The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-14
Speech FAV0RINC silver
Ex-Secretary Foster Accused Of
Having Opened FandOra's Box.
SENATOR COCKRELL'S ADDRESS
Cause Of Financial Ills - Republican
strength IL the House Is Increased.
CASTOR A. Robbins. of Ala.
bams 10 unseated.

Washington. March l3.-With the ex-
csption Of one rather curious episode
at-the opening Of today's session, the
senate was entirely relieved of all con-
sideration Of the question Of Cuban bel
ligerency. and had its attention turned
to the financial question. An aliusion
had been made in Mr.. Sherman's speech
on Thursday to a private communica-
ton which Mr.. Lodge, Of Massachusetts,
was supposed to have received from
the secretary Of state, and TO have made
known confidentially to the committee
on foreign relations. Mr.. Lodge said
territorial error: that he had no inter-
view 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 rela-
tions by one OF its members was the
statement by the Spanish minister CIV
Ing the Spanish version OF affairs In
Cuba. Mr.. Sherman admitted the mis-
take ha had fallen into. and to "a sug-
gesti6n.tha he should communicate the
paper to the senate, he replied that IL
was u matter only to be read in execu-
tive session. Mr.. HOar, Massachusetts.
and Wolcott, Colorado. commented upon
the peculiar position In which the mat
ter was thus placed. and Mr.. Hawley.
OF Connecticut indicated his purpose
to move that the senate insist on its
disagreement to the house substitute for
the Cuban resolution and ask for
further conference.
The financial condition Of the govern
ment was presented In a four-hOur
speech by Mr.. Cockrell. Missouri, in
which he argued that every govern
ment obligation. with the single ex-
ception of gold certificates, was pay
able In gold or silver coin. at the op-
tion OF the government, and he charged
that Charles Foster, while secretary OF
the treasury. had. I'm October, 1891. sur
rendered, voluntarily. meekly and sub
missively, the right of the government
To redeem the United States notes or
greenbacks in silver as well as gold.
That action on the part of Mr.. Foster,
Mr.. Cockrell described as the pandora's
box. out Of which had come all the
financial ills that had since fallen upon
the country.
ROBBINS UNSEATED.
The Republican strength In the house
of representatives was increased by one
this afternoon, when by vote of 173
to 50, Castor A. Robbins. Democrat.
was declared to be not entitled to the
seat occupied by him as u represent
ative from the Fourth district Of Ala
bama. and William F. Aldrich, his Re-
publican, opponent. was placed there
in. This result followed two days
debate of the report Of the committee
on elections No. |, today's session being
accupied by Mr.. Dinsmore Dem.. Ark
in a three hours speech in behalf Of
Robbins, and Mr. Daniels (Rep.. N. "
chairman Of the committee, closing in
an argument in an hour more for Aid
rich. The Republicans now number
247 members. the Democrats. 10l: Pop
ulists. Z, and Silverities. !. There Is Il
vacancy from the Eleventh Texas dis
trict, caused by the recent death of
Representative Grain. Mr. Aldrich ap-
peared at the bar and was sworn in
by Speaker Reed, amid Republican APP
plause. The vote was along party lines,
the Populists uniting with the Repub-
licans in voting Robbins out.
Mr.. White, of Illinois. was the only
Republican. who voted for Robbins
while Messrs. Cobb. Dockery and Dear
mond (Dem., MOI voted with the Re-
publicans for Aldrich.
Before the election case was taken up
two bills were passed. One was to re-
Quire that engineers and assistant en-
gineers on steamers sailing under
American registers shall be American
citizens. The other was the tonnage
tax bill, repeating the reciprocal pro-
visions Of the law OF 1884, of which only
Germany and the Netherlands took ad-
vantage, and, reducing the tax on the
coastwise trade between the Americans
between the United States and the West
Indies and between the United States
and Hawaii from three to two cents
ton.