The record-union., 1896-03-14
Government,

WASHINGTON, March 13.-With the
exception of one rather curious episode
at the opening of to-day's session, the
Senate was relieved of all discussion of
the Cuban belligerency, and had its at
tention turned to financial questions
An allusion had been made in Sher-
mans speech on Thursday to a private
communication which Lodge was sup
posed to have received from the Secre-
tary Of State, and to have made known
confidenially to the Committee on For
eign Relations.
Lodge said Sherman had fallen into
an unintentional error; that the paper
read to the Committee on Foreign Re
lations by one of its members was the
statement by the Spanish Minister. CIV
ing Spain's version of affairs in Cuba.
Sherman admitted the mistake he had
fallen into, and to a suggestion that he
should communicate the paper TO the
Senate he replied that it was a matter
only to be read in executive session.
Hoar and Wolcott of Colorado COM
mented upon the peculiar position in
which the matter was thus placed and
Hawley of Connecticut indicated his
purpose to move that the Senate insist
on its disagreement to the House sub
stitute for the Cuban resolutions and
ask for further conference.
The financial condition of the Govern
ment was presented in a four-hour
speech by Cockrell of Missouri, in which
he argued that every Government OBJ
legation, with the single exception of
gold certificates, was payable in gold or
silver coin, at the option of the Govern
ment, and lie charged that Charles Fos-
tel, while Secretary of the Treasury,
had, in October 1891, surrendered vol
unfairly, meekIy and submissively the
right of the Government to redeem the
United States notes in silver as well as
in gold That action ON the part of Mr.
Foster, Cockrel described as the Pan
dora'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, Senator Lodge called atten-
ton to an incidental statement made
yesterday by Sherman as to a commu-
rication which he LODGE was sup
posed to have had from the Secretary of
State, and to private papers which f1s
was supposed to have received concern
ing affairs in Cuba.
ment of the Spanish Minister, giving
the Spanish side of the question, and
which was sent to the committee from
the State Department. and was read to
the full committee by one of it's men,
Lers, Frye. The reading of these pa
.pers, Lodge said, had been confidential,
and had been mentioned by the Sena-
tor from Ohio simply by inadvertence.
Hoar commented upon these disclos-
ures as presenting a remarkable condi-
ton of affairs, and asked whether the
papers referred to ought not to be laid
before the Senate
ACertainly, in executive session. said
Sherman.
Wolcott suggested that the Senate
found itself in an unusual dilemma.
Il it were essential Che did not think it
was) that Congress should act on the
question of Cuban belIigerency, the
Senate was confronted with the posi-
ton of having to vote on questions Of
fact on testimony reposing in the
breasts of the members of the Com
rnittee on Foreign Relations alone
testimony which they could not di-
vulge to the public and could divulge
only III executive session. He would be
glad to have explained to him whether
or not Senators were expected to yield
their own judgment and to follow the
opinion Qntelligently formed, no doubt
Of the Committee on Foreign Relations,
based upon information which could not
be divulged.
Hale called for the regular order of
business.
The House bill providing for a tempo
rary increase in the revenue was taken
up, in order to give Cockrell of Mis-
souri, (Dem) an opportunity to address
the Senate.
He commenced by giving the condi-
tion 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 resolution. He declared that there
was not single obligation of the Gov
ernment payable in gold, with one sol
itarv exception-gold certificates and
that their exclusive payment In gold
was voluntary assumption on the
part of the Secretary of the Treasury.
If it had not been for that assumption
on the part of the Treasury Department
there would have been no trouble.
There had been no raids on the treasury
gold reserve prior to October 19, 1891.
Why? Because the general belief that
the notes of the republic were payable
in silver and that the Government re-
served the right so to redeem them, as
stated by Senator Sherman in his finan-
cial report in 1873. The silver dollar
had been up to that time the watchdog
of the treasury, and had been infinitely
more successful in keeping off gold
raiders than the Rothschilds and the
Belmonts had ever been since, and
they are still the watchdogs OF the
treasury in France and Germany
Stewart Pop.) of Nevada suggested,
Yes, everywhere except in the United
States"
In this connection Cockrell read a
letter of October 8, 1891. from the Re-
publican club of Boston to Charles Fes-
ter, Secretary of the Treasury. inquir-
ing as to the payment of United States
notes in gold. and Mr. Fosters reply,
stating: Treasury notes are redeemed
in gold when presented at the treasury
or any b-treasury.
That correspondence, Cockrell said,
had opened '.Pandora's box and all the
ills that since had fallen upon the coun-
try had been simply because Secretary
Foster surrendered voluntarily, meekly,