Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-22
STILL U D &c | D E D
Anxiety in Regard to the Fate of the
Bland Bill.
Pressure Brought to Bear on the
President Both to Sign the Act
and to Veto 1t.

Those closest to Mr.. Cleveland have not
as yet received any intimation of what his
intentions are as to the seigniorage bill.
Pressure is still being put upon him with
increasing earnestness, and he is studying
the question in a manner which indicates
that he himself is still in doubt as to his
action. The cabinet is seriously divided on
the question. and it can be said with safety
that none of them have an opinion as to
his actions which they hold to with any
confidence. The only things that are an
nounced with any positiveness are that he
is anxious to serve the southern and west
ern men who stood by him in the fight
against the Sherman law, and that he will
take full time for the consideration of the
question before acting on the bill. The best
Informed insist that he will not act until
near the close of the ten days. The induce
ments to sign the bill are being made as
strong as possible. and he is listening to
all that is said without committing himself
The Pressure for Veto.
The pressure being brought to bear upon
Mr.. Cleveland is not confined to Senators
and Representatives. for he is in receipt of
letters and kilograms from all sections Of
the country upon the subject, and, contrary
to the belief that seems to prevail, a very
large majority of these communications
urge him to exercise the veto power. Many
of the most emphatic of the letters in
their urgency for veto are from Balti-
more, New Orleans, Richmond, Va; st.
Louis. Charleston, S. c., and other southern
cities, and represent boards of trade and
leading business men. Similar communica-
tionS have been received from the cities of
Chicago, Pittsburg, Allegheny City, Detroit,
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Rochester
and Providence r. l.
The prevailing sentiments contained in
these appeals are the expression of an ap-
prehension that should the bill become a
law there would result loss of confidence
In the credit of the government, fear that
the gold would be drained from the treas
ury, and feeling that the government
would be unable to maintain the parity be-
tween gold and silver, thus placing its
financial status on the same footing with
Mexico, the South American republics and
India
The Tariff Bill May BE Embarrassed.
There is an evident determination en- the
part of many of the silver men to associ-
ate the seigniorage question with the tariff
bill, and apparently the veto of the Bland
bill would be followed at once by consider
able obstruction and embarrassment to the
tariff bill. There is considerable talk about
a proposition, if the Bland bill is vetoed,
to offer free coinage of silver amendment
to the tariff bill in The Senate, and the adOp-
ton of such amendment is threatened.
There Is a decided danger that the present
strained conditions will culminate in a gen.
eral row and a complete break between the
great mass of the democrats in Congress
and the administration. 1t is the cXpecta-
tion of the democrats CT the finance COM
mittee that the tariff bill will be passed
through the Senate in tour weeks from the
day it is taken up for consideration, but
there is a whole world of possibilities in
the way of defeat of this expectation.