El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-11-07

not of his own motion deliberately en-
bron the country and the party by
taking positive position on the money
question in opposition to the majority
of his own party. 1t is probable that If
the condition of the country had not
been so serious Mr.. Cleveland would
not have taken such summary action.
But when the time came and he was
convinced that action was necessary
he was faithful to his own convictions
and he utterly disregarded every con-
sideration of party unity and interest
Calls Congress to Convene.
He called an extraordinary session
of congress for the specific purpose
of repeating the purchasing clause OF
the Sherman silver compromise, the
last effort made to patch up the difrec-
enceS between the silver and gold adj
vovates. The great panic of 1893 had
burst upon the country banks were
breaking, factories were closing, mort
cages were being foreclosed, men
were out of work, women and children
were starving, and all the people de-
manded that something must be done.
Everybody agreed that the financial
system needed revision Approximately
half Of the people said coin more sill
YER" The other half were equally GER
tain that the thing to do was to stop
coming even the silver that was being
coined. Mr.. Cleveland, who came into
office in March, was very, very slow
indeed in the business of turning the
rascals out" The Democratic "patri-
OTIS" were hungry for pie, but the pres
ident was unwilling to part with his
greatest power until he had achieved
the work he had in mind. The special
session of congress met on August Z.
Money Question the Issue,
Both parties were divided on the
money question. The division was on
sectional rather than partisan lines
the west for the most part supporting
the free silver propaganda, and the east
fnclining to favor the gold standard.
The great majority of, members of con-
gress from all sections of the country
were unwilling to commit themselves
further than to avow a firm faith in a
more or less hazy doctrine of bimeta1-
ism. Chief among the gold standard
men were such Democrats as speaker
Crisp and representative Wilson of
West Virginia, while prominent among
the silverites and bimetalists were
William Mckinley and Joseph Cannon.
The presidents message was receiv-
ed by congress with mixed feelings.
The Democrats, even the gold Demo-
Gratis, were resentful of this act which
threatened irreparable party disrup-
ton. AS soon as the clerk of the SEN
ate completed reading the special mes
sage, senator Hale, the Republican
leader, supported by senator Lodge,
rushed to the front as advocates of
the presidents policy. Senator Cor
man, the Democratic and administra-
ton leader, chided them for their zeal,
but it was apparent from the first that
the great victory which the Demo-
Gratis had gained in 1890 and in 1892
was but dead sea fruit. Mr.. Cleve-
lands special message of August, 1898.
cut the Democratic party in twain and
it has not since been reunited.
The bill for the repeal of the pur-
chasing clause of the Sherman act was
passed by the house by. vote of 240
to ITO. TheF Democrats gave 13s and
the Republicans 101 of the affirmative
votes In the negative were 76 Demo-
Gratis, % Republicans and II Populists.
The majority of the Democrats who
voted for the repeal did it against their
will They were under the compulsion
of the big stick in the white house
and in the speakers chair at Washing
ton, and the demand of the pie-hungry
constituents at home. Cleveland and
Crisp let it be known that patronage
and committee appointments would go
only to those who supported the ad-
ministration measure. Otherwise the
repeal never would have passed in that
congress.
Party Lines DESTROYED.
In the senate the presidents power
was not so great and he was able to
ing. The repeal bill passed the senate
by vote of 43 to 80. Of the As af-
firmative votes, % were cast by Re-
publicans and 20 by Democrats. while
there We're 10 Democrats and 10 Repub-
Iicans and three Populists in the neg
alive. Party lines were destroyed alb
solutely. When the final vote was
taken in the house on concurrence in
the light amendment made by the SEN
ate, an attempt was made to filfbuster
against the bill. The filibuster was
led by William Jennings Bryan, who
had the support of rs Democrats and
five Republicans, one of them being
Joseph G. Cannon
When the extra session adjourned
the Democratic party was no longer /
organization There were two
Democratic parties, one Cleveland. the
other anti-Cleveland. And, as vet. |
nothing had been done toward redeem |
ing the promises made in the cam
paign with respect to the revision of |
he tariff
Democracy the Rocks.
Chairman Wilson of the ways and |
means committee of the house reported !,
his bill on January 8, 1894, several |
months after the end of the pan:c for |
which the Wilson bill frequently is |
held responsible. The party was torn |
asunder by the silver question and |
there was small disposition to &c. to- |
sether on the tariff. AS the bill pass /
ed the house on February 1. it pro-
7fded for substantial reduction of tar
IF duties, and included an income tax
feature 1t went to the senate and |
there was amended beyond all pre-
eedent, and so changed that it bore
small resemblance to the original |
measure. In spite of the radical
amendments by the senate, however. 1t |
represented considerable reduction
rom the schedules of the MCKINLEY
act. The great fight came over the |
subject Of free raw materials. and in
he end the house had to surrender TO |
he senate. Senator German had much
o do with the course Of the bill in the
senate. and as finally passed on August |
-, the measure was known as the
bill.
Republican Landslide
-Four years before the Mckinley bill
vas passed only month before the