The San Francisco call., 1896-03-14
A Republican Secretary of the
Treasury Said to Have Made
a Surrender.
ONE CURIOUS CUBAN INCIDENT.
Sherman Admits That He Made a
Mistake, but Will Explain Only
IN Secret,

WASHINGTON, D. c., March 3D.
With the exception of one rather curious
episode at the opening of to-day's session
the Senate was entirely relieved of all con-
sideration of the question of Cuban bel
ligerency, and had its attention turned to
financial questions. An allusion had been
made in Sherman's speech on Thursday
to private communication which Lodge
of Massachusetts, was supposed to have
received from the Secretary of State and
to have made known contdentlally to
the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Lodge said Sherman had fallen into an
unintentional error, that he had had no
interview with Mr.. Olney and had received
no private communication from him, and
that the paper which had been sent from
the State Department and had been read
to the Committee on Foreign Relations by
one of its members was the statement by
the Spanish Minister giving the Spanish
version of affairs in Cuba. Sherman ad-
mitted the mistake he had fallen into,
and to a suggestion that he should COM
municate the paper to the Senate he re-
piled that it was a matter only to be read
in executive session.
Hoar of Massachusetts, and Wolcott Of
Colorado commented upon the peculiar
position in which the matter was thus
placed, and Hawley of Connecticut 1ndl-
Gated his purpose to move that the Senate
insist on its disagreement to the House
substitute for the Cuban resolutions and
ask for further conference.
The financial condition of the Govern
ment was presented in four-hour speech
by Cockrell of Missouri, in which he ar
gued that every Government obligation,
with the single exception of gold certifi-
Gates, was payable in gold or silver coin,
at the option of the Government, and he
charged that Charles Foster. while Secre-
tary of the Treasury. had, in October, 1891,
surrendered voluntarily, meekly and SUBJ
missively the right of the Government to
redeem United States notes or greenbacks
in silver as well as in gold. That action
on the part of Foster Cockrell described
as the Pandora's box out of which had
come all the financial ills that had since
fallen upon the country.
Immediately after the reading of the
journal Lodge called attention to an Incl
dental statement made yesterday by Sher-
man as to a communication which he
Hodge) was supposed to have had with
the Secretary of State and to private pa
pers which he was supposed to have re-
ceived concerning affairs in Cuba. The
paper referred to was full statement of
the Spanish Minister giving the Spanish
side of the question, and which was sent
to the committee from the State Depart
ment and was read to the full committee
by one of its members (Frye). The read
ing of these papers, Lodge said, had been
confidential and had been mentioned by
the Senator from Ohio simply by inadver-
tence.
Hoar commented upon these disclosures
as presenting remarkable condition of
affairs, and asked whether the papers re-
ferred to ought not to be laid before the
Senate.
"Certainly-in executive session." said
Sherman.
Wolcott suggested that the Senate found
itself IN an unusual dilemma. If it were
essential Che did not think it was) that
Congress shonld act on the question of
Cuban belligerency, the Senate was con-
fronted with the position of having to vote
on QueSIlOnS OF IdCt, Oh testimony repOS-
ing in the breasts of the members of the
Committee on Foreign Relations alone
testimony which they could not divulge to
the public and could divulge only in ex-
ecutive session. He would be glad to
have explained to him whether or not
Senators were expected to yield their own
Judgment and conscience, and to follow
the opinion Gntelligently formed no doubt
of the Committee on Foreign Relations,
based upon information which could not
be divulged.
Hale called for the regular order of busi-
ness. The House bill, providing for tenn
porary increase Of the revenue, was taken
up in order to give Cockrell (D.) of Mis-
souri, an opportunity to address the Senate
He commenced by giving the condition
of the treasury on the Sd of March last.
He argued that all Government bonds
were payable in either gold or silver coin
under the Stanley Matthews joint resolu-
ton. He declared there was not single