The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1893-07-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, July 8, '93

IL Will De a long time before
those familiar with the circum-
stances that led to the calling oil
the extra session of congress for
August Z, instead of month o,
more later, as had for months
been intended, get through talking
about how Cleveland's nerve went
to pieces and he got thoroughly
''rattleI," some of his admirers say
for The first time in his life. His
friends have tried hard to smooth
over the "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 procIa-
nation was issued he told person
al friend who was trying to par
suade 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
sections and from all classes of
citizens, asking that congress be
called togather at once, many of
them telling him in polite but
plain language that if he failed to
do so he would by that failure
assume personal responsibility for
any furthur damage that might be
done through the continued linan-
cial stringency. A majority Of
these petitions, which were as a
rule forwarded by telegraph, men,
toned the repeal of the Sherman
silver law as the principal end
sought, but many merely asked
that congress be called together
and given All opportunity 10 do
something to restore public con-
fidence. Added to these petitions
were the opinions of the mem
bers of his cabinet, who had them
selves 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 ieit for Buz-
Yards Bay before it was made
public"
Republicans as a rule are glad
that the extra session has at last
been called. They have from
the first been of the opinion that
the sooner the democratic con-
gress get together the better it
would be for the country, as the
worst possible legislation would
not be any more disastrous than
The dread and uncertainty of com
ing legislation which has pervaded
business circles from the first
day of the present administration,
and with congress III session pub
lie opinion will have an opportun-
ity to at least try TO influence leg
islation.
There is a leaven of common
sense at work among the demo-
cratic congressman Oh the tariff
question that later on may produce
good results. One of them, who
because he is not ready at this
time to openly oppose the leaders
of his party iorbids the use of his
name, said to me: IL shall gladly
vote for the repeal of the Sher-
man silver law. because l have
always been opposed to it, but l
do not consider it the principal
cause for 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 injure any Ameri-
can industry that within sixty
days confidence would be COM
pletely restored and the country
again DrOsDerOus.n While it isn't