The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-25
WISER THAN CONGRESS
At Least the President Thinks
He Is and VIII Act Ac-
CordingIy.
FREE SILVER rs THE THORN.
More Reasons Than One for Calling
Down Secretary Of AgriCuI-
ture Morton.

WASHINGTON, D. c., April 23.-When
President Cleveland a day or two ago
deemed it necessary to repudiate the inter
view of his Secretary of Agriculture it was
generally believed that he intended to dis
avow particularly that portion of Mr.
Morton's statement which expressed con-
tempt for the proposed international BIZ
metallic conference. But it appears that
whatever Mr.. Cleveland may privately
think of the proposed conference, he does
not intend to send delegates, for it is re-
ported on most trustworthy authority that
within the past two days he has reiterated
his opinion that under the wording of the
resolution he will not be able to do so.
The President regards the scheme of an
international conference as arranged by
the last Congress as nothing more nor less
than a free silver trap. Not many days
since st. Clair McKelway, editor OF the
Brooklyn Eagle, an administration paper,
came to Washington and had talk with
the President on the subject of national
finances. In the course of their CONVEX
sation the question of a possible inter
national conference was preached. The
President declared in most positive terms
that he would not appoint delegates to
such conference under the restrictions
and limitations contained in the amend
ment to the sundry civil law. He said it
was simply project devised by free silver
men in both Houses of Congress to COM
nit this Government to a policy of free
coinage, and that he would not contribute
the power of the administration to such a
purpose.
Since that date the President has reiter-
ated his determination to refuse his assent
to any such conference as that evidently
contemplated by Congress in its enact
ment. On this last occasion he emphat-
ically declared that he would not appoint
delegates in response to the invitation of
Germany nor of any other European power
His reason for this determination was the
same as expressed to Mr.. McKelway. He
said that under the authority conferred by
law delegates of the United States would
be committed to policy of free coinage
that they would be deprived of the broad
discretion which should be vested in such
delegates and therefore, in his opinion, a
better plan would be to refrain from send
ing delegates.
The interview with Congressman Culber-
son, one of the delegates of the House of
Representatives, must be taken in close
connection with the recent declarations of
the President.
Mr.. Culberson, prominent Democrat
of the House for many years and recog-
nized by members on both sides as one of
the abIest lawyers in that body, pointed
out this very defect in the enactment of
Congress. He was appointed as one of the
delegates to any international conference
that might be called as a pronounced pro-
silver man. He has served continuously
in Congress for twenty years, and during
that entire period has been known and
recognized as friend of silver yet at the
beginning of his studies of the duties
which would devolve upon him in the
event of an international conference he
discovered the very difficulties which the
President now calls attention to.
The natural inference is that there is no
prospect of the silver question being set
tied by international agreement pending
further and more definite action by Con-
gress.