San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-07-08
The Daily Eight.
SATURDAY, JULY 5, 1898.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July ), 1898.

those familiar with the circum-
stances that led TO the calling of
the extra session of Congress
for August :, instead of a
month or more later, as had for
months been intended, get through
talking about how Mr.. Cleveland's
nerve went to pieces and he got
thoroughly "rattled," some Of his
admirers say for the first time in
his life. His friends have tried
hard to smooth over his "break"
by giving out interviews in which
they state that for ten days Mr..
Cleveland had been thinking of
calling the extra session in August.
That is simply rot, only the day
before his proclamation was is
sued he told personal friend who
was trying to persuade him to call
an immediate extra session that he
had fully made up his mind not to
call it until September.
What ratified him? Why, the
avalanche of petitions from all Sec
tions and from all classes of citi-
zens, asking that Congress be called
together at once, many of them
telling him in polite but plain Ian
guage that if he failed to do so he
would by that failure assume per-
sonal responsibility for any further
damage that might be done through
the continued financial stringency.
A majority of these petitions,
which were as a rule forwarded by
telegraph, mentioned the re-
peal of the Sherman Sill
yer law as the end sought,
but many merely asked that Con-
gress be called together and given
an opportunity to do something to
restore public confidence. Added
to these petitions We're the opinions
of the members of his cabinet, who
had themselves been under the
same sort of pressure, that August
must be substituted for September,
and in the language of one of
them, "the old man got ratified
and threw up the sponge, issued
the proclamation and left for Buz-
Yards Bay before it was made
public"
Republicans are as a rule glad
that the extra session has at last
been called. They have from the
first been of the opinion that the
sooner the Democratic congress
got together the better it would be
for the country, as the worst pos
sible legislation would not be any
more disastrous than the dread
and uncertainty of coming legisla-
ton which has perVaded business
circles from the first day of the
present administration, and with
Congress in session public opinion
will have an opportunity to at
least try to influence legislation
There is a leaven of common
sense at work among the Demo-
cratic congressman on the tariff
question that later on may pro-
duce good results. One of them,
who because he is not ready at
this time to openly oppose the
leaders of his party fOrbids the
use of his name, said to me: 81
shall gladly vote for the repeal of
the Sherman Silver law, because
l have always been opposed
to it, but | do not consider
it the principal cause of
our financial troubles. The fear
of disturbances in the tariff has
had much more to do with it, and
/ believe that if Mr.. Cleveland
would publicly state his intention
to veto any tariff bill which cuts
the present rates sufficiently to in
jure any American industry that
within sixty days confidence would
be completely restored and the
country again prosperous" While
it isn't certain that he will do so,
there is contingency in which
this congressman will publicly
state these views on the floor of
the House.
Another political debt incurred
during the campaign was settled
by the appointment of J. f. Till
man, of Tenn, to be register of the
Treasury. Mr.. Tillman was prom
ised good place if he would use
his influence as secretary of the
Tennessee Farmers Alliance to
head off the populists in that state
and prevent their absorbing the
alliance. The promise was made
by Senator German, but the "gOOd
place" was not forthcoming until
row was kicked up by Tillman
and his friends. This is the posi-
ton which Gen. ROsecrans was
allowed to keep during the entire
Harrison administration. His
health comDaIlad hin, 70 .,.i,t,, -