The Daily Texarkanian., 1894-03-26
THE SEIGNIORAGE BILL.
A Powerful Influence Being Brought
to Bear on the President in
Its Favor,

4IS rdNOT'
President Cleveland's private of
fee in the executive mansion a
Washington was the center of al
immense throng of active, pushinl
and evidently deeply interested
men throughout the entire day Sat
urday. Among them we're man,
of the leading silver men of boil
houses of the national Congress
who appeared there to urge his sig
nature to the Bland silver seignior
age bill At one time there were
fifteen of them ranged about the
President, earnestly pleading witt
him. Representative McMillin o.
the ways and means committee was
! just back from a visit to his state
which satisfied him, he said, that d
silver veto meant political disaster
Representatives Tucker and Wise
of Virginia were there with the iu.
nior Virginia Senator, Mr. Hunton,
on the same mission. Representa-,
tives Patterson of Tennessee,
Wheeler of Alabama, Carruth OF
Kentucky, Black of Illinois and SID
ley of Pennsylvania added to the
formidable gathering of Congress
sional leaders.
Every one of the callers was an
ardent silver man, except possibly
Representative Black, and he, too,
was there to urge that the people
of Illinois wanted the Bland bill
signed.
During the course of the confer
ence there occurred striking
scene which will long be remember
ed by the Representatives present,
Mr. McColloch, son of the ex-sec-
retary, and now an Indiana banker,
had urged that the western banks
we're not afraid of an over-supply
of silver He instanced his own
bank in which he said there was a
constant call for silver, The metal
was never on hand in quantities
greater than the demand. The
people appeared to hoard it as much
as any other class of money.
At this point President Cleveland
framed the reply to the many pleas
which had been pouring in upon
him, and which up to this time he
had not attempted to answer or
parry except by casual remarks.
He stood by his large desk with one
hand resting upon it and spoke to
the fifteen or twenty earnest men
before him. His words came slowly
and with deep earnestness. He
spoke of his anxiety to help the
congressman and their people, by
such action as would be the best
for the whole country. 1t was a
question above majorities in Con-
gress or of any other personal or
selfish consideration.
He told them that they had his
sympathy and that he earnestly
wished that he was at liberty to
look at the matter and act solely
from their point of view, In fact
nothing would please him better
than to leave the matter to be set
tied by Congress, But Congress
had turned it over to him and upon
him rested the responsibility which
he could not and would not evade.
The action of Congress and his full
duty obliged him to consider, not
the interest of this or that section,
but the Welfare of the whole peo-
pie, and that duty he should en-
deavor to discharge to the best Of
his ability. To that end he had
sought information from all sources
and heard all interests. He intend
ed to take all the facts into consid-
Grafton and base his decision upon
the convictions he should reach as
to the interests of the whole people.
The President spoke feelingly of the
gravity of the responsibility thus
imposed upon him by the differences
in various localities. He pointed
out some of the features urged
against the bill. He did not say
they were fatal defects, yet the
tendency of his statements was to
show that he could not yet recon
cile himself to the views the silver
men had expressed,
Mr.. Cleveland spoke for fully five
minutes, When the main body OF
Congressman had retired, others
arrived, and then a stream of silver
pleas continued throughout the
public hours of the President Tc
one of the Congressman Mr. Cleve
land pointed out that his main feal
was against the second section oi
the Bland bill, which might cause a
run on the treasury for the redemp
| , 4 ...A,a L., cold