Show EXCITEMENT ANDSURPRISE1 SURPRSE Public Men i Washington Worn Out by the I Tension I EVENTS MOVED RAPIDLY Two Cabinet Sessions Held in One Day Financial Situation Was the Priii ciiial Topic of Consideration and the Result of the Meetings Revealed Re-vealed in the Message Sent to the Senate Late in the Afternoon Hawley Says Cleveland is in a Bull Run Panic WASHINGTON Dec 20This has been a day of excitement and surprise in Washington Events moved with raprdity and when the sun went down public men In all braches of the service were nervous ner-vous and worn out from the tension Reports came of a panic in securities securi-ties throughout the country and herein I here-in Washington affairs moved at the rapid pace of a kaleidoscope The House Venezuelan commission bill was amended in material respects by the Senate foreign relations committee and then by a sudden change in sentiment sentmet In the Senate was passed unanimously just as i came from the House then an adjournment resolution from tomorrow tomor-row over the holidays was passed by the Senate only to be followed by a message from the president urgently and strongly advising prompt action for the reform of our currency system and the maintenance of public credit Two Sessions of the Cabinet At the end of the avenue the president presi-dent and his cabinet received prompt advices of the course of events here and on the public exchange The cabinet cab-inet sat two sessions something without with-out precedent in recent years Secretary Herbert who returned from New York this afternoon attended the second meeting for a brief time All the remaining members of the cabinet I were present except Secretaries La mont and Smith who are out of town I The financial situation was the principal prin-cipal topic of consideration and the result re-sult of the meeting was revealed in the message sentto the Senate late in the afternoon that body being kept in session ses-sion by request from the White House for its reception The message was not favorably received in the Senate The summary adjournment upon the motion of Senator Cockrell one of the Democratic leaders immediately after the conclusion of the reading of the message was taken on the Republican I side as a disposition not to consider the message seriously Cockrell Declines Mr Cockrell declined to define his motion or to discuss the question of the propriety of the suggestion Senator Gorman replying to a question ques-tion said he did not want to criticize the president Senator Jones of Arkansas when interviewed in-terviewed simply remarked that he thought the Senate would sit tomorrow tomor-row Senator Allison thought there would be a recess notwithstanding the mes reess I sage as the Senate had already passed a resolution to that effect before the message was received mesage Senator Hawley said it appeared tc him aa if the president was in a Bull 1 Run panic and Senators Teller and Oullom agreed that it looked a if the president was trying to offset the effect I I and that it of his Venezuelan message i was beginning to look as if the president presi-dent had concluded from the favorable manner in which the Venezuelan message mes-sage had been received that Congress would follow any suggestion that he might make That the administration in the has not moved precipitately Venezuelan affair is evidenced by the fact which fa now become known that Secretary Olneys famous letter defining the Monroe doctrine was considered con-sidered for fully two months before being dispatched to Ambassador Bay ard for delivery to Lord Salisbury Carefully Considered Moreover it is a fact that the presidents presi-dents message while perhaps hastily reduced to exact form really was the subject of deep deliberation for almost six months for there is good reason to believe the adverse response of Lord Salisbury to Secretary Olneys note was expected by the president I is noted that the presidents message is a distinct dis-tinct advance in our attitude upon the letter of the secretary for where as the letter was confined < to a declaration of a doctrine the former proposed action that went far beyond that point I was this reason without doubt that Cause the message t be most carefully care-fully considered for many months Political Expediency The diplomatic corps here appears Ito I-to have fallen under a misapprehension as to the purpose of the message which mav account for the attitude of some o the European newspapers which have received inspiration for the editorial articles from their foreign for-eign offices for it is learned that diplomats dip-lomats in Washington have in many cases and certainly in the cases of the representatives of the European powers informed their government that President Clevelands action was dictated purely by motives of politi cal expediency and was not intended t have permanent results I may be that the unanimity of the unanimit support accorded ac-corded the president by Congress irrespective ir-respective of party affiliations has Induced some of these observers of American institutions to qualify their first advlces to their home frst governments govern-ments North Atlantic Squadron Although Secretary Herbert returned re-turned to Washington from New Yori this afternoon as yet he has taken no action respecting the orders of the North Atlantic squadron and so twill t-will not sail tomorrow a wks intended In-tended fo the West Indies The secretary sec-retary will communicate his intentions to Admiral Bunce who comes to Washington for the purpose on Sunday Sun-day but the impression prevails that the fleet will not leave American waters wa-ters immediately and that the itiner any heretofore arnanged will be modified modi-fied materially before its departure Further Inquiry Into the subject makes i appear that if the commission 0 I to be appointed to ascertain the facts appoilet I respecting the Venezuelan boundary finds it necessary to visit the country and to personally locate the line the work will consume much more time than is generally believed to be necessary neces-sary Outside of the voyage to Venezuela Venez-uela which would consume not less than a month to and from the journey through the wild interior of he country coun-try would be very difficult With a small force of eight lightly equipped colonial police the journey to the Uruan outpost where the collision occurred oc-curred and which marks one end of the line claimed by Great Britain could not be made in less than twenty three days so that if the commission is to make a proper examination of the country the task including the sea voyage will probably occupy almost al-most six months Many Names Suggested Many names have been suggested for membership on the commission but to days action of the Senate in passing the House bill unamended apparently eliminates several of these names including in-cluding that of Justice Harlan of the United States supreme court One name favorably mentioned is that of Mr I Partridge of Vermont formerly United States minister to Venezuela |