Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-07-27
THE PRESIDENTS CON
DUCT,

THE PRESIDENTS CON-
DUCT.
1t is not to be thought for one
moment that MIR. Cleveland has been
Intentionally nudity Of lad filth to
wards the Senators who have confer.
red with him concerning the tariff
bill, aud, if the evidence tending that
way WAS the testimony of Senator
German nlono the whole matter
would he dismissed without another
thought. But the evidence of Sena
tors Jones and Harris can not DO dis.
missed rs evory one would treat that
of German. Jones and Hurts are
intelligent men, perfectly capable of
understanding aud approaching the
exact import of the interviews they
had witt: the President, and both are
men OF characters that cannot be i'm
penched. Mr.. jones tells us that tho
Secretary of the Treasury went over
all the Senate amendments to the
House bill, and agreed to them. and
stated that the President had gone
over al of them and agreed to them
also. He tells us further that he
himself saw the President, who told
him that Mr.. Carlisle had explained
all the amendments to him, aud that
he agreed that it was wise to take
them rs the basis of bill, and that
tax OH coal and iron was expressly
mentioned between them and agreed
to by Dir. Cleveland. We have not
the slightest doubt TINT these state
ments are true. Our explanation of
the case is this: The President, us ev.
cry Que knows, has long oeen de
votee of the idea of free raw mate
subsequently, coal and iron. When
Jones, Carlisle and Harris talked
with him lie had concluded that bill
such as the Senate passed was all
that could be obtained in the line of
Ills views. Afterwards, on confer
ring with Mr.. Wilson, who had been
ill in the South when all this took
place, and was probably ignorant of
1t, tue latter persuaded him that if
he would back him (Wilson) in his
effort to force the Senate from it's
position it could be done. Not re-.
tlecting on the length to which the
Senate might have supposed him to
have committed himself he Welded
to Wilson's solicitation AID wrote the
letter which that gentleman read.
Now, we have no idea TINT there
was the slightest duplicity III this,
but there were two entirely sufficient
reasons why the letter should not
have been written. The first is the
one on which we have already com.
mented, that the matter was one with
which the President had nothing to
do. The Constitution defines the
method, and tho only one by which
ne can communicate with Congress-
He is to send his message OPENLY
and above board to both Houses OF
Congress whenever he thinks the
public interests require him to make
suggestions or offer advice to them
but when he has done that his con
nectlon with the matter ends. It is
for the two Houses after that to de
liberate on the case and put the,,
conclusions into the form of an EN-
actment, which is to be submitted tc
him for his approval or disapproval
But whilst the subject is under The
elaboration of Congress it is not 70,
the President to interfere with eithe,
House in any manner whatever. This
is perfectly plain, and it should have
deferred MIR. Cleveland from allow
ing Mr.. Wilson to read that letter in
the House, no matter how great was
the temptation to do it.
In the second place, he should new
er have allowed bis eagerness to sec
a tariff bill formed on the line of bis
views to make him overlook or for
get Just what had taken place be
tween him and Senator Jones. Jone,
was managing the affair, his brothe,
Senators bad perfect confidence II
him, and, when he came from tb,
President with report that til,
PRESIDENT had agreed that it wa
Wise, under all the circumstances O
the case, That bill should be framed
on the lines of Jones' 400 amend
ments. Jones and those other Senn
tors had right to understand tina
liza bill were framed and put through
upon those lines, it would meet will
tue Presidents approval, at least t,
the extent of encountering no oppo
sition from him, or neutrality. Tn
President had perfect right to sa,
to Senator Jones that he would no
confer with him about the matter
That 1t was q matter over which Cor
gress had entire control, and that h
would reserve what he had to so