the cleveland era-第29节

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*　Under　Section　IV　of　the　Anti…Trust　Law　of　1890。


Public　approval　of　the　energy　and　decision　which　President　Cleveland　displayed　in　handling　the　situation　was　so　strong　and　general　that　it　momentarily　quelled　the　factional　spirit　in　Congress。　Judge　Thomas　M。　Cooley；　then；　probably　the　most　eminent　authority　on　constitutional　law；　wrote　a　letter　expressing　〃unqualified　satisfaction　with　every　step〃　taken　by　the　President　〃in　vindication　of　the　national　authority。〃　Both　the　Senate　end　the　House　adopted　resolutions　endorsing　the　prompt　and　vigorous　measures　of　the　Administration。　The　newspapers；　too；　joined　in　the　chorus　of　approval。　A　newspaper　ditty　which　was　widely　circulated　and　was　read　by　the　President　with　pleasure　and　amusement　ended　a　string　of　verses　with　the　lines：

The　railroad　strike　played　merry　hob；　The　land　was　set　aflame；　Could　Grover　order　out　the　troops　To　block　the　striker's　game？　One　Altgeld　yelled　excitedly；　〃Such　tactics　I　forbid；　You　can't　trot　out　those　soldiers；〃　yet　That's　just　what　Grover　did。

In　after　years　when　people　talk　Of　present　stirring　times；　And　of　the　action　needful　to　Sit　down　on　public　crimes；　They'll　all　of　them　acknowledge　then　（The　fact　cannot　be　hid）　That　whatever　was　the　best　to　do　Is　just　what　Grover　did。

This　brief　period　of　acclamation　was；　however；　only　a　gleam　of　sunshine　through　the　clouds　before　the　night　set　in　with　utter　darkness。　Relations　between　President　Cleveland　and　his　party　in　the　Senate　had　long　been　disturbed　by　his　refusal　to　submit　to　the　Senate　rule　that　nominations　to　office　should　be　subject　to　the　approval　of　the　Senators　from　the　State　to　which　the　nominees　belonged。　On　January　15；　1894；　eleven　Democrats　voted　with　Senator　David　B。　Hill　to　defeat　a　New　York　nominee　for　justice　of　the　Supreme　Court。　President　Cleveland　then　nominated　another　New　York　jurist　against　whom　no　objection　could　be　urged　regarding　reputation　or　experience；　but　as　this　candidate　was　not　Senator　Hill's　choice；　the　nomination　was　rejected；　fourteen　Democrats　voting　with　him　against　it。　President　Cleveland　now　availed　himself　of　a　common　Senate　practice　to　discomfit　Senator　Hill。　He　nominated　Senator　White　of　Louisiana；　who　was　immediately　confirmed　as　is　the　custom　of　the　Senate　when　one　of　its　own　members　is　nominated　to　office。　Senator　Hill　was　thus　left　with　the　doubtful　credit　of　having　prevented　the　appointment　of　a　New　Yorker　to　fill　the　vacancy　in　the　Supreme　Court。　But　this　incident　did　not　seriously　affect　his　control　of　the　Democratic　party　organization　in　New　York。　His　adherents　extolled　him　as　a　New　York　candidate　for　the　Presidency　who　would　restore　and　maintain　the　regular　party　system　without　which；　it　was　contended；　no　administration　could　be　successful　in　framing　and　carrying　out　a　definite　policy。　Hill's　action；　in　again　presenting　himself　as　a　candidate　for　Governor　in　the　fall　of　1894；　is　intelligible　only　in　the　light　of　this　ambition。　He　had　already　served　two　terms　as　Governor　and　was　now　only　midway　in　his　senatorial　term；　but　if　he　again　showed　that　he　could　carry　New　York　he　would　have　demonstrated；　so　it　was　thought；　that　he　was　the　most　eligible　Democratic　candidate　for　the　Presidency。　But　he　was　defeated　by　a　plurality　of　about　156；000。

The　fall　elections　of　1894；　indeed；　made　havoc　in　the　Democratic　party。　In　twenty…four　States；　the　Democrats　failed　to　return　a　single　member；　and　in　each　of　six　others；　only　a　single　district　failed　to　elect　a　Republican。　The　Republican　majority　in　the　House　was　140；　and　the　Republican　party　also　gained　control　of　the　Senate。　The　Democrats　who　had　swept　the　country　two　years　before　were　now　completely　routed。

Under　the　peculiar　American　system　which　allows　a　defeated　party　to　carry　on　its　work　for　another　session　of　Congress　as　if　nothing　had　happened；　the　Democratic　party　remained　in　actual　possession　of　Congress　for　some　months　but　could　do　nothing　to　better　its　record。　The　leading　occupation　of　its　members　now　seemed　to　be　the　advocacy　of　free　silver　and　the　denunciation　of　President　Cleveland。　William　J。　Bryan　of　Nebraska　was　then　displaying　in　the　House　the　oratorical　accomplishments　and　dauntless　energy　of　character　which　soon　thereafter　gained　him　the　party　leadership。　With　prolific　rhetoric；　he　likened　President　Cleveland　to　a　guardian　who　had　squandered　the　estate　of　a　confiding　ward　and　to　a　trainman　who　opened　a　switch　and　caused　a　wreck；　and　he　declared　that　the　President　in　trying　to　inoculate　the　Democratic　party　with　Republican　virus　had　poisoned　its　blood。

