Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09
Exerted in 1892 in Behalf Of
Grover Cleveland.
MONEY KINGS POWER
EFFORTS TO INSURE IMMEDIATE
EXTRA SESSION.
The Fight to Secure the Repeal of the
Sherman Silver Act = A
Broken Promise.

From memoirs of Henry Willard" Vol. II, BY
courtesy Of Housyhton, Mifiin & Co., Boston.
In his mind there was but one way of
saving the country and the road from a
ruinous catastrophe, viz, by the earliest
possible repeal of the Sherman act and
the election of a President in 1892 who
could be relied upon to exert executive
influence for the repeal of the act, as well
as for the establishment of the gold
standard All through the winter OF 1891
and 1892 he devoted most of his time and
his best energy to the pursuit OF these
two aims. He made several stays In
Washington, and by incessant efforts
with the leaders of both parties helped
to bring about the introduction, refer
ence and report to the House of repeal
BILL which failed to pass by only few
votes, owing to the jealousy entertained
by certain western republican members
toward Speaker Reed, who favored the
measure. Mr.. Willard had obtained prom
ises from nearly two dozen New YORK
political leaders, lawyers and fnancfers
to respond at any time to summons
from him to Washington to bring their
personal influence to bear upon members
in favor of the repeal OF all these prom
inent men only one-Mr. William Brook
field-kept his word and appeared; so lit
tie even then did the elite of the profess
sional and business community recognize
the perils of the situation. ah .I-.#
.--..s Into the Whirlpool.
Although Mr.. Willard had always taken
active interest in civil service and tariff
reform-for he had belonged to the Man
chester school ever since he had read
Adam Smith, Bastiat and John Stuart
Mill-he had never had anything to do
with active party politics. His resolution
to do all in his power for the election or
sound-money and tariff-reform candl-
date now drew him, against his wish, into
the political whirlpool. The force of cir
cumstances turned him, indeed, for time
into a Woodworking politician BenJa-
min Harrison having sigped both the
first Mckinley tariff bill and the Sher-
man bill (the price paid by the protec-
tionists for the formers passage through
the Senate) his candidacy for reelection
called for the most. earnest opposition
The whole republican party was so i'm
pregnated with protectionism and sill
yerism that there WAS not the remotest
hope for salvation from that quarter.
Only a democrat, entirely sound on what
seemed to Mr.. Willard to be the two main
issues, could meet the emergency. The
record of Grover Cleveland pointed to
him as the only avaiIa bfesdemocrat There
was, however, great opposition to him
among the professional politicians of his
own party, and most ofethem looked upon
United States Senator ID. B. Hill (who
early in 1892 was receiving ovations in
the south) as the rising STAR 1t seemed,
indeed hopeless to renominate Mr.. Cleve-
land but Mr.. Willard decided to try 1t.
Mr.. Cleveland Reluctant.
He first sounded Mr.. Cleveland, and
found him very reluctant to become a
candidate, and obtained his, consent to, al
low the use of his name only after sew
eral interviews. His next step was to win
over the leading democratic congressman
to his plan. He went to Washington and
induced Speaker Carlisle to invite them
eight responded
Mr.. Willard explained to them at length,
and as forcibly as he could, the reasons
for his conviction that the needs of the
times called for the candidacy of Mr..
Cleveland. and that he was the only demo-
crat who could be elected. Mr.. Carlisle
and William L. Wilson followed, express
ing their full agreement with his views,
while others expressed the belief that 1t
was impossible to secure Cleveland'S nomi-
nation, as Senator Hill was all but certain
of being presented as the candidate Of the
democracy of his own state to the nomi-
mating convention. Mr.. Willard then an
nounced that he and the other independ-
ents and democrats who Were opposed to.
the machine controlling the democratic or
ganiZation of New York would bring Mr..
Cleveland forward at the national conven-
ton in spite of Hills candidacy, and were
confident of his nomination Most of those
present received this confident assertion
with smiles, but it was made good to the
letter.
Willard Hard at Work.
Mr.. Willard gave up most of his time
during the presidential canvass to CAM
paign work at the national democratic
headquarters in New York, in conjunction
with Don M Dickinson, William c. Whit
ney, Josiah Quincy and others. He raised
money for the executive committee, and
organized and conducted German-Ameri-
can Cleveland Union, with qualifications
throughout the states. few days after
the election he gave large dinner party
to the president-elect and leading independ-
ents and democrats from all parts of the
country In his opening speech he COM
plimented Mr.. Cleveland on his great tri-
umph, and expressed his firm faith that
the new administration would meet the
highest expectations Of his supporters. He
added that Mr.. Cleveland was vouchsafed
the finest opportunity since Washington
and Lincoln of bestowing great benefits
upon the republic by insisting upon cur
rency and tariff reform, which he would
surely do much to further. Mr.. Cleveland
replied in what was generally said to be
the most feeling utterance that he had
ever made and which moved the gathering
deeply. The other speeches were also
pitched in very high key. The occasion
Immediately teemed with stories that Mr..
Willard was to be a member of the new
cabinet, and otherwise play an important
part under the new regime
Would Take No Office.
The truth was that he had taken occa-
sion to notify Mr. Cleveland Immediately
after his election that all he asked was
leave to discuss pending public 'ssues
freely with him, which was readily granted
and exercised up to the Inauguration. The
President--elect consulted him regarding
cabinet and high diplomatic appointments,
but he confined himself to urging Mr..
Cleveland persistently, all through the win
ter, to call an extra session of Congress
Immediately after March for the repeal
of the Sherman laW an0 to make hts in
tention to do so known without delay. For
he perceived clearly the portentious signs
of a financial hurricane. and felt sure that
If it came without an effort on the part of
the new administrations to prevent 1t
through congressional action Mr.. Cleve-
land would be held responsible for It, and
it's rayages would make the success of his
administration impossible He told Mr..
Cleveland many times that II he rode into
power on the eve of a panic nothing could
save him from failure.