through the Senate. Senator FORAKER
himself Is welded to the bill under con-
alteration, and on account CT this prsdlc-
ton he decided after comforting With al
n ost every one Of the Republican Sena-
tors to allow matters to drift for few
days.
After the Senate adjourned pumber
Of Senators held an informal conference
in SenAtor Allison's rooms, but they de-
olared with one accord that no definite
conclusion had been resehed ss to line
Of policy to be pursued with reference to
Porto Rico.
All admitted that the conference was
devoted to an effort to secure harmony on
that question, but said that no satisfao-
tory conclusion had been reached. The
most definite stateIrent that could be OBJ
tanned was that MIR. Foraker had oon-
sentsd to attempt to amend the pending
bill 20 at 60 make it conform, II possible,
to tbs conflicting views of the various in
terests. This, 1t was intimated was to be
done BY providing movable scale of
duties, bus what articles, II any, were to
be favored, no one would say. Some Of
the Senators ut the conference expressed
the op,pion that an agreement would be
reached that would insure the passage of
the Porto Rican Kill In some shape, but the
most general opinion was that ths present
situation was described by the word
"chsotic."
A majority of the Republican Senators
profess to know nothing Of the territorial
proposition ard Senator FoJG ker said
when he left the capitol tonight that be
thought the Immediate occasion for such
q measure had passed and that nothing in
that line would be attempted for several
days at any rate.
When " ord reached the House az to the
possible course Of the Senate on the Porto
Rico bill. 1t ceussd much speculation.
Messrs. Dalzell, Russell, Tawney and
others of the ways and means committee
said the reported plans In tho Senate we're
not the Result OF any conference or con-
suitation with members OF the House,
aud considerable doubt was expressed As
TO whether the Senate would rake such
uadioal changes as those suggested. Not
withstandlng these statements, however,
It arpsars that while members of the
House have not been consulted as to any
compromise. some OF them have been ad-
vised Of the various plans under consider
alton. Representative Moody Of Massa-
chussttS who took an active pert In the
House debate, said the proposition up to
yesterday vas to combine the House bill,
the e., Coo,o 900 appropriation measure and
some territorial bill doing away With the
duties on goods entering Porto Rico and
retaining the fifteen per cent rate on
goods entering the United States from
Porto Rico He expressed surprise and
come doubt as TO the Senate's abandoning
the tariff feature entirely, although he
said there was 40 doubt that such n
change II made by the Senate, would be
accepted by the House. Representative
Cooper, chairman of the insular commit
tee and MIR. rumpaoker Of Indiana, con-
cured with Mr.. Moody that the changed
temper of the HOUSE would lead to the
acceptance Of FREQ trade amendment II
the Senate maze IL.
Messrs. Cooper. Crumpacker and Moody
were engaged throughout the day In per-
fecting the bill fer a territorial form of
government for Porto Rico, which is to
be submitted to the insulAr committee in
few dayF.