New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-15
MR.. VEST DECLARES WAR.
HE DEFIES THE PRESIDENT.
AN INTENSE AND BELILGERENT PLEA FOB
FREE SILVER COINAGE
DEMOCRATYC"HAB "ANIDLE DREAM
COMPLETE FAILURE OF Mr.. GORMAN'S STEER
ING COMMITTEE TO SECURE A CoMPRo.
MISE" CONVERTS" BACKsLIDE TO
THEIR OLD HEREsIES-A LONG
STRUGGLE IN THE
SENATE LIKELY.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l

SENATE LIKELY.
[BY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUNE.1
Washington, Aug. I4.-If the Democratic leaders
in the Senate had the intention TO give their
support as a body to President Cleveland's fnan-
cia programme, that virtuOus resolution has now
gone the way Of many similar good purposes and
been converted into paving material for a moro
or less invountarily populated winter resort.
With Mr.. Cleveland absent from the Capital 10
was scarcely 10 be expected that the pretence OF
loyalty to his policy of unconditional repeal Of the
Sherman act could long be maintained by the re-
luctant and discordant Democratic majority, which
had so far shown toward the message of August
nothing but suen obstnacy and dstrust.
Mr. Germans steering committee" had strug-
glcd rather perfunctorily for two or three days to
frame some scheme of compromise which might
sugarcoat to the preponderatng element in the
party Mr. Clevelands distinct and outspoken plat
form Of monometallism. But the effort was des-
tined from the start TO failure, and the Maryland
Senator gave it up as hopeless when he retreated
to his country home on Friday evening last That
he has now definitely abandoned all confidence in
his ability to bring the party in the Senate to Mr..
Cleveand's advanced and radical gold-standard
views was practically proclaimed to the world to-
day when Mr.. Vest, one of the leading members
Of the steering committee took the floor to
make formal declaration Of war against the Ad-
ministraton and to advocate resistance to uncon-
dtional repeal as desperate and unyelding as that
trumphantly made by the free-coinage combina-
ton of lS9O-91 to the passage of the Federal
Election bill.
WAR ON THE ADMINISTRATION.
Mr. Vests speech, intense and belligerent to
the core, cannot but be taken the keynote Of
the fierce and determined contest which is to be
made by the Democratic majority aided bysthe
handful of free-colnage Senators from the silver
States, against the policy submitted by the Presi-
dent as the only means of relief to the business
interests of the country in the present financial
crisis That this note of hostility and defiance
should be sounded by so prominent Democratic
leader in advance of any report from the steer
ing committee" of which he is a member to tho
Democratic caucus, indicates beyond doubt that
the deliberations of that committee have fallen
ill-born and that its cear-sighted chairman now
sees no hope of party harmony or legislative
achievement except through the pressure OF pro-
longed intestine struggle on the floor OF the
Senate.
Mr. Vests speech is beyond question the hardest
blow Vet dealt the Administrations programme in
| Congress. IL marks acutely distinct revulsion
in sentiment in the Democratic ranks-a re-
vulson which has been gathering secret strength
!
policy l2st Tuesday in all its monometallic bold
ness Mr. Vest has been that Senator, perhaps,
who was most of all counted on By the Adminis-
ration to forsae his prosilver professions in tine
interest of party harmony on the Cleveland
Carlisle platform Though a most ardent ana
radical advocate of free coinage ever since his
entry into public life Mr.. Vest had shown on two
occasions recently willingness 10 sacrifice theory
to partisan expediency, which gave color to tho
Administrations sand indeed the seneral-assump-
ton that he could be put again into the list OF
converts" who would repudiate every profession
of financial belief and every pledge of legislative
action for the sake of party union and Presidential
convenience. Only last summer, when Mr.. Stew
arts frce-conagp bill was before the Senate, Mr.
Vest. in violation of all personal and political con-
sistency, moved to postpone action on that meas
ure until the December following, eXcusng HIM
self on tn, ground that he wished to save Mr..
CIeveand's canvass for the Presidency from any
possible political embarrassment by the vote OF
the party's representatives in Congress. Again
IN February last, in Difference to Mr.. Cievelands
wishes. Mr. Vest broke away the second time from
/ his free-conage associates 10 favor the consider
alton of the bill then pending to repeal outright
| the Silver Purchase law.
CONVERSION WITHOUT CHANGE OF HEART.
With this record o.; subServency to Administra-
ton influence it not strange that Mr. Vest was
one Of the first TO be put upon the roll of Demo-
| cratic converts" who, forsakng all the financial
heresies which they had cherished in the past,
would follow Mr.. Cleveland blindy in his pro-
cramme of absolute repeal and the return TO ID
single gold standard. Only week ago his name
figured conspicuously in IA so-cilled Admlnlstra-
tion list along with Mr.. Blackburn, Mr.. voorhees,
Mr. Harris and other Democratic freecOlnage Lead
rlo b,H ,b,I 70
Of the President and Secretary Carlisle To thoe
who know Mr. Vest this alleged readiness TO sacri-
icc the opinions of lifetime TO the convenience OF
party friends or even the eNigcncies OF party Po'
ties was, il must be admitted not easily creSi'e'.
Mr. Vest is at bottom too sclf-respecting nan 'ia
too intelligent "a politician TO delude hiih~i' W.
the pretence that vote for unconditohn' ''i
now could ever be made TO square WIZ" "''
political record his personal honor OF hi' .,.
pledges To his constituents. hho"ins w a.
issue vet by the President WAS one '''' ,s
the root OF the whole financial qne'''o"' !" ,.,
not with Intellectual honesty con'eh' .ii",,"
the miserable subterluge adop'eu ~ ~ ;,,Ia
and Others that vote on re"'' '-, ,iI,.,r
/ lest of a Senator's views for or aS'i" .u.
| ,,I earnest friend of the fresid'h' 'it'
". LI no doubt the best authority rec"ghNa"io
for saving that a vote Oh repeal was '''i'' a's'
s.,s;,'. GOT. for or against bimetalll>m III 'nis
countrv at least for the life of the present a"'
,,;nis,ra,ion. For if repeal carried, no other
n;ecc Of legislation affecting silver would ever
lava = chance of becoming law while the presehs
Txecutiye remained in the White House ms
in fact, was the text OF the Niis'ouri SENATOR
argument The Presidents programme was golc
',enometa usm. pure and simple He himself had
'i",andod Mr.. Cleveland before his denomination
ue', VIZ SOP and on the stump before and after the
Wovcmber election a bimetallist: AMI he did
10 AS he thought on the best authority. But
,bs President disappointed prediction eXpecta-
tinns lie stood now for nothing but the gold