The Washington times., 1909-08-02
Members Anxious TO Get TO
Work on Conference
Report.
CLASH OVER READING
JOURNAL ON FLOOR
Western Cattle Raisers Making II
Warm for Free Hide
Men.

One OF the shortest prayers in the his
tory Of the senate was delivered before
that body at 10 O'Clock this morning.
when It assembled for the purpose OF
taking up the tariff bill The chaplain
Of the Senate. the Rev. L. G. 3. Pierce,
had been warned 10 blue pencil his in
vocation. and it took hiin less than a
minute to make the Offering.
So short was the prayer that the ru-
t-or spread far and wide that the SEN
ate mad begun Consideration of the con-
ference report on the bill without
prayer and many there were that were
scandalized. But the official records
shcw sEch was not the .ase and that
the usual invocation wa pronounced,
though it was extremely abbreviated.
Anxiety 10 get down TO business at
once was shown from the outset. and
there was for little while some short.
sharp, and snappy work. The clerk
started 20 read the journal, and had
got half way through the third sen
tence when Senator Kean Of New Jer-
sey moved TO dispense with the read
ing. Straishtway the CO :ference re-
port embodying the tariff measure was
reported from the House
Reading Is Begun.
It went 10 the desk OF the President
pro temDore. Senator Frye. and Read
ing Clerk John G. Crockett al once
began en- It. Inasmuch as it is
voiUminous printed document of about
seventy-six pages, which required
two and One-haIf hours 10 read in the
House Saturday. disposition on the
nc ~ Tf .E-s
it was shown. Mr. Crockett skipped
a few paragraphs. and when he vt
succeeded by the veteran Henry ii.
Rose after few minutes. that gen
tleman proceeded TO skip stflI more.
AT once there was an unroar
Senator HeybiITn Of Idaho who doesn't
like the bill anyhow. protested iTnmedi-
ately Senator Culberson said IL was
perfectly apparent at least twenty pages
had been skipped.
1t is not for the cle-k 70 say" said
Senator Hepburn, hotiy, what parts or
the conference repoTC he shall read and
whal ne shall not The clerk viii save
himself trouble by reading the entire
report
Whereupon. the cIerx subsided and
plOdded laborlOusly or through pages
reeking with ad valorems and SPECIFICS.
and disagTeemeEts.
Premises Trouble
Senator Daniel said that later he
would bring up the fact that the bill
had not been legally reported 10 the
Senate.
Ali through the morning. while the
report of the COnferees was being read,
Senators were gathered in groups dis
cussing the situation. It is the pre-.
vailing belief that the bill is going
through. and that without much delay.
Thursday is the date when some Of the
more optimistic hope 10 pass it. II Is
generally believed il viii be passed be-
fore the end Of the week
II looks as if il would be impossible
to tell accurately how many Repub-
lCan Senators will vote against the
bill until the roll Is actually called II
is apparent there is much Wavering and
Wabbling, much backing and filing. The
bill beyond question has more enemies
than friends. But not ali of the Sen
ators who dislike the measure viii vote
against il il is now said by the seven
downward revisiouist Republicans, Bev-
eTidses BristOW, Cummlns, CIapp, Dol
liver Nelson and Ia Foliette who have
agreed 10 vote against the bill. that
they hope 10 have ar least eleven votes
against the conference report They
expect Warren and Clark Of Wyoming
and Hepburn OF Idaho and also per-
Expected TO Stick.
Senators Burkett, Brown, and Craw-
ford, who voted against il when il first
passed the Senate, are expected TO line
up in reinforcement Of Senator AIdrich.
A source OF trouble for the Senate
leaders, one that may prove unexpect-
edIy serious. is the cattlemen ana farm
ers Of the West. They are kicking up
a great dust over the action on hides
They oppose free hides and are moving
heaven and earth to have the bill beat
en-. Thev are bringing pressure to besL
on their Senators.
Their tight win be intensified by the
toker which the downward revisiorists
have found in the conference report. the
effect Of which is TO nullify the reduc-
tions in shoes and leather which nearly
every one thought had been made by
the conference committee in return for
putting hides on the free list
In fact there are already distinct signs
that the cattle raisers are furious over
this alleged imposition and their atti-
tude has sec Senator's Carter and Dixon
10 thinking. Not a few opponents OF
the measure have hopes that it VIII re-
suit in forcing a reCOmmitment OF the
report
Talk OF FilIbusteT.
Some talk Of a Democratic flibuster
is heard. but il is not taken very seri-
ousIy. Senators Bailey and Daniel are
expected to make much Of the fact tlat
the Democrats couferees were not
called in and allowed 90 give the bin as
long consideration as they wanted.
some OF the iusoegent Republicans are
loaded to the muzz.e with fiery speeches.
Senator Dolliver is expected to make a
remarkable attack on the btit in one
OF the sensational addresses of the year.
Senator Ia FoIle -te Is expected 10 make
"a long speeCh- Senator Cummins will
set forth I'm considerable detaQ his rea-
sons for opposing rhe measure. Qther
downward revisioulSts viii do IizeHfse.
Stgoue pressure froa the White House