The herald., 1893-09-09
DEFEAT OR COMPROMISE
The Condition that Confronts
the Repealers.
All Sorts of Rumors Rife at
the Capital.
The Cloture Will Not Be Invoked,
That Is Settled.
Silver Mon Hope to Hold Out Against
Unconditional Repeal Until q
Compromise Is Finally
Brought About.
BY the Associated Press.l

By the Associated Press.l
WASHINGTON, Sept. SIT is safe to
say that the cloture will not De invoked
by the American senate. A heavy
majority of the members is in favor of
unconditiona. repeal of the silver pur-
chasing clause of the Sherman act, but
this majority has been carefully polled
and it declared that the conditions were
not such as to warrant radical depart
ure from the time-honored traditions of
the senate that would be necessary to
secure the cloture of debate and force
the repeal to final vote. Conferences
daily held between the president and
leading senators, participated in almost
invariably by Secretary of the Treasury
Carlisle, have been full of promise, not
of the passage of the bill uncondition.
ally repeating the purchasing clause Of
the Sherman act, but of this bill
amended by such conditions as to give
to it the undeniable garb of q COM
promise. One by one the senators who
openly expressed themselves in favor of
unconditional repeal-and they are
nearly three-ffths OF the United States
senate-have been consulted as to the
advisability OF the cloture rule, and the
result has been that less than 80 of the
S6 senators have expressed themselves
in favor OF resorting to such extreme
measures. This startling innovation
from the traditions of the senate, there
fore, will not be part of the record to be
left behind by this extraordinary session.
ONLY TWO ALTERNATIVES.
With the proposition for the cloture
finally abandoned. there remain but two
alternatives for the repeal senator's
compromise or defeat at the hands of
the filibusterers, not in the open guise
of filibusterers, but in repeated de-
mands for the call Of the senate and re-
sort to other parliamentary proprieties
to prolong indefinitely the debate. No
one can DOUBT that of these two alterna-
tives the one promising greater benefit
appears likely to be chosen, and that is
for compromise. A series of confer
ences are to be held from time to time
until the end OF next week, when it is
hoped clear majority will be found
welded to a proposition which will not
be opposed by the minority with enough
vehemence TO lead to filibustering in op-
position.
THE FAvoRTTE PROPOSITION.
The prosition OF compromise now
under discussion and meeting with
greater favor, provides that coupled
with the bill repeating the purchasing
clause OF the Sherman act, there shall
be law directing the secretary of the
treasury to buy monthly considerably
reduced amount of silver bullion and to
actually coin this bullion into money.
The secretary of the treasury also is to
be given ample power to protect all the
gold and currency and money of tho
United States to make it interchaugea-
banks of the United States are to be
aggregate equal to the face value OF the
United States bonds on deposit. Con-
cessions to state banks are aleo dis
cussed.
FOUR SENATORIAL FACTIONS.
The four separate and distinct SUBJ
iects which it is proposed to include in
the repeal bill in various compromise
amendments thereto, represent four fac
tions into which the United States sem
ate may be said to be divided at this
time. None OF these factions would get
what it has been demanding by this
legislation, but each would get slight
concessions and some consolation from
unconditional repeal, and each faction
would retire from the conflict free from
the onus OF defeat and with the laurels
of partial victory to be placed to its
credit.
THE AIR FULL OF RUMORS.
The air about the senate wing of the
capitol was full of rumors today of
upon the financial question,
but it was impossible to trace most of
theee to any source which appeared
or which indicated any
organized movement of sufficient force
to produce results. One report given
out, with the greatest attention to de-
tails, was to the effect that German was
moving in the direction of a compro-
mise. 1t YVES said he had been to the
executive mansion with suggestion to
the effect that it would be impossible
to secure action on the part OF the SEN
ate until the repeal forces should agree
10 some compromise which the silver
men would accept. Gorman's former
for the white metal and tha
act that he is personally on good terms
With the senators from the silver etates
ogether with the fact that he has LONG
,een one of the Democratic leaders il
he senate, caused this report to ap.
,ear very plausible.
A FIGHT TO A FINISH.
Notwithstanding the many circum-
tances which seemed to confirm the re-
'ort, German denied the story in ex-
'licit terms. and assured the questionet
hat the report was utterly without
oundation. ''We shall. . he said, ssdght
his thing out to finish, and when a
ote will be taken. it will be upon the
proposition OF unconditional repeal.
Il wwas slse given ens the. Es,;::..kss:s- s,;::. ( &
nd Lindsay were working in the interest
i compromise. Lindsay said he had
10 measure of compromise to offer 40
eported, but favored the continued use