The age-herald., 1902-04-18
Underwood Announces That Re- pubicans Are Willing to
 Drop CrunpackeTisn
PROVIDED DEMOCRATS
 WILL HELP STOP DEBATE
Assisted by Bankhead He Made Game Fight, But Caucus De- cides to Fight to Remove De-
 ferential on Sugar.

Washington, April 17.-The Democrats of the House, at a caucus tonight, by a very large majority. estimated at 3 to l, adopted the following resolution, intro- duced by MT. Swanson of Virginia:
 Resolved. That we favor the removal 1 of the differential on refined sugar, both l from Cuba and elsewhere. and believe that such amendments are properly in order, and we insist that it is the duty of all Democrats to vote whenever oppor- tunity is given to have these amendments added to the pending bill providing for Cuban reciprocity. We are opposed to l the adoption of the previous question when the bill is reported to the House. unless it shall have been properly amend ed in committee of the whole as this will prevent an opportunity for just and prop CT amendment with recorded votes on l the same.
 Resolved, further, That the action of 1 this caucus is binding"
 The caucus was rather turbulent during the early part of the evening, but to- wards the close the differences disappear ed and it broke up amid evidences of harmony and good feeling.
 The action taken tonight binds the Democrats to vote to abolish the diff 1 ferential of refined sugar and against the previous question. Ninety-four Demo- crats were present From the very out set the caucus was of an exciting charac- l ter.
 Underwood Creates Sensation. Mir Underwood of Alabama. who got the floor immediately after the meeting was called to order, threw bombshell by announcing that overtures had come to him from the Republican side by which 1t was to be agreed that the Re- publican leaders would abandon the Crumpacker resolution to investigate the Southern election law If the delegation from the states concerned (North Caro- lima, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississip- nj. Louisiana and virginia) would aid the majority to close debate and would vote against the appeals which would be taken 1 from the decisions of the chair when the motions to open up the bill to general amendment are offered. MT. Underwood declined to give the name of the Repup- 1 lican from whom these assurances regard l ing the abandonment of the Crumpacker resolutions came, and although arguing l that if was to the interests of the states l involved to accept the offer made, he stated that the agreement had not been positively accepted and for himself aereed to abide by the decision of the caucus.
 The Democratic vote on "Wednesday 10 l close debate came principaiiy lroin 'he l states mentioned above
 MT. Swanson of Virginia offered the f1rst definite proposition for the caucus to con slider a resolution declaring 1t 10 pc the sense of the caucus that the Democrats would vote solidly against the demand 1 for the previous question in order 10 per 1 nit the admission of amendments to re- duce the tcriff, and upon the question or l the propriety of such amenoneh.s' Il necessary. to vote to overrule the char. i He argued strongly that the Democrats l should stand solidly for the motion to | take off the differential on refined sugar 1 especially as there was at least a chance of winning victory.
 Williams Offers Substitute.
 TO this resolution MT. Williams of Mis- siss,nni offered a substitute to bind the Democrats to vote for all propositions ln- volving a reduction of the tariff, but 10 | leave every Democrat to vote Tor hls con- yictions upon questions of parliamentary procedure MT. Williams maintained that under the circumstances 1t would De 10 the interests of the Democrats from the states whose representatives were threat ened by the Crumpacker resolution to abide by the understanding reached.
 During the heated debate that followed MT. Burleson of Texas asked MT. Under wood if the Republican leaders had not | silenced Mir Crumpacker and his friends | on the Republican side, who were opposed l to the reciprocity bill, by agreeing to re- l port the Crumpacker resolutions, and 1T | they were not now trying to create de- | fect,on on the Democratic side by offering | to kill the resolutions. MT. Bankhead of l Alabama sided with MT. Underwood. and l MT. Williams and MT. Cooper of Texas | and MT. Brazael of Louisiana with MT l Swanson. The two latter strongly urged | their colleagues to vote to abolish the dif- ferential on refined sugar. In the course of the debate it developed that the Will Hams resolution interpreted to consti- l tute an instruction to the Democrats to l vote for the bill when the final vote was reached.
 Bankhead Confirmed It.
 Both Mir Bankhead of Alabama and MT. Williams of Mississippi confirmed the terms of the proposition made to MT. Un- derwood by the Republicans. MT Wil- Hams argued that 1t should be accepted, not so much because of the threat of re- ducing southern representation as to pre- venting the opening up of the race ques- tion in the south. MT. DeArmond of Mis- souri and Mir. J. R. Williams of Illinois supported the Swanson resolution in fore ible speeches. This resolution specifically committed the Democrats to vote against ordering the previous question, and then declared 1t to be the sense of the caucus that an amendment to abolish the differ ential on refined sugar would be germane to the bill Toward the close of the ses- sion of the caucus a number of amend ments to the pending resolutions were of- fered and also several independent propo- sitions, one of which was to make the ac- ton of the caucus binding.
 All these except the last were with drawn or voted down, and by very large majority the Swanson resolutions were adopted and also the resolution making | tba action of the calictis htudin0 ,,no, all