Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-25
A VOTE OF cENsURE.

In his last annual message the presi-
dent deemed it necessary to explain to
congress and the country that the reason
why his secretary of the treasury had
not used the surplus in the purchase OF
| United States bonds, was because he
(the PRESIDENT did not understand the
act of June 30. 1882, to have the force
and effect of law. That he had treated
it as a joint resolution, merely. That is
to say, he had come to the conclusion
that it applied only to the year 1882, and
! that after that time it had ceased to be
operative.
The language in which this explana-
ton was couched and the apparent en-
barrassment of the president IN making
it, caused every unprejudiced reader of
that message to regard this statement
of Mr.. Cleveland as more in the nature
of an apology than of an explanation.
| The more one reads the message on this
| point the palmer it must appear that Mr..
Cleveland felt his inability TO show why
| he regarded the act of 1892 as having no
force and effect at the expiration Of that
fiscal year.
| On this subject Senator Plumb made a
mastery arraignment of the president,
showing that the responsibility for the
great treasury surplus, about which Mr..
Cleveland saw fit to unnecessarily alarm
the country, was chargeable to the pres
ident himself. In proof of this attention
was called to the fact that Republican
| president had treated the act of 1882 as
| III force after the expiration OF the tisfal
year in which it was passed. The ques-
ton was also asked why Mr.. Cleveland
had not discovered during the first year
of his administration that the authority
conferred by the act of 1882 authorizing
the use of the surplus for the purchase of
bonds had ceased to be operative. The
senate was so well satisfied with the po-
sition of Senator Plumb, that it formally
declared the opinion of the senate to be
that the act of 1882 was still in force.
| The house of representatives few days
ago passed the following:
Resolved, by the house of representa-
tives, That it is the sense of this house that
section two of the Act making appro-
prlatlons for sundry civil expense OF the
government for the year ending June 80,
1882, and for other purposes" approved
March 3, 1881, which is as follows: "Inat
the secretary of the treasury may at any
time apply the surplus money in the
treasury not otherwise appropriated, or so
| much thereof as he may consider proper,
to the purchase or redemption of United
States bonds. Provided. that the bonds
SO purchased or redeemed shall constitute
no part of the sinking fund, but shall be
redeemed and cancelled, was intended to
be permanent provision of the law, and
the same is hereby declared to have been
since its enactment and to be now, in the
opinion of the house, in full force and
effect.
This resolution PASSED the house by a
vote of 1873 to "a. By this it will be
noticed that large number of Demo
Gratis refrained from voting, but enough
voted in the negative to show quorum
present and voting, SO that the resolu-
ton might go on the record as the sense
of the house. The Democrats not voting,
or at least large number of them, were
really present, though not answering to
their names as is made to appear by
votes on other questions just before and
after the vote on this resolution. These
non-voting Democrats could not con-
scientiously vote against the resolution,
but would not vote for it because to do so
would be vote to censure the president.
They simply did the next best thing.
They sat quietly by and permitted that
branch of congress in which the Demo-
cratic party is largely in the majority,
to put upon record its rebuke of the
president.
This places Mr. Cleveland in an awk-
ward predicament. He has raised a
great outcry about the oppressive sur
plus. His message was intended to be,
and is, the Democratic platform upon
which he intended to, and will, stand for
reelection. 1t virtually charges the re-
sponsibility of the treasury surplus upon
the Republican party. The party answers
that the responsibility is upon the presi-
dent. That if he had acted under the
law of 1882 as he should have done, the
surplus would have been used in the pay
ment of the national debt. His reply to
this answer is that no such law has been
in force since June so, 1888. This is the
issue. Now come both the house and
senate and declare by formal resolution
that the president has all the time had
authority to use the surplus in the pay
ment of the national debt.