Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-01-04

Why tiae Bond Bills Passed the House
Taking a Rest.

time when many Republicans who
could not agree with what he did re-
spected Mr.. Cleveland because they
believed him to be conscientious and
straightforward. That time has pass
ed. Mr.. Cleveland has shown him.
self to be trickster. And in moth
ing has he shown it palmer than in
that hysterical message appealing to
Congress for financial aid. Although
that appeal was made when Congress
was ready to adjourn for the holiday
recess many members having started
for home-the Republican majority at
once gave up the idea of a recess and
worked even on Christmas day 10 re-
spond TO the appeal, by preparing a
tariff bill, not exclusively for Pro-
lection but to increase the revenues
of the country to the extent Of $40,
600, 600 and bill authorizing the sale
Of per cent coin bonds to maintain
the gold reserve and of the issuing 8
per cent Treasury certificates TO meet
any immediate deficit These bills
have been passed by the House, al
though not a few Republican mem
bers voted reluctantly for the bond
bill, rather than have it said that the
Republican House had refused to aid
the President. and forty-seven of them
voted against it anyway.
1t is now clear that Mr.. Cleveland
did not want the aid Of Congress.
That was plainly shown when he,
through Secretary Carlisle declared
that the House bond bill would not
help the administration unless coin
was struck out and gold was sub
stituted therefor That was asking
an impossibility, for Mr. Cleveland
knew perfectly well that the House
was stretching things to agree to a
bond bill at all, and that a bill for
gold bonds could not get one hundred
votes, let alone pass. But that ism
all. 1t is now announced that Mr..
Cleveland will not wait to see wheth-
er the Senate will pass the House bills,
but will proceed to make another
issue of bonds, and that it will be
large enough to carry him through
the remainder of his administration,
and they are going to that same old
syndicate. although a pretense is to
be made of giving the public an op-
portunity to subscribe for them.
The five reasons which Representa-
tive Henderson, Of Iowa, gave for
supporting the bond bill that passed
the House are weighty. First, the
bill does NOT require a bond issue;
only authorizes it, if necessary; second
the bonds if issued would bear low
er rate of interest than those issued
| by the administration, and those it is
now arranging to issue under the old
law; third, it gives our own citi-
zens chance to buy any bonds IS
sued before offering them to foreign
bankers; fourth, it does not retire the
greenbacks, but empowers the Secre-
tary of the Treasury to keep them out
of the possession of spectators when
necessary; fifth, it prevents the adj
ministration selling bonds to meet
the deficiencies in the revenues, as it
has done. This bond bill is a long
ways from representing what Repub-
leans believe ought to be done, but
it does represent what can become a
law, if the Senate will consent, and
that is the principal reason for its
having been put through the House.
The administration already has au
thority to issue bonds and no secret is
made of its intention to use that au-
thority. If those bonds could be is
sued under the House bills many mil
lions of dollars in interest would be
saved. That's the long and short of
it; it isn't question Of principle so
much as OF dollars and cents.
The House committee on Foreign
Affairs will report resolution asking
the President for information concern
ing the alleged utterances of Ambas-
sador Bayard in public speeches.
When that information is forthcom-
ing, if Mr.. Bayard has been correctly
reported, he will hear from the House,
and it will not be a commendatory
message either. The same committee
has asked for all the papers in the
Waller case.
1t sounds odd to hear men discuss
ing the probability of half of the elect
oral votes of Texas being cast for the
Republican Presidential ticket next
year, but men who know the situa-
ton in that State are doing that very
thing. Mr.. Frank Welsh, Texan
who is now in Washington, said:
There is hardly any doubt of sue
cessful combine between the Texas
Republicans and Populists, and their
combined forces ought to be able to
knock out the Democrats, as the
present Governor was only elected by
a plurality. 1t has been agreed that
the Populists shall name the entire
State ticket and that the Presidential
electors and Representatives in Con-
gress shall be equally divided with
the Republicans.
The House having done a remark
able weeks work will now proceed to
take its recess, it being understood
that it will only meet once more, Just
to comply with the law which says
that neither branch of Congress shall
adjourn for more than three days
without the consent of the other, be-
fore next Monday, and no quorum