The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-10-04


porting Bill.
Washington, Oct. classification
among Democratic senator's which 90
day prevented final action on the tariff
bill was dissipated under the influence
of a heated caucus discussion and this
evening the caucus approved the bill
as reported by the conference COM
mittee of the house and senate But
six Democrats voted against APPROX
ing the report.
The caucus decided to abandon it's
position on the proposition in the bill
to tax dealings i'm cotton futures and
leave the entire subject for later leg
islative action. Both the amendment
or Senator Clarke of Arkansas, writ
ten into the bill in the senate, and the
less drastic administration substitute
presented by Mr.. Underwood, house
leader, and adopted by the house, will
be thrown out by the senate Demo-
Gratis.
After the caucus Senator Simmons
said he was confident that the sem
ate would complete it's consideration
of the tariff bill tomorrow. He said
q motion would be made first to agree
to the conference report and that then
he would move to disagree to the I'm
derwood cotton tax amendment and
also to recede from the sentae amend
ment.
With the bill thus disposed of by
the senate the house probably would
agree to drop the cotton futures tax
provision for the present and send
the tariff bill to the president. SEN
ator Simmons expressed confidence
that there would be no desertions
from the Democrats who voted for
the bill on it's original passage in the
senate when the measure appears to-
morrow. A resolution proposing to
bind the Democrats by tonight's eau
Gus was offered by Senator Lewis of
Illinois, but was withdrawn with the
understanding that the binding fea-
ture Of former tariff caucuses applied
to the entire consideration Of the tar
iff bill.
While Senator Simmons expects to
finish the bill tomorrow, the desire OF
Republicans and Democrats Ia dis
cuss the provisions OF The conference
report may delay final action.
Today's caucus. which extended
into the evening, hattled loud and
long over various provisions in the
bill arranged by the conference COM
mittee. Chief among these was the
tax of $1.1O d gallon on grape brandy.
used to fortify sweet wines, against
which Senator J 'merene of Ohio
voiced strenuous protest; the differ
entail between wire rope and wire in
completed cables which as fixed by
the conference aroused the opposition
of Senator'S Reed of Missouri and
Hughes Of New Jersey, and the ar
rangement of the paragraph including
cast iron pipe.
Senators Reed and Pomerene
framed a resolution directing that the
conference report be sent back to the
conference committee with instruc-
tions to alter these provisions. But
Senator Simmons. in charge of The
bill, moved as a substitute that the
conference report be accepted. His
motion was carried by vote of 33 to
6. Senators Reed, Pomerene, Yard
aman, Hollis. O'Gorman and Hughes
voted against the motion.
Senators who supported the Clarke
amendment taxing cotton futures ex-
pressed strong opposition to the ad-
ministratiOn substitute and declared
they would prefer to allow the entire
matter to so over for special legisla-
ton rather than accept the Under
wood substitute. This plan was finally
adopted without vote.