San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-06-30
The Daily Eight.
FRIDAY, JUNE 80, 1898.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, June 26, 1898.


pose that the President and his
cabinet would rejoice at the turn
of the gold tide from Europe to.
wards the United States, and the
consequent decided improvement
in the financial situation, but n the
contrary, it seems to have caused
them grief. Mr.. Cleveland has eX-
pressed his fears to more than one
man that if the situation continues
to improve, Congress might not re-
peal the Sherman silver law as
promptly as it would were the
country in dire financial distress.
1t is really a God-send to the coun-
try that there is an improvement
in the financial outlook, although
it is natural causes and not any
act or acts of the administration
that have brought it about. If
the improvement continues until
after Congress meets it will have
the effect of preventing any hasty
and ill-considered financial legis-
lation, which might easily make
things a great deal worse than
they are or would be with no legis-
lation at all.
AS no one has championed the
Sherman law it must be assumed
that it is not good law, but few
men who are thoroughly acquaint-
ed with the situation will pretend
to assert that its unconditional re-
peal, that is to say, its repeal with
out a substitute of some kind deal
ing with silver, would be any i'm
provement. Conservative men who
are not blinded by prejudice either
for or against either of the money
metals believe that Congress as far
as possible should take the ques-
ton up without partisan po-
litical bias, discuss it from
every point Of view and go de-
liberatively enough to allow the
press and people time enough to
discuss and digest all the PROPOSE
tions that may be submitted, be-
fore final action shall be taken.
If this be done some satisfactory
law may be the result, although it
may not meet the approval of the
extremists on either side. The
fact should never be lost sight of
that the masses ate always con-
sentative in all things and especi-
ally so in regard to national finan-
ces, which must always regulate
the prosperity, not of the East nor
of the West, nor of the South alone
but of the entire country
If contrary policy be followed
and this question be dealt with
from a narrow partisan political
point of view disaster will as GER
tainly follow as night follows day.
And closely allied with the fl
nance question more closely than
the average Democrat seems cap
able of comprehending-is that of
the tariff. There can be no doubt
that the foolish talk of certain
prominent Democrats about the
certainty of radical changes being
made in our whole tariff system
has had more to do with bringing
about the shaky feeling in finan-
cial circles than everything else
men really believe that the DEM
ocrats will be foolish enough to
make such cuts in the tariff as has
been threatened, such cuts as that
would, if actually made, make
thousands of bankrupts out of men
who are now fairly prosperous as
manufactured, large and small,
and million tramps out of work
ing men now profitably employed
still the making of those threats
has had the effect of creating a
feeling Of dread and uncertainty as
to just what they will do, and as a
natural consequence millions of
capital that would otherwise be
actively employed is now locked
up and business men are daily
making assignments because Of
their inability to borrow money
upon securities which under ordin-
airy circumstances would have
been gladly accepted as collateral
for the money they necessarily
carry on their business.
Although it has not been official
ly announced your correspondent
has it from a reliable source that
the grand jury has practically
agreed to find indictments against
Ainsworth, Dant, Sassy and Covert,
for manslaughter, in connection
with the horrible accident at Ford's
old theatre. Their trial will prob
ably take place early in the fall
session of the criminal court. Sec
rotary Lamont's action in dissolv-