Shortly　after　the　last　Democratic　Congressthe　last　for　many　yearsthe　Supreme　Court　undid　one　of　the　few　successful　achievements　of　this　party　when　it　was　in　power。　The　Tariff　Bill　contained　a　section　imposing　a　tax　of　two　per　cent　on　incomes　in　excess　of　4000。　A　case　was　framed　attacking　the　constitutionality　of　the　tax；*　the　parties　on　both　sides　aiming　to　defeat　the　law　and　framing　the　issues　with　that　purpose　in　view。　On　April　8；　1895；　the　Supreme　Court　rendered　a　judgment　which　showed　that　the　Court　was　evenly　divided　on　some　points。　A　rehearing　was　ordered　and　a　final　decision　was　rendered　on　the　20th　of　May。　By　a　vote　of　five　to　four　it　was　held　that　the　income　tax　was　a　direct　tax；　that　as　such　it　could　be　imposed　only　by　apportionment　among　the　States　according　to　population；　and　that　as　the　law　made　no　such　provision　the　tax　was　therefore　invalid。　This　reversed　the　previous　position　of　the　Court**　that　an　income　tax　was　not　a　direct　tax　within　the　meaning　of　the　Constitution；　but　that　it　was　an　excise。　This　decision　was　the　subject　of　much　bitter　comment　which；　however；　scarcely　exceeded　in　severity　the　expressions　used　by　members　of　the　Supreme　Court　who　filed　dissenting　opinions。　Justice　White　was　of　the　opinion　that　the　effect　of　this　judgment　was　〃to　overthrow　a　long　and　consistent　line　of　decisions　and　to　deny　to　the　legislative　department　of　the　Government　the　possession　of　a　power　conceded　to　it　by　universal　consensus　for　one　hundred　years。〃　Justice　Harlan　declared　that　it　struck　〃at　the　very　foundation　of　national　authority〃　and　that　it　gave　〃to　certain　kinds　of　property　a　position　of　favoritism　and　advantage　inconsistent　with　the　fundamental　principles　of　our　social　organization。〃　Justice　Brown　hoped　that　〃it　may　not　prove　the　first　step　towards　the　submergence　of　the　liberties　of　the　people　in　a　sordid　despotism　of　wealth。〃　Justice　Jackson　said　it　was　〃such　as　no　free　and　enlightened　people　can　ever　possibly　sanction　or　approve。〃　The　comments　of　law　journals　were　also　severe；　and　on　the　whole；　the　criticism　of　legal　experts　was　more　outspoken　than　that　of　the　politicians。

*　Pollock　vs。　Farmers'　Loan　and　Trust　Company；　157　U。S。　429。

**　Springer　vs。　United　States；　102　U。S。　586。


Public　distrust　of　legislative　procedure　in　the　United　States　is　so　great　that　powers　of　judicial　interference　are　valued　to　a　degree　not　usual　in　any　other　country。　The　Democratic　platform　of　1896　did　not　venture　to　go　farther　in　the　way　of　censure　than　to　declare　that　〃it　is　the　duty　of　Congress　to　use　all　the　constitutional　power　which　remains　after　that　decision；　or　which　may　come　from　its　reversal　by　the　court　as　it　may　hereafter　be　constituted；　so　that　the　burdens　of　taxation　may　be　equally　and　impartially　laid；　to　the　end　that　wealth　may　bear　its　due　proportion　of　the　expenses　of　the　government。〃　Even　this　suggestion　of　possible　future　interference　with　the　court　turned　out　to　be　a　heavy　party　load　in　the　campaign。

With　the　elimination　of　the　income　tax；　the　revenues　of　the　country　became　insufficient　to　meet　the　demands　upon　the　Treasury；　and　Carlisle　was　obliged　to　report　a　deficit　of　42；805；223　for　1895。　The　change　of　party　control　in　Congress　brought　no　relief。　The　House；　under　the　able　direction　of　Speaker　Reed；　passed　a　bill　to　augment　the　revenue　by　increasing　customs　duties　and　also　a　bill　authorizing　the　Secretary　of　the　Treasury　to　sell　bonds　or　issue　certificates　of　indebtedness　bearing　interest　at　three　per　cent。　Both　measures；　however；　were　held　up　in　the　Senate；　in　which　the　silver　faction　held　the　balance　of　power。*　On　February　1；　1896；　a　free　silver　substitute　for　the　House　bond　bill　passed　the　Senate　by　a　vote　of　forty…two　to　thirty…five；　but　the　minority　represented　over　eight　million　more　people　than　the　majority。　The　House　refused；　by　215　to　90；　to　concur　in　the　Senate's　amendment；　and　the　whole　subject　was　then　dropped。

*　The　distribution　of　party　strength　in　the　Senate　was：　Republicans；　43；　Democrats；　39；　Populists；　6。　Republicans　made　concessions　to　the　Populists　which　caused　them　to　refrain　from　voting　when　the　question　of　organisation　was　pending；　and　the　Republicans　were　thus　able　to　elect　the　officers　and　rearrange　the　committees；　which　they　did　in　such　a　way　as　to　put　the　free　silver　men　in　control　of　the　committee　on　finance。　The　bills　passed　by　the　house　were　referred　to　this　committee；　which　thereupon　substituted　bills　providing　for　free　coinage　of　silver。


President　Cleveland　had　to　carry　on　the　battle　to　maintain　the　gold　standard　and　to　sustain　the　public　credit　without　any　aid　from　Congress。　The　one　thing　he　did　accomplish　by　his　efforts；　and　it　was　at　that　moment　the　thing　of　chief　importan