Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-06-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Written and compiled for the HERALD. |
WASHINGTON, May %, 1885,

Senate investigating committee is
folio wing a long line of precedents
and hutting its head against that
same old wall-an attempt to com
pei newspaper correspondents to
tell the names of those who give
them information in confidence,
and the farce may be carried to
the extent of locking up the three
correspondents. Meanwhile men
whose testimony might have been
taken are going to Europa and
other places to keep from testlfying
and the chances for getting at the
truth. which is all the public wants,
are growing beautifully less aud
| less. II newspaper men could be
compelled to diYulge their sources
of information there would be few
or noexposures of corrupt practices
in public life, for the very simple
reason that in ninety-nine out OF
every one hundred of such expos
ures made by the newspapers the
first information is given in con
6dence by public men, and if they
did not know that their confidence
would be respected they would
not give the information. The
public isn't interested in the object
the informer has in vlew-often
not creditable one to him person
slly-but in the exposure ofwrong
doing wherever 1t exists. The
Senate mas before this locked up
correspondents for refusing to
betray confidence, but it has never
succeeded in making a correspon-
dent do it, and it isn't likely that
it ever will.
The end of the tariff fight seems
TO be IN sight, and no one will be
surprised if a day for taking the
final vote be agreed upon before
the close of the present week.
The reason tor the change may be
| found in the test votes, which have
shown that every democratic vote,
with the possible exception of that
of Hill, and every populist vote,
with the possible exception of
Stewart, will he cast for the bill,
unless something now unexpected
shall occur to bring about a
change. The developments in
the investigation may affect the
sugar schedule, which will be TAX
en- up this week.
Treasury department officials
put on a braye front when talking
for publication about the rapid
depletion of the gold in the Treas
ury, now down to s79,S2O, 900, and
say they have no fears Of its get
ing dangerously low IN the near
future, but 1t is no secret here that
they are very much disturbed
about it. When 1t reached $685.
900, 900 the administration con-
sidered the situation dangerous
enough to issue S5O,OOO,OOO, of
bonds in spite of it's knowledge
that the sentiment of Congress
was against a bond Issued, and
many believe that it will issue
more bonds ifthe gold drops to the
same amount again, although
there has been no indication OF any
change Of sentiment in Congress.
There Is reason to believe that the
administration would like to have
Congress out of the way before 1t
resorts to another bond issue. In
this connection the views Of a
gentlemen in close sympathy with
the administrator, given privately
to a personal friend, are both in
teresting and significant. Said he:
"The administration is very much
Opposed to many of the proposed
Senate amendments to the tariff
bill, but it IS usingall the influence
at it's command to get the demo
Gratis of the House to agree to the
bill as it will be passed by the
Senate, because it wants to see
Congress adjourn before the g0ld
reserve gets so low that another
issue of bonds will have to be |
resorted to, it having become ap- |
parent that Congress will not
authorize an issue of bonds, and
thalit issued at all it mustbe under
the old laW.'
Representative BrJ an, Of Nebr.,
is working hard TO persuade the
House committee to report favor
ably his Nicaragua canal bill, aud,
he says, he is confident Of succeed
ing; others doubt il. His bill
differs from that ofSSCatOr Morgan,
which provides for a government
Of the canal bonds, in
that 1t provides for the outright
purchase of S7O,OOO,OOO of stock
In fha canal p0mnanv nv the cOV-