The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-06-24
WHAT TARIFF CON-
FEREES WILL DO
SENATE AND HOUSE EACH Sc
LECT MEN TO COMPRO-
MISE.
Past Experience Has been That the
Rates do not Dwindle Much in
the Process.

Washington, June 22-"1'he tariff
bill will be made in conference" That
is what you read numerous times a
week. But if you're that great figure
of literature known as The average
man" you don't quite know what the
conference is or what it can do or can
not do. The conference is the arrange
ment under which the two houses of
congress work out and settle, If pos
sible, their differences of opinion on
acts of legislation.
A tariff bill, for instance, must
originate in the house. When it has
been adopted there it is sent TO the
senate, which at once refers it to the
committee on finance THIS committee
then reports the bill to the senate
with amendments. Commonly the
house bill is torn to pieces and the
pieces showed into the furnace by the
finance committee, so that the meas
ure reported lis virtually a new bill.
Usually Well Disciplined.
The senate then considers the bill
6y paragraphs, and from time to time
the finance committee may submit
amendments, which are usually adopt
ed--provided, of course, the majority
is as we'll disciplined as 1T is in the
present senate-and other senators
may submit changes which will be at
once thrown into the waste basket.
Finally the bill gets through the
senate. The result is that the house
aas passed one bill and the senate an
other. 1T now becomes the duty of
tiie two houses to compromise their
differences. They do this by the ap-
poGntment of conference committees.
referred to as "conferees" or more
properly under a house ruling as
managers" The speaker appoints the
managers for the house, the vice pres
ident for the senate, though in both
instances the presiding officer IS ex-
pected to accept the advice OF the
chairman OF the committee in charge
of the bill as to who the managers
shalll be-
Can't Change Accepted Paragraphs.
The house managers are headed BY
the chairman OF the ways and mean.
committee, the senate managers by
ohe chairman of the finance commit
.ee. The number OF conferees is no.
liked. The Dingley bill was handled
~ eight managers from each house
five of them republicans and three
If them Democrats. These managers
get together and go over the polnts
of disagreement They have no su-
hority to consider paragraphs OF
MI which have been accepted by both
houses. So strictly is this rule observ-
ID that when Senator Alli5bn moved
n the senate, to invite the house to
4 conference on the Dingley bill, he
was Obliged to ask unanimous con-
sent TO authorize the managers t.
iaraighten out the numbering of the
Without that consent not
even the number OF paragraph that
lad been agreed to by both houses
could have been changed.
Conferees Report not Altered.
On the disputed paragraphs the
managers recommend that the house
or the senate precede or else .hey
suggested compromise paragraph 10
take the place OF those discarded. In
he impending conference. for in
stance, the house managers may stand
out zoe The increased nosicv da: e.
which the senate has prop oscd to re.
duce. If Senator Penrose, as one Of
the senate managers, shoIid purs aade
his republican colleagues of me SEN
ate board that it was useless to stand
ON against the house. tle house rates
would then stand in the bill AZ report-
ed from the ccnlferees.
When bill is reported from CON
terence 1t must be accepted or reject
I'd without change. II cannot be modi-
ned. Should it be rele:ted. another
conference might be rdered The
house gives its managers Instructions
II 1t so desires. as TO what points 20
insist upon. The serate fsn'. accus-
TONED to nstruct;ny The conferees.
The senate adopted SIP amend
ments to the Dingley oil. About four
hfths Of these were agreed 10 in the
conference. so that the bill, as /. pass.
ed finally, established higher du.es
than either the house oc he senate
bill
Not Always Comp ,rrses.
\ conference is supposed to com
promise disputed points. The compro-
mise duty is expected to be between
he limits set by the house and Tin.
senate. If the house, for instance
should, fix duty on boraA Of two
cents pound, and the senate should
change 1t to five cents a pound. the
conterees would be expected to bring
In duty between two and FIVE cents
They are always scrupulous about do
ing tins, however, and they have been
known to raise rates above the hipl
limit OF both bills, as it, for instance
In the case just considered they
should report duty of ten cents a
Mound