The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-18
REPUBLICANS TO CONFER
Order of Business in the Senate to
Be Decided Upon Today.
The Subsidy Scheme to Rc Pressed
ments SIay Not Save It-River and
Hnrbor Bill May Bc Defeated-The
Canal and Appropriations Measures.

Senate Republicans will meet this
morning to decide upon the order of busi-
ness to follow the passage of the Army
Reorganization bill as the final vote on
this measure and the proposed amend
ments will be taken before the close OF
| today's session. Tomorrow will be de-
voted to eulogies upon the late Senator
Gear, SO that whatever programme is
agreed upon by the caucus cannot be put
into operation until Monday.
1t is more than likely that the Ship
| Subsidy bill will be given the right OF
way by being made the unfinished busi-
| ness. The Legislative, Executive and Ju-
| dicial Appropriation bill will be called
up on Monday, and at o'clock laid aside
for the Subsidy bill. That measure hav-
ing been formally recognized as the un-
| finished business will in turn give way
temporarily to the Legislative BILL which
1t is thought can be disposed of in one
day. The fate of the Subsidy bill, which
! will then be pressed, is uncertain. II
would, its friends assert. be passed il
brought to vote, but the time of this
session is now SO short that any deter
mined opposition can easily postpone ac-
tion.
The conferences of Republican Sena-
tors opposed to the bill as it stands were
continued yesterday and last night. BY
making radical amendments. chiefly in the
direction of making it impossible for GER
tain steamship lines TO shut others out of
competition fer the proposed subsidy,
whieh amendments have been accepted by
senators Hanna and Frye practically all
OF the Republican Senators are now in
favor of the bill The support of two or
three. however, is only lukewarm, to say
the most, and as the bill can be brought
TO vote only by the most active efforts
of its advocates. it's chances of b-;ng
passed are not altogether bright. al
though Messrs. Hanna and Frye are more
hopeful now than before the amendments
were agreed to.
Provision may be made at tcday's eau
Gus also for the consideration of the law
reducing the war revenue taxes The
FINANCE Committee has practically COM
pleted the work of revising the House bill
ana VIII probably be ready TO report it
about the middle of next week But it
has been already decided by the Repuh-
lican Senators that they Will not bring
the bill into the Senate until an Under
standing has been reached about limiting
debate upon it. The members of the Fl
nance Committee are anxious to avoid
as lar as possible the opportunities Of
various interests for reductions in rates
that will. of course. follow the pubIica-
tion of the recommendations of the COM
mittee. They do not want to report the bill
until the Senate is ready to consider it.
and they want the debate upon it TO he
brief The bill, therefore, will not he
reported to the Senate for at least a
week
Senator Morgan is especially anxious
to have the Senate take action upon the
Nicaragua Canal bill at this session not
withstandlng the fact that Great Britain
has not yet made known its intention
with regard to the amendments TO the
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, but the caucus
Is more apt to decide that under the cir |
cumstances it would be unwise and i'm
proper TO consider the Canal bill at pres
ent.
There is another matter of great i'm |
portance that has been much discussed |
by influential Republican Senator'S during |
the past week, and which may possibly |
be made the subject of discussion at to- |
days caucus. This is the River and Har- |
Dor bill just passed by the House The |
Senate, which is popularity supposed to be |
the extravagant branch of Congress, is |
astonished at tho action of the House in /
passing such bill, and it has already |
been determined by those who control |
business In the Senate that the amounts
carried must be materially reduced even
II II should not be deemed best to defeat
the bill altogether. The Senate usually
enlarges river and harbor appropriations.
but the action of the House this year has
taken the senatorial breath and the Sen
ators who are preparing a war tax reduc-
tion schedule based on the estimated re
,eipts and expenditures are somewhat
alarmed. They are seriously considering
he adyisability of allowing the House bill
20 die upon the calendar. but no decision
las yet been reached.