Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-23
The Probable Effect of Mr.. Germans
Speech in the Senate.
APPARENTLY NOPROSPECr OF HARMONY
His Exposure Of Party Secrets an
Unheard-of Thing.
STILL TALK OF COMPROMISE

|
day that Mr.. German would be frank, that
he would be bold and tell the inside of the
Senate compromise story, were verified to-
| day. Mr.. German was extremely bold and
outspoken in his denunciation of Mr.
| Cleveland and no one knows what to look
| for. He had the courage to bid defiance to
| the President, and the tradition of party
| secrecy and reserve Is overthrown. The
| scene in the Senate today, and the entire
| episode, was one unexampled In later
years. The dramatic features of the re-
| porting Of the conference to the House and
| of the debate in the Senate on Friday were
| tame in comparison with today's session of
| the Senate. The galleries were crowded,
| and the corridors overfiowed with spects-
| tors trying to gain admission. Nearly
| every Senator was in his seat, and an ex-
| preston OF restrained excitement and self
| determination was on every face. The
| House could not keep a quorum on account
| OF the absence of its members, who were
| assembled In the Senate to hear and see
| what occurred. All the space back of the
| Senators seats was crowded with Repre-
Sentatives from the other house. Mr.
| German was among the first in his place
| before the Senate was called to order, and
| soon his party associates were gathered
| around him, in expectation of what was to
| come.
| GOrman's BOLD Utteranccs.
| When he took the floor to address the
| Senate II was evident that his nerves were
keyed up to the highest tension, and that
he was prepared to do that which was
| bold obd unusual. In his very opening SEN
tences he declared his purpose TO make the
| frank statement of the inside history of
| the Senate compromise amendments and of
| the cor ferences which led to them. In this
| statement he associated Mr.. Cleveland as
a party to the famous Senate compromise.
| aud defied his repudiation of the Senate bill.
| BY Implication he imrugned the President $
| Honesty In writing the letter he did to Mr..
| Wilson. after directly or indirectly sane
| tioring what the Serate had done. Those
| who know Gormin best did not think that
he would ever make a public declaration of
| this sort concerning party secrets. and il
| is accepted as an indication that every thing
has gene to smash. and that II remains but
| for each man to take care of himself and
| to scramble to shore from the wreck as
| best he can.
| To Throw the Responsibility on
Cleveland.
| As he expressed it, he was trying to main
tain his own honor and the honor of those
associated with him. and the tone of his
speech was designed to throw the responsi-
| biiity upon Mr.. Cleveland and to put him in
the light of having approved the compromise
amendments and, by implication. represent
| ing the writing of the letter to Mr.. Wilson
| as treachery and dishonesty. He made as
| savage an attack on Cleveland as Cleveland
| In his letter made upon the Senate, and
| called upon Vest and Voorhees, and Jones
| and Harris to substantiate his statement
| that Cleveland and Carlisle sanctioned the
100 Jones amendments. The Senators allied
| upon did sustain him to the extent Of giving
| II as their understanding that both Cleve-
| land and Carlisle, while desiring a nearer
| approach to the House bill accepted the
snd were more ns
| sort of a bill should be passed than hey
| were as to the character Of any particular
schedule.
| II the surface indications could be accept
ed, the conclusion would be forced that the
| democratic party is irreconcilably split on
| this issue and no legislation can be had.
| The President is reprobated by the demo-
| cratic leaders Of the Senate, and these lead
| er. are reprobated by the President. 1t is
| a case Of elimination and recrlnination, and
| the bitterness and acrimony shown Is almost
Unprecedented.
| But this excludes from view what Is 60
| ing on under the surface. The Senate was
| exposed by Cleveland's letter to discus
| sion and criticism. In vindication of them
selves they turned upon Mr.. Cleveland
| with recrimnation, and fr defense OF
| themselves associate him with what they
have done to provoke his criticism. The
Mr.. Cleveland in the same boat with the
Senate conference committee and then to
| accuse him of disloyalty and mutiny.
Talk Of Compromise.
Meanwhile, outside OF the Senate cham
| ber there is talk Of a compromise on the
| lines laid down by Mr.. Cleveland. Much
| work has been done between Saturday and
Monday. and 1t is intimated that after the
Senators have vindicated themselves by
representing Mr.. Cleveland as being as
| much responsible themselves for the
| concessions made to the kickers, they will
| be in q position to meet Mr. Cleveland on
equal grounds In the consideration of
compromise. Notwithstanding all the ag-
gressive bitterness of Mr.. Germans speech
| and the earnestness with which he was sus-
| tained by the members of the finance COM
mittee, 1t Is evident that this speech was
| made in the defensive. and that the Senate
| conferces and the so-called conservatives
| were trying &c explain and excuse their
position upon the ground that as bad as
| their work might be 1t Is the best they
| could do, and that Mr.. Cleveland recognized
| this fact and approved Of the action. The
| effect of 1t all was general acknowledge
ment that the Senate bill amended is
not a good measure, and a question Of We
racity is raised as to locating the responsi-
| bility for 1t and as to whether or not Mr..
Cleveland's connection with 1T or khowl-
| edge Of the compromise permitted him in
! honesty to criticise the Senate conferees.
| At the same time the House bill was pub
| licy denounced by Mr.. German, and where
| ever the democrats land, IL they get any
! their own criticism of their own measures.
Extraordinary bitterness.
The bitterness of the fight, the personal
| feeling displayed, is something ext-aorti-
| nary in the history of legislation, and in the
| history of parties. The frank and bold
| manner In which rarty secrets we're dis
| cLssed by Mr.. German is something un-
| heard of. Probably no President OF the cp-
| posing party was ever more viciously de-
! nounced than was Cleveland today by NJ
| German with the direct or indirect sanction
| Of most of the democrats around him Hav-
! ing made up his mind to so into the matter
] Mr.. German appeared TO have freed himself
| entirely from restraint and told the inside
/ history CT the conferences over the .ariff
bill. which no one would expect him ever TO
! reveal. He even went back and told .he
secrets of the Mills bill. and the ST. Louis
platform OF 1888. Throughout his address
he was listened tc with the utmost interest
and attention. and the deep feeling of ex-
element OF she occasion was printed On
every face.
The Came Up.
1t is doubtful whether anyone who lis
tened to his speech failed to receive The I'M
preston that the game was ull up, ara the
! democratic party could no longer hope for