Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-19
SECRETARY CARLISLE
He is Silent Respecting His Ru-
mored Retirement from the Cabinet,
THE Two INDICTMENTS AGAINST HIM
One or the Other Must FaIl Accord
ing to His Friends.
THE SUP RENE BEN CHI

Secretary Carlisle Is observing the same
silence respecting the latest report of his
early retirement from the cabinet that he
has, from time to time, observed toward
all reports of like tenor. His only express
sion has been that 1t seemed to be fea-
ture of the New York market to put him
on the retiring list at it's own pleasure, and
as this did not affect him at all. however it
might affect the market, he would not COM
plain. Nobody. however. in such relation
to the Secretary makes his opinion of
value believes that there is anything more
In this latest story than events revealed In
the others. The best opinion In well in
formed circles still is that Mr.. Carlisle will
continue in his present place until the close
OF this administration.
Friends of the Secretary complain that
In these latest attacks on him there Is a
conspicuous lack OF conference. of con-
sistency, of good reasoning. His oppo-
nents. both democratic and republican
alike, seem to be too eager to get at him.
He cannot, possibly, his friends assert, be
amenableaas indicted. On the one hand, he
is charged with having secretly conferred
with syndicate of sharp money-lenders
and been overreached by them. The con-
tract to which the government is commit
ted Is of his making. 1t is dead against the
government ana, therefore, MS OtenSe Is
q very serious one. On the other hand, he
Is charged with having done nothing at ALL
ana. therefore, Is condemned for supine-
ness. According to this view of the mat
ter, the President, with scant ceremony.
set Mir. Carlisle entirely aside. conferred
with the New York bankers himself, and
committed the government to the instru-
>ment as ii now stands. Those who hold to
this view insist that Mr.. Carlisle should
have resented this. and have asserted him
self strongly enough to have stamped his
own opinions en- the transaction.
Not Guilty of Both OHenses.
Now. clearly. the friends of the Secretary
insist. he cannot be guilty of both offenses
He cannot have been every body and nobody
In the negotiations. If he carried the gov
ernment's part through, he was no mere
clerk to the President. If he stood aside
while the President carried the govern
ment's part through, he cannot fairly be
saddled with any disadvantage at which
the government has been placed. One or
the other count In the indictment, they
assert, must be abandoned. and whichever
one Is retained can, they believe, be easily
overthrown.
The men who are asking fair play for
Mr.. Carlisle do not take the high ground
taken by Mr.. Sherman in the Senate on
yesterday. They cannot be brought to see
how Mr.. Carlisle could have ignored the
President in so important transaction as
lars of bonds at such time this, and
in the circumstances that existed. 1t was
a queStiop, they insist, of the greatest mo-
ment, not to be safely or properly left to
the Judgment of any one official, no matter
how great his ability or powerful his place.
The credit of the country being involved,
the views of the President were to be
sought and obtained by every consideration
of good policy and propriety. Besides. the
bankers called in were the Presidents per-
sonal friends, who would be likely. by rea-
son of that fact. to enter all the more
earnestly into the negotiations. The PreSi-
dent, therefore, and the Secretary together
are responsible for the outcome. No step
was taken by either without the knowledge
and consent of the other. In turn they
committed the party to the transaction,
and so the whole matter stands.
Why, ask his friends. should Mr.. Carlisle
resign? How would that relieve the sftua-
ton? Mr.. Carlisle is not alone responsible.
The President is committed to an equal
degree. and. Through him, the party Is also
Should the President also resign? And If
he should. and Mr.. Carlisle with him,
would that benefit the party In the slight
eSr?
What Mr.. CarIisIc's Friends Say.
The discussion of this matter reveals the
fact that while the Presidents friends are
united as to him, Mr. Carlisles friends are
divided on one of the points involved. The
President is regarded gold man, pure
and simple. Being q New Yorker. and in
touch personally and politically with many
of the leading financiers of the metropolis,
he Is not expected to take any other than
a gold view of the money question. But
Mr. Carlisle has followers on both sides
of the Alleghenies. Those eastern men
who have been drawn to him since his as
sumption of the treasury duties by mis- mod
ifcation of his silver views are glad to
find him cooperating with the President
as to the new loan. But the southern and
tH.a
in Congress. while refusing to accept any
unkind Interpretation of his latest action.
deeply regret it, and hold that rather than
put himself in such a position he should
have placed his resignation in advance and
at once into the Presidents hands. They
believe that had he done this, with such
earnestness as would have left no doubt OF
his purpose to stand his ground, the Pres
ident and his New York friends would have
yielded, and better terms would have been
obtained from the government.
The Supreme Court Rumors.
On the subject of a seat on the Supreme
bench some of Mr.. Carlsle's friends are of
opinion that he has no aspirations In that
direction. He IS regarded as possessing the
learning necessary for such post and the
judicial temperament In an eminent degree.
But while at theybar in regular practice
he got the pick of big fees, and was very
successful as an advocate and as a coun-
seIJor would he not prefer to repeat that
success rather than make himself snug for
life in a black silk gown at regular sal
airy? Besides in Mr.. Justice Harlan, Ken
lucky already has representative on the
Supreme bench.
Acts Approved.
1rA. r,r,.;Iapt bac opDrovad the o.