The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-13
CONFERENCES WILL TAKE
GREAT DEAL OF TIME
Present Bill! Is Making Slow Progress
Although Revision Is Being Ac-
complished in Better Time
Than On Dingley Bill.
BY WATTERsoN sTEALEY.

~ sbFt LROON y G%LE
Washington May 12.-(speeial 1.-THE
tariff bill will still at that time be within
the pale of legislation
None other than Vice President James
Schoolcraft Sherman makes this asser-
ton. In fact, his utteranee, above quoted
furnishes the reason why he cannot at
tend the large banquet which the Royal
Arcanum will give at Chicago on July L.
The invitation for the vice president to
attend that banquet came from Roger
Van Sands, the supreme regent of the or
sanization, and Mr.. Sherman has just
sent him letter regrettng inability of
attending the feast The reason for de-
clining is given in the above sentence,
in which the vice president declares his
belief that the makers of the tariff-along
with those who would like to be its break
ers-will be in Washington until the mid
die of July
How much longer than that Vice Presi-
dent Sherman does not say, but there is a
growing conviction now that tariff will
be on the boards here until the dog days
arrive. So much time has already been
taken up by the Senate that many won
DER when that body will ever finish with
the measure, and when it does there will
come the long, warm days of the CONFER
ences," when Senator Aldrich. Chairman
Payne and other conferees will shuI
themselves off from the rest Of the world,
-e'vhtle others tramp up and down the long
marble corridors ia a Joint effort to ascer-
tain what may be going on behind the
conference barricade.
Reported to Senate.
AS the Aldrch bill was reported to the
fa m pIraJ fba md
of the first month of its consideration
by the Senate. During that period there
has been plenty of debate and consldera-
BILE acrimonious discussion but less than
BE- pages of the bill have been approved
When the Senate adjourned this after
noon the steel schedule on page 80 had
Just been reached. While the bulk of
the preceding 50 pages had been agreed
: to ON the second reading of the bill,
many of the para graphs i'm the chemical
and earthenware schedules had been
passed over for subsequent action and
will have to be gone back over at some
later date Then too, they are the more
important matters which will excite con-
troversy and therefore occupy some time.
AS there are 224 pages of rates in the
Aldrich BILL to say nothing of the add
tonal paragraphs relating to the. maxi
mum and minimum provisions and many
administrative sections. of which
have yet been considered by the Sente,
II will be apparent that slow progress is
being made
DineIey Bill.
The Dingley bill occupied two months
and three days for its transit through the
sSenate in 1897, or just twice the time
that has already been occupied in that
body by the consideration of the Aldrich
measure. Unless better progress is made
during the next month the Aldrich bill
will so take more time than the Dingley
t.. 4, 11,.o,, af 10, T.
exactly the same headway is made with
the present as with the former measure
the A1drich will would be due for
passage through the Senate on June Is.
The Dingley bill was in conference II
days. Indications are that the Aldrich
bill will be there longer and at this rate
1t should be well along in July before
the bill now pending can be approved by
the President
The successive steps of the Dingley
and Aldrich bills through Congress may
be shown in parallel as follows:
Extra session met Dingley bill. March
10, 1897; Aldrich bill, March 10, 1909
Bill introduced, Dingley BILL March 1s,
1897 Aldrich bill. March II, 1903
Bill reported, Dingley bill, March 10,
1897; Aldrich bill. March 49, 1909.
Passed House. Dingley bill, March 81,
1897; Aldrich bill, April 9, 1909.
Reported Senate, Dingley bill, May A.
1897; Aldrich bill, April r. 1909
Passed Senate. Dingiey bill, July T. 1897.
Approved, Dingley bill, July "a, 1897.
Little Progress Made.
Very little progress was made with the
bill today. most of the time being given
over to speeches by Senator Paynter Of
Kentucky, Senator Newlands of Nevada
and Senator Crawford of South Dakota.
all in attack upon the bill. The most i'm
portant result was the announcement by
Senator Aldrich that the committee had
decided to classify the rates on window
glass and plate glass. Reductions will be
made in the rates on ordinary window
glass, but there will be increases over
the Dingley rates proposed for the finer
grades of glass used for framing pictures.
The decision to redraft the window glass
paragraphs was the direct result of the
action of Secretary Root yesterday when
he insisted that if the finance commits
sion wished to have the Senate support
them the subject would have to be thor
oughly explained and "elucidated" After
the adjournment OF the Senate yesterday
Senator Aldrich got together with other
members of the finance committee and
they reached the conclusion to revise the
- window glass paragraphs In announcing
their intention this afternoon the finance
committee members asked that the Sec
tions of the bill covering window glass
should be temporarily passed over, pend
ing the result of the committees recon
sideration of the question.