The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-02-01
Washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2S.-That there is a con-
spiracy in existence to make money out of the
condition Of the Treasury is believed by many
members of the administration will not express
their belief upon such u matter. The idea OF
the conspirators, rs understood by those who
believe in their existence, is to withdraw gold
from the Treasury and hoard it until gold can
by its scarcity be forced to Il premium. Your
correspondent does not undertake to make the
positive statement that there is u conspiracy,
but the facts are such as to justify the suspi-
cion that there is. 1t is known to certainty
that the legitimate demand for gold-tO pay
debts and for purchases in Enrope-could have
been met with less than one-haf of the gold
that has been recently withdrawn from the
than one-half of the gold withdrawn is now
boarded in the vaults of banks and safe depos-
it companies. Why? 1t can earn nothing for
its owners while thus lying idle, and the men
who are credited with doing the boarding are
men who always expect profit out of all their
financial transactions. There is only one way
they can make profit out of this one, and that
is to force gold to a premium. That's why 80
many believe that they are doing that very
thing, or at least trying to do it. Can Congress
do anything to head off such conspiracy? IL
unquestionably can, but will it do so? That is
a question easier to ask than to answer. If
there is such "a conspiracy ;a 1t exists solely
Congress will do nothing to prevent its opera
ton being successful. President Cleveland
and Secretary Carlisle are thoroughly alert,
and they will not allow gold to go to Il prem
ium if it be possible under the authority vest
ed in them by present laws to prevent it, by
issuing more bonds, and they are both satisfied
that it will be, although they would much pre-
fer Congressional action.
Senator Faulkner, who is chairman of the
the committee on Territories, is anxious to get
the bills for the admission of Arizona and New
Mexico before the Senate and hopes to be able
to do so in few days. Those bills would have
been passed long ago, but for the secret oppo-
sition of Republican Senators, who lack the
courage to openly oppose the admission of
those territories but make use of all their par
liamentary skill to kill the bills indirectly, by
preventing their being acted upon.
Secretary Carlisle succeeded in getting the
House to adopt two important amendments to
the Sundry Civil appropriation bill. The first
restores to the Secretary of the Treasury
the discretion to issue notes of such de-
nominations as he may deem best in
ton. At present he is compelled to reissue
notes of the same denomination us those re-
deemed and cancelled. The other, which
amends the law for the issue of gold certifi-
Gates, provides that such certificates shall not
be receivable for customs dues after July 1,
1895, and shall not be available for use as
part of National banks reserve fund and dis
continues their further issue.
Sixteen out of twenty-one votes cast in
the Senate against the Nicaragua Canal bill
came from Democrats, and IL out of the 81
votes cast for it. Thirteen Democrats were
paired. Opinion differs widely as to the prob
ability of the bill getting through the House.
Only one thing is certain, and that is, that it
cannot be brought to vote in the House with
out an order from the committee on Rules. 1t
has been stated Oy friends OF the Dill that
Speaker Crisp had partly promised that an Or
der setting time for Il vote would be reported,
but the statement has never been confirmed by
a member of the committee. Even if such an
order were reported it might meet the fate of
the Currency bill order+be rejected by the
House. The canal lobby is very active.
A decided administration victory was won In
the Senate Saturday afternoon, when Senator
Vests amendment to the pending Hawaiian
resolution was adopted by the Senate. The
Vest amendment expresses sympathy with all
attempts to establish Republican institutions,
reaffirms the doctrine of absolute non-inter-
ference with foreign nations, and says: THAT
the administration of President Cleveland in
maintaining this policy as to our foreign rela-
tionS deserves the approval and support of the
American people," The odd feature of this
victory was that it was won by the vote of Sen
tor Pettgrew, who it will be remembered was
one of the Republican Senators who voted
against the Mckinley tariff bill. he having with
23 Democrats voted for the Vest amendment.
while IS Republicans and Populists voted
against it. Had Pettigrew voted with the Re-
publicans there would have been a tie.
The tariff receipts of the government are
rapidly increasing, thus furnishing an answer
to the argument advanced by Republicans,
that the tariff would have to be amended in
order to produce more revenue, and bearing
out the estimates made by Secretary Carlisle of
the new tariff as revenue-producer. G. A. s.