Show conference HELD republican senators caucus no plan of action agreed upon it Is claimed that democratic DIs sention will defeat the tariff bau washington may utne republican members of the senate were in caucus at begalor shermans bouse from 8 until 12 the caucus partook more of the baturo of an informal conference than a business meeting and white it was called with the purpose of arriving at a conclusion as to the method to be pur sued by the republican party in the senate it closed without eliciting anything in the way of a party declaration there was no vote on uny proposition whatever and the proceedings consisted of a large number of speeches there were about twenty alve af the thirty seven republican senators present and everyone had to eav in the course of the evening there waa s great divergence in of the coarse to be adopted accounts of the meeting agree that while there were probably twenty speeches most of them brief no two of them were on the same lines or advices on the manner of proceeding there was no agreement except upon one boint that the bill should be beaten if possible oa general lines there was the greatest divergence of opinion on the ability of the republicans to beat the bill at 11 and while there was no formal division which would permit of accounting the caucus appeared to be about evenly divided in sentiment on this question the eastern senators were favorable to a continuation of the opposition on the lines which are now being observed and the western senators were opposed to any effort to secure delay senators aldrich chandler frye and others contended that the bill could be defeated and said that all that was necessary to demonstrate the correctness of this assertion was to give the democrats time to widen the breach which they as aerated now exists some of them declared that four or five could oe counted on as opposed to the bill while one of those present went so far as to say be was assured of the opposition of at least seven democrats the opposition element contended that there was no positive assurance of any democratic support in opposition to the bill and that the only means of testing the of the rumor of democratic dissatisfaction was to let the voting go on there was much talk as to the general demerits and inconsistencies of the bill and some of the sliver senators did not fall to call attention to the lack of ayro pathy which had been displayed by re public senatore eena tore aben the silver repeal bill was before the senate last fall and to intimate that they had no desire at this time to heap coal of fire upon the heads of this element by doing a kindness in return for what they termed their inconsideration thera was also an exchange of views on the policy of the republicans voting for alio democratic amendments to the bill but the only agreement reached this point was to allow for the present individual republican se natora to act in accordance with their own inclinations |