Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-02-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Special Correspondence
WASHINGTON, d. c.. Feb. /, 1895.

surprised man in the United States if
HE special message to Congress resulted
in any financial legislation at the pres
ent session. He sent that message with
a twofold purpose, but securing imme.
date legislation was not one of them
His first and main purpose was to i'm
press the country with the idea that if
Congress would not act there was no.
thing left for the administration but
another issue of bonds under the act of
1875. That this was a bit of deceit is
shown by the fact that he had fully de.
cided upon another issue of bonds be-
fore his message was sent to Congress,
and had 80 informed August Belmont,
the New York banker and agent for
Rothschilds . His second purpose was
in a sense political. He desired. if pos
sible, to commit the Republicans in
Congress, particularly the House, to
financial legislation, believing that by
80 doing he would place the party in a
position where it could o consistently
decline to pass a financial bill should
an extra session be called, aud it is
considered we'll nigh certain that n
will be called. 1t was in pursuance of
the latter purpose that the Democrats
on the House Banking and Currency
Committee have agreed to every amend
ment to the new financial bill proposed
by the Republican members Of that
committee and that it has been openly
understood that Mr.. Cleveland desired
the bill amended in any way that will
get it the support of the Republican
members of the House.
The only direct result of Mr.. Cleve-
lands message vet apparent is the open
declaration of members of the Senate
Finance Committee that agreement OIL
any financial bill by that committee
was an impossibility. This. declara-
ton was made on the floor of the Sen
ate by Senators Sherman and Vest.
There is a radical difference in the
opinions entertained by Senator Voor-
bees and Representative Wilson, chair
man of the House Committee on Ways
and Means, as to the future condition
of the U. S. Treasury. The latter gen.
tleman believes, or rather, he said in q
speech on the bill for the repeal of the
d%ifferential sugar duty, which this
week passed the House, that he believed
the Treasury would very soon have a
comfortable surplus, while tie former
uses the following language in a finan-
cial bill that he submitted to hi. COM
mittee. "Be it enacted etc., that to en-
able the Secretary of the Treasury to
provide for and to maintain the REDEEM
ton of United States notes and also to
enable him to pay current deficiencies
in the venue, he is authorized" etc.
1t is needless to tell the intelligent read
er that the view Of Senator Voorhees,
10 the correct ono, and that the Treasu-
ry " surplus" is, so far as can be seen
at this time, merely a figment of Mr..
Wilson 3 imagination. and his hope.
The big Republican majority in the
next House has been having a marked
influence On the actions of the Demo.
Gratis of the present House. A case in
point wac the unanimous decision of
the committee on Elections that Rep
resentative ChildS, of the Eighth Hi
nois District, whose seat was contested,
is entitled to the seat he now holds.
This leniency would be remarkable il
there were not so many Democrats
whose seats will be contested in the
next House.
well" growled a well known South
erD Senator, II wonder who will give
Gresham and Cleveland their next
snubbing." 1t would seem that the
bottom of the ditch of degradation had
been reached when Mexican greasers
can with impunity Stub the United
States Government. The irate Senator
was referring to the cur mo" with
which the Mexican Government met
Mr.. Cleveland's offer to mediate be-
tween Mexico and Guatemala.
After an at times exciting and bitter
debate lasting three legislative days,
the House will tomorrow vote on the
Reilly Pacific Railroad Funding bill.
The noted pension case of Judge
Long, of Michigan, which has been in
the Washington courts for some months
was this week decided in Judge Longs
favor, the Court holding in a long and
elaborate opinion that Com missioner
Lochran had no right to reduce the
amount of the pension. 1t is said that
the administration proposes having the
case appealed to the Supreme Court.
For instance, he said 1.-The only way
that Judge Long could be restored to
his former rating is through a new
certificate, to be signed by the Secre.
tary of the Interior and the Commits
sioner of Pensions. How Judge Brad.
ley who delivered the Iecision) expects
ME to restore the pension if the Secre-
tary does not agree TO have a new pen
sion certificate executed is a problem
that | leave the Judge to determine.