Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-03
NOTHING STARTLING IN THE MESSAGE
Difficulty Likely to Follow the
Financial Recommendation.
EST OF THE APER


departmental matters to be noted by the
houses in the form Of the annual reports
of the cabinet officers. The principal fea-
ture Of the message, Of which the full text
is published elsewhere in The Star, is a
recommendation that the present drain
upon the national finances be remedied by
the retirement of the greenbacks and the
outstanding treasury notes issued in pay
ment of silver purchases under the act of
1880, the Sherman act. This recommended
ton is accompanied by full statement of
the situation, including a history of the
gold reserve and the operations connected
with it's maintenance, covering period OF
nearly twenty wears.
The President declares that, in his opin-
ion, the present situation does not demand
legislation leading to an increase OF the
revenue, and insists that the retirement of
the greenbackS is the sole remedy in sight,
and urges speedy legislation looking to this
end His proposition is to accomplish the
them for United States bonds bearing a
low rate of interest and running for long
period.
The President devotes considerable por-
ton of his message to discussion of the
question of silver coinage, and reiterateS
his antagonism to the system of bimet-
alism based upon the l6 TO ratio He al
tacks the free silver position vigorously,
sition for free coinage there turks a serious
menace to the prosperity of the country
and IAN insdious temptation of our people
to wander from the allegiance they owe to
public and private integrity
Foreign Reln lions.
The message announces thai the United
States in July last seEt vigorous protest
to Great Britain against that country's
attitude toward Venezuela, citing the Mon
1trip ;rSis hive ha
Diary dispute should be submitted 10 arb-
tration without restriction. The President
says that no answer has yet been received
from the British government, although one
is expected shortly. He calls attention to
the great spread in this country of SYM
pathy for the Cuban revolutionists. but
declares that neither this sentiment Tor
2Gy considerations of commercial advan
tages will shake the determination of the
government to honestly fulfill every inter-
national obligation. the present status of
the Armenian situation is reviewed, and
the complaint is made that the American
government has been prevented from OBJ
tanning full Information of the state of
affairs by the objections of the Turkish
government.
The President recommends a settlement
of the claims of Great Britain for dam
ages inflicted on her shipping in Boring
sea, and announces that a treaty of arbi-
tration will be laid before the Senate at
once looking to an adjustment Of these
dispute in Alaska and suggests the necessity
for joint commission to settle this ma tier.
He reviews the action of the government in
the Waller case, and states that though
the French government has refused to fur
nish the evidence upon which Waller was
convicted, the efforts to obtain this in
formation have not been ralinquished, and
favorable response is expected. The
President notes the fact of German restric-
tons upon American exports and suggests
the propriety of retaliatory measures.
Other foreign relations are mentioned,
but the points of chief interest have been
given in the preceding paragraphs. The
message closes with an appeal to Con-
gress to promptly and effectively consider
the critical financial situa ton, and The
President declares that he IL prepared to
cooperate with the peoples representa-
tivcs in perfecting any other measure than
that which he suggests, should such an al
Tentative be preferred.
4 Difficult Proposition.
The absence of anything startling in the
message soon put end to interest in the
reading before the two houses of Congress
this morning. When the reading was be-
gun nearly every seat in each house was
occupied At the end of half an hour,
many of the statesmen had retired to the
cloak room, and many others who rema ined
in their seats engaged in conversation or
other occupation inconsistent with atten-
tive listening. Those members who got
copies of the message and retired to The
cloak rooms to read for themselves, for the
most part, speedily came to the conclusion
that the document, in it's important fea-
lures, is likely to embarrass rather than
to assist Congress in the matter of finan-
cial legislation.
in the revenue, accompanied with an argu-
ment to prove that more revenue is not
what is needed, it is believed complexities
the work of this session. The matter has
nj rCph tod L,,t e
opinion seems to prevail among members
that il the administration argues that no
increase of revenue is needed Congress will
not feel called upon to look about for
means of providing for the known deficien-
cy. AT the same time a sentiment in IA
vor Of restoring the duty on wool as
purely revenue measure has been worked
up and those who have been looking for
ward to that as the re-esta blishment of a
protection feature will be reluctant to fore
so their intended legislation. 1t is realized
that Mr. Cleveland has endeavored to hold
Congress close down to the one proposition
of retiring the grecnbacks and their, re-
placement with bonds on which national
bank currency can be issued at par
4 Difficult Proposition.
AS desirable as many deem the retire
ment of the greenbacks, it is perhaps the
most difficult proposition that could have
been suggested. Both parties in both
houses are divided on the question. Even
the eastern sound money republicans are
not all agreed. Some from sentiment, some
from policy oppose Mr.. Clevelands sug-
Sestions. All the silver men and most of
the democrats will resist any further con-
traction of the government currency, and
violently opposed to the expansion of
the national bank currency. With this
sort Of opposition the difficulty in the way
of retiring the greenbacks seems almost
inSurmountabl ..
The party managers have had in mind all
the while that an escape from the perpleN-
ity of this problem lay in providing an in
crease of revenue. Mr.. Cleveland has an
ticipa tied this with the declaration that an
increase of revenue will not accomplish
v ha. is desired, and this is accepted as
clearly indicating that he will not, in his
ea gerness TO get more money, as anticipated,
sign measure which increases the revenue
by tariff on wool or any other tariff item
1t is doubted by some whether he would
sign even bill providing internal revenue
tax.
Ex-Spenker Crisp.
Ex-Speaker Crisp, speaking of the mes
sage, said: Il heard with some surprise and