Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-08-01
DEMOCRATS Of
SENATE STAND
BY WOOL Bill
After House Refuses to Ac-
cept Measures as Return
ed by Upper House, Plan
of Conference is Asked.

VI SO1l4Cl OllNO 40 AAoAAS
Washington, D. c., July 31.-Tne
democrats of the senate agreed IN
caucus today to stand behind the La
Toilette wool bill and ask the house
for conference. The house yester-
day refused to accept the bill as It
passed the senate.
Democratic leaders, including Sen-
ators Sicons and Martin were author
lied to undertake settlement OF all
tariff bills now at Issue between the
two houses. These include the com
bination metal-chemical bill and the
wool, sugar and excise tax bills.
It is expected that the regular repub'
lican leaders of the senate will offer no
distinctions to the settlement OF the
tariff bills in conference. On the wool
bill it is believed the conferees VIII
again be Senators LaFollette, Bailey,
and Simons; and that an agreement
will be reached upon the same basis
as last year, when the raw wool duty
was fixed at 20 per cent ad valorem.
Bills Returned to Senate.
With machine-like precision the
democratic house forced over all oppo-
sition three tariff measures back upon
the senate They were the wool and
sugar tariff revision bills and the ex-
else tax bill, and all were sent back
with none of the senate's amendments
accepted.
On the wool bill no conference was
asked The house left it flatly to the
senate whether that branch desired to
pursue the legislation further It was
reported tonight the regular repubk.
cans In the senate were In favor OF
:absenting themselves from the cham
ber, thus giving the democrats q
chance to pass the measures and send
them along for the presidential veto.
The republican insurgents" however,
opposed this scheme and insisted that
the differences, where they are recon
ciliable, be threshed out in conference.
The senate democrats will hold a eau
Gus tomorrow morning when the whole
tariff program will be discussed.
The wool tariff revision bill was the
first taken up in the house today.
There was virtually no debate, except
q statement by Majority Leader I'm.
derwood and short reply by Repre-
sentative Payne, of New York, ranking
minority member of the ways and
means committee. Notions by Mr..
Payne and Representative Crumpack.
er, of Indiana, to concur in the senate
amendments, were voted down 159 to
7S and 172 to Sc. The last named vote
automatically rejected the senate
changes.
Mann Takes Exception.
Mr.. Underwood next called up the
excise tax measure, which he de.
scribed was unamended the greatest
piece Of remedial legislation for the
benefit of the masses Of the people
that had been enacted in quarter Of
century" He charged the senate with
having sought to kill the measure by
tacking on as amendments the repeal
OF Canadian reciprocity and a provi
sion for the continuation Of the tariff
board Minority Leader Mann took
sharp exception to Mr. Underwood. He
declared that Underwood was "quib-
bling, and that he knew perfectly
that a republican senate would not OBJ
iect to the tariff board amendment re-
manning while the presidents views
were we'll known to the country on the
continuation Of such an agency Of
government. The Canadian reciprocity
amendment was lost 127 to 107, while
that providing for the tariff board met
the same fate, 130 to SO.
On this measure Mr.. Underwood
asked that the senate be asked to con-
fer with the house Speaker Clark &C.
cordingly named as conferees for the
house Representatives Underwood, Of
Alabama; Hull, of Tennessee; Palmer,
Of Pennsylvania; Payne. of New York,
and Mccall, of Massachusetts,.
Free Sugar Bill.
The house free sugar bill was
reached last. AS amended by the SEN
ate the measure provided for reten.
tion Of $1.60 on sugar, reduction tof
80 cents hundred pounds for the ex-
listing rate. 1t also, among other
changes, abolished the duties stand
ard. Representative Payne defended
the amended bill and warned the DEM
ocrats that they we're seeking to sign
the death warrant of the beet sugar
industry in the country by taking off
the duty.
The house voted for conference,
144 to "a. The spea',er then named
as managers for the house in the con-
ference Representatives Underwood; !;
Harrison, of New York; Kitchin. Of
North Carolina; Payne, of New York,
and Mccall of Massachusetts.
New Caucus on BattIeships.
With twenty nine democrats pledged
to two-battleship program on the
pending naval appropriation bill. house
leaders today agreed upon another
caucus to seiease the majority members
from the mo battleships" pledge. This
probablr -. - held tomorrow or Fri
day.