Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-25
Congress and the Administration.

week hence Congress will convene and
the same day. presumably. the President
will send to the houses his annual message
in accordance with the custom that has
grown out of the constitutional requirement
that ''he shall from time to time give to
the Congress information OF the state of
the Union, and recommend to their con-
sderation such measures as he shall judge
necessary and expedient." 1t is the COM
mon belief that in this message the Presi-
dent will review the present state of the
finances, and will urge prompt action by
The legislative branch looking to the re-
lief of the treasury. which is just now in
difficulties that cannot be denied or con-
cealed What these recommendations will
bc-if indeed the President should go SO
far as to make definite suggestions to a
Congress controlled by the opposing polti-
cal party-can of course only be coniec
tured at this time, but the general belief
appears to be that the Executive will fol-
low the line of argument laid down by Sec
rotary Carlisle in his speech delivered last
week in New York, advocating a retire
ment of the greenb0cks. The fate of the
gold reserve may possibly depend upon this
message. 1t Is now being maint tanned at
great cost and at the expense of extraordi-
nary efforts. Secretary Carlisle has re-
Gently adopted an unusual expedient to get
gold by agreeing to accept lightweight
coins and to pay the cost of transportation.
This fact of itself shows that the financial
situation presses so heavily that the ad-
ministration will naturally seek to direct
the earliest legislation into such channels
that the relief of the treasury will be made
the issue of the hour. Mr. Reed, acknowl-
edged on all sides 10 be the next speaker
mi sciI 1,t
the President make the first move. He
makes no promises, but intlmates that he,
too, regards with no little concern the de-
pleted condition of the treasury and hints
at tariff legsla ton to relieve the situation
The fight may start in either branch of
Congress, unless the measure of relief
takes the form of a revenue BILL when 1t
must of necessity originate in the House
The Senate is thought by some to contain
more advocates than enemies of free silver
coinage and their antasonism to the admin
istraton is well understood, while the
prospects are that Mr.. Sherman will lead
fight against any proposition to retire
the greenbacks as a move in the direction
of the revival of the state bank system
with It's wide possibilities for trouble in the
form of wildcat money. Thus whatever
the House may do it is conceded that the
administration will be at the mercy of the
Senate, and that any relief that may be
obtained will have to be acceptable to the
rather complex membership of the upper
branch. This may result in the admins
tration throwing upon Congress, in a spe
cial message, the sole burden of respon-
sibility for whatever disaster may come
from delay, in which event long and bit
ter controversy may be expected. The out
look does not favor a peaceful session, and
indeed, the chances are that the summer
will be well advanced before the great
labors of the houses have been completed.
This augurs that there will be the usual
delay in the passage of the appropriation
bills and the usual neglect Of the affairs
and needs of the District.