Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-12-26
JOHN SHERMAN TALKS
HE CRITICISES BOTH HARRISON
AND CLEVELAND,
Says the Bond Issue Tmpairs the Public
Credit-Dab at Harrison and CIeve-
land for Their Bullheadedness-Too
Much "SeIf-Estcem."

The Cincinnati Enquirer publishes
an interview by Cath" with Senator
! John Sherman on the financial and
political conditions, from which the
following extracts are taken:
"What is the difficulty with this ad-
ministration keeping up the gold re-
serve?"
'1n the first place, the Presidents
one idea scheme of destroying the
tariff has left him without adequate
revenue to meet expenses. In the
second, he thoroughly mistakes the re-
latiOns of his Office to his secretary. He
is not the ruler of the country, as he
thinks, but its President. The word
president, moderator, presider, defines
itself. He has no business to be doing
executive acts instead of his secretary
of the treasury, who is responsible to
congress, and he breaks the law almost
every day. Harrison did the same.
would not have served under Harrison
ten days as his secretary of the treas
ury. My conception of president is
far different from that of a suspicious
and jealous interferer with his cabi-
net. l will say for President Hayes
| that he gave his secretaries liberty of
action. Had he come to me at every
point of issue and intcrfered, how
could ] have carried out a coherent
financial plan? In turn, l had good
subOrdinates, and l let them alone, to
acquit themselves intelligently and
not fear me l suspect that Carlisle
and this cabinet IN general feel that
full responsibility is not secure to
them
Are the times worse now than when
you were secretary of the treasury?"
mo. There was no worse panic than
that following Jay Cookies failure 1t
was panic without much money in
the country. This is a panic with
plenty of money. l told President
Hayes that he did not go away enough.
He did go several times-cven went as
far as California. You know that
jefferson, and Madison, too, would
leave this city and go to their respec-
tive farms and stay there for months
Mr.. Cleveland and Mr. Harrison before
him misconccived the nature of their
office, which is social, assuring, out
looking and ceremonial"
Does the President know much
about finance and trade?''
81 ,1n,,hf f
the secretary of the treasury must work
hard. Now, the only serious point
against selling bonds in times like
those is that it to an extent impairs
the credit of the country. But the
first mistake was Mr.. Cleveland's one
sided determination to celebrate the
destruction of the tariff He cut off
his resources, and his agent, the secre-
tary, had to spend his assets for cur
rent expenses 1t is inevitable that if
a rich individual spends more than his
income, he must go to ruin He can
sell his land to save himself. We can
also sell our credit. That is what .hey
are doing now. As 1 have said, it in
vitcs attention to the state of our
credit
''Do you think the President has anv
great occasion to reorganize our cur
rency, or, as he calls it. to reform the
currency?"
''No. He is not probable to better
it. He must commence at the other
end and restore our revenue, and then
his specie reserve will not be poached
upon. Cleveland made the situation
which Carlisle staggers under.
Carnegie says this is great mis-
take of Cleveland-to reform the cur
rency?
Il think Carnegie is good deal of a
humbug. He assisted to bring Cleve-
land back upon us by starting con-
flict with his labor"
''They say that Harrison was beaten
by the labor hostility to Reid?"
Correctly, too, think But Harri
son himself was responsible for that.
He did not want Mr.. Morton. And 1
firmly believe that if Harrison is nom
mated again he will be beaten again.
His administration and Cleveland's re-
semble each other in their self esteem
wanting to rule instead of to preside
! HAS nave dlFeduV SAID, would not
serve ten lays in the cabinet of either
of them"
You have many friends still who
favored you for President?"
4 wouldn't take the nomination OIL,
a silver plate. am toomuch attached
to my fireside at my time of life The
ottce is very thankless one, bnt our
later Presidents have made il harder
by their want of reciprocity and bon
hommie. !"