The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-24
No Necessity Now for Railroading the
Bill, They Say, for the Relief
Measure VIII Soon BE Law.
ACTION oE THE COMMITTEE
WILL ATTEMPT TO PASS THE HOUSE
BILL WITHOUT CHANGE.
Postponement of Senator Beveridge's
Speech Regarded as N Wise Move
Iowa Delegation Surprised.
speeIsl to the IndIanapolIs journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON. March % The Porto
Rican relief bill will soon be out of the
way. The Senate adopted the conference
report to-day and tomorrow the House
will probably do likewise. The President
will sign ii as soon as it reaches him.
When this is done il will relieve the situa-
ton in Porto Rico and make haste no
longer necessary in the enactment of the
tariff bill This is gain for the Repub-
lican reciprocity senator's, who oppose
the House bill as it stands, for they cam
not be accused OF obstruction In object
ing TO a vote before they are ready.
The Republican caucus committee on har-
mony decided to-day to try to force the
fighting. They proposed to the Republican
reciprocity senators to separate the
House tariff bill from the Senate civil
government features and proceed to vote
at once. This was declined. Ten of the
reciprocity, senator's, including Senators
Beveridge, Proctor, Davis. McCumber, ST.
mon and others. met and decided to oppose
vote at this time. They believe they are
gaining strength by delay. They made
hasty canvass of the Senate and announced
that there were now fifteen senator's stand
ing out against the House bill. gain of
two over yesterday. II twelve Republicans
stand out to the end the House bill will be
beaten or greatly modified - perhaps
changed into a free-trade measure. The
chief stumbling block to a compromise is
now found in ten or a d--~n Republicans of
the House. among them the leaders of the
ways and means committee. who fathered
the measure in the House. They say II
the bill comes back to the House amended
so as to require a vote they fear 1t will
either be defeated or changed into free
trade measure. Such a result would dis
credit their leadership, and, naturally. they
do not wish to be discredited.
The fight the Republican reciprocity
senators are making is one of the gamest
and most skillful ever seen in Congress.
The postponement of Senator Beveridge's
speech Is now conceded on all sides to be a
wise and mastery move on the political
chessboard- 1t can be made at any time
/. tefore a final vote Is taken, and will be
made II some compromise satisfactory to
the Republican reciprocity" senators is not
reached. Senator Foraker said late this
afternoon that he expected to try to get
am ready" he said. Ito have vote on
the House bill and any amendment any
body wants to offer at any time. If the
opponents OF the bill can amend or defeat
It. well and good. If they cannot. it will
pass. II they have the votes they claim,
why do they not permit a voter" To this
argument the Republican reciprocity sena-
tors reply that while they have the votes to
defeat or amend the bill by the aid of
Democratic votes, they prefer to see the
measure made acceptable to all Republican
senator's and stand as a Republican meas
ure. There appears little prospect tonight
OF a vote being reached next week, as
neither side exhibits signs of weakening
yet.
THE CAUCUS COMMITTEE.
An Associated Press dispatch says: The
Republican caucus committee of the Senate
to-day authorized Senator Foraker in def
mite terms to propose the separation of
the tarin feature from the Porto Rican
governmental bill and TO attempt to pass
the House tariff bill without amendment.
The programme is TO vote down all amend
ments IL possible to do so and pass the
bill as IL came from the House without
any changes whatever The committee
went over the situation In detail, consider
Ing all the points at issue. There were
suggestions as to the necessity of amend
ing the bill so as to suit the demands of
the Republican free-trade element but
these were considered as more than offset
By the situation i'm the House and the
necessity of maintaining the party tariff
principle. The opinion was strongly ex-
Al.
House bill would endanger its acceptance
by that body. and in the end this fact con-
troiled the committees decision. There
was. however, disposition manifested to
placate the free-traders by making various
amendments to the governmental bill. The
tariff advocates have gone so far as to
draft amendments TO that measure which
are intended both 20 correct administrative
defects In the House bill and also to meet
many OF the objections to the House tariff
measures. One OF these amendments looks
TO the enlargement OF the free-trade list
so as 10 include most Of the articles OF ex-
port In which the constituents of the free
trade senators are interested There is also
q proposition looking TO the entire removal
OF the duty on articles from the United
States going into Porto Rico.
The action was soon made known to the
free-traders. and IL Immediately became
evident that they were not satisfied with
the situation. hurried conference was
called In Senator Proctor's committee
room which was attended by about ten
senator's. These included not only the IRON
bound free-traders but others who have
not yet taken a decided position against
all Porto Rico tariff propositions They
did not enter into any detailed discussion
Of the proposition Of the steering commit