Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-17
He Aspires to Be a Pathfinder
Through the Financial Jungle.
REVISION DESIRED BY 54TH CONGRESS
So That the Question Shall Be
Settled by '96.
HIS HOPE FOR ACTION N

Senator PETER attributes to President
Cleveland a wild and strange ambition;
| nothing less than a purpose to dominate
| the republican party Of the future. Ac-
cording to Mr.. PETER in the very near
| future the two great parties in this country
| will be the gold party on the one hand and
the silver infiationists on the other Mr..
PETERS idea is that Mr.. Cleveland Is am
| bilious to be the Moses of Wall street, CIV
| ing the inspiration for financial policy
| which will have the support Of the repub-
lican party and of the so-called sound
money democrats.
This may not be the exact case. At the
same time q scheme not utterly dissimilar
to this appears to be revolving in Mr.
Cleveland's mind. He probably has no
| thought of entering the republican party,
much less of being elevated to the leader
| ship In that organization. He does how
ever, want to be the pathfinder through the
| financial jungle. whom the faithful will
follow out of the tangle into the broad
road OF sound financial system. he can
not hope for more than a small following in
| his own party, and is naturally looking to
| the republicans for assistance.
An Issue on Finance.
1t must be evident to Mr.. Cleveland that
no such financial legislation as he desires
can be had through the action of the pres
| ent Congress. The next Congress, which
| is opposed to him in politics. will last to
the end of his term. Under ordinary cir
| cumstances he could not expect a Congress
| of an opposing party to cooperate with
| him on any administration policy of i'm
| portance. Yet 1t is announced that he
| proposes to make an issue on finance,
sounding the trumpet blast of sound cur
Tency as he blew a blast for tariff reform
in the middle of his former term. The
| most common superficial view of this is
| that he desires to make an issue for his
| party in 's6. 1t Is obvious, however, that
| he cannot gather united democratic par
ty in support of any financial proposition
which he can raise, but even If he could do
SO, there could be no issue made with the
republicans on that, since the position
| renCy question is in entire harmony with
| that which the republican party, as an
| organization, has always maintained.
However widely they differ on all other
questions John Sherman and Grover Cleve-
| land are in agreement on finance. the first
| with thorough knowledge of the ques-
| ton. 1t is believed by those who have
given serious thought to the question that
Mr.. Cleyeland's purpose is to advance such
| a proposition for a stable financial system
| for the government as will have the ap-
| proval of all the leading financiers of the
east without regard to party, and will have
| the sanction and support of the republicans
in Congress. The history of the repeal of
| the Sherman law is fresh in the minds of
| all. InlS repeal was brought about by
cooperation of the republicans in Congress
and Mr. Cleveland. 1t is believed that the
success of that movement in the face of
violent opposition from his own party has
inspired Mr.. Cleveland with the idea that
with the cooperation of republicans he can
inaugurate q financial system before the
close of his administration which will stand
all assaults of the future.
A White House Conference.
At Leaf six months before the congress
sional campaign began-before nomina-
tions were made or committees organized
| there was conference at the White House
| between Mr.. Cleveland Mr.. Harrity Mr..
| Don Dickinson and one or two others over
| the subject of the future democratic policy.
| Mr.. Cleveland on that occasion expressed
| the opinion that it was much more impor-
| tant to the democratic party and to the
| country that a majority of the new Con-
gress elected should consist OF men who
believed In sound currency than that there
should be r ajority Of democrats. He re-
| garGed II as q matter OF the first import
| ance that the democrats should nominate
| as many sound money men as possible, and
| he conveyed the idea through what he said
| that the loss Of the House through the de-
| feat Of radical free silver men and demo-
Gratis with populistic ideas would not be an
irreparable injury to either the democratic
party or the country.
During the last two years of his admin
istration Mr.. Cleveland will find himself
| situated somewhat as he may have antic-
patad at that time. His desire for a Con-
| gress controlled by the advocates of sound
| finance will be gratified, though 1t may be
a disappointment to him not to have this
majority In his own party.
Two Things Cleveland Desires.
While the next Congress must of neces-
sity be "a do-nothng party" the prospect
may be opened for action on this one sub
ject. 1t is not to be supposed that the re-
publican Congress would permit Mr.. Cleve-
land to outline for them In detail a finan-
cial measure, but there is hardly any
| measure which would receive the approval
of the leading minds Of the republican
party on finance which would not come
within the scope Of the broad generalities
| which Mr.. Cleveland will probably deal
with in his message in advocacy of the
establishment of a permanent financial sys>-
tenn. He will probably send such mes
sage to this Congress, anticipating the pol
icy Of the next, and repeat his recon-
mendation to the Fifty-fourth Congress on
it's assembling In other words he will
probably. in general terms recommend the
republican Congress that which he knows
it to be their policyto do If they can, re-
gardless of anything which he may say.
There are two things which he desires
First, the establishment of a sound finan-
cial system, because he believes in 1t; sec
ond, to have the whole question disposed
of by legislation before the campaign of
| '96, so that the issue then may still be the
tariff.
Would Approve n Republican Bill.
Though 1t may not be said that he de-
sired the election of a republican Con-
gress, the fact that the republicans have
gained control opens the way for the ac-
complishment of one object which he has
always had prominently in view. Had a
democratic House been elected the pros
pect of an agreement between II and the
administration on any financial proposition
would have been very remote. But If q
republican Congress succeeds in enacting
a financial measure in accord with the
ideas of Mr.. Sherman, the eastern repub-
licans and the bankers Of the country, no
one entertains a doubt that Mr.. Cleveland
will sign 1t. The fact of Mr.. Cleveland's
recommending the matter before the Fifty
fourth Congress has had an opportunity to
express its opinion or indicate its purpose
will probably not prejudice legislation
The republican Congress will hardly aban-
don time-honored policy merely because
Mr.. Cleveland agrees with them.
Portrait of Judge Scoheld.
A large oil painting Of the late Judge @.
w. Scof1eld Of the Court Of Claims has