The Progress., 1893-07-08
THE EXTRA SESSION.

measurable light thrown on the fnan-
cial question by one of its members
in a speech before that body on that
eventful day, may perhaps never be
known, but the fact is President
Cleveland has called an extra session
of Congress to assemble on the 7th
day of August at II o'clock.
We believe in giving honor to whom
honor is due, and it gives us much
pleasure to admit and declare that We
believe the president was wonderfully
influenced by both. 1t is said by
those close to him that the question
of calling an extra session was the
most vexatious one of his life. That
he had had hours of conference with
the most noted men of the day. but
their counsel and advice, some of
course favoring, others opposing, had
but left wrinkles of thought and care
on his face and he was fast developing
that insidious disease melancholia.
when on Friday morning of last
week, his wife who had been noting
with grave apprehension the decided
change in her husbands disposition
which had been transformed from
one of free and genial Indifference TO
that of gloomy and speculative de-
spondency, happened to pick up one
of the metropolitan journals wherein
she saw in big head lines this,
SHREyEPoRT's BOARD OF TRADE IN
DoRsEs THE GOLD STANDARD.
Knowing that the financial ques-
ton was the one which was disturb
ing the presidents peace of mind. she
rushed into his private room where
he was sitting with the curtains
drawn, making the apartment dark
and gloomy to conform to his refec
tions. gazing out of window with
sorrowful mien and listless air as if
the world offered DO inducements nor
pleasures to him, she hastily threw
up the curtains and before he could
recover from his astonishment read
those head lines. For awhile the
president stood and looked at her in
a manner completely dazed and then.
when the true solution burst up
on him, he gave yell which would
have made Sitting Bull commit sui
eide from pure envy, grabbed his wife
in his arms and gave her kiss like
the ones she had received when a
bride, screamed for Baby Ruth, be-
slowed upon her loving caresses,
howled Justify for his private secre-
tary and dictated the proclamation
for the extra session, interjecting his
words with hurrahs, for the Shreve-
bort Board of Trade. Having done
this he kept his secretary busy writ
ing kilograms, one of congratulations
to our Board of Trade, one highly
complimentary to the merchant who
made the gold speech and imploring
HIM to transmit by wire at the presi-
dents expense that masterpiece of
financial policy mapped out by this
merchant in this wonderful speech; !;
one to Secretary Carlisle begging him
to resign so he could give his port
folio to this Napoleon of finance
this Shreveport merchant-who made
that matchless gold argument.
This extra session of Congress will
be looked forward to with consider
able interest, especially by the South
and West. 1t has been called to set
tie a question which is of grave i'm
portance to these sections. 1t will
indeed be battle of giants, the gold
men attempting to repeal the Sher-
man bill unconditionally, the silver
advocates, to embody i'll the repeating
act bill friendly to their cause, one
which will insure the coinage of the
white metal and put it on basis
with gold.
This financial stringency must be
settled and that very speedily, or we
doubt if any can foretell the disasters
which will befall the country. That
it has been brought about by specu-