Washington Letter

(Krom our Regular Correspondent.) Washington, D. C, Jan . 28, 1805. That there is a conspiracy in existence to make money out of the condition of the treasury is believed by many men in both branches of congress. Naturally membersof the administration will not express their belief upon such a matter. The idea of the conspirators, as understood by those who believe in their existence, is to withdraw gold from the treasury and hoard it until gold can by its scarcity be forced to a premium. Your correspondent does not undertake to make the positive statement that there is a conspiracy, but the facts are such as to justify the suspicion that there is. It is known to a certainty that the legitímate demand for gold - to pay debts and for purchases in Europe - could have been met with less than one half of the gold that has been recently withdrawn from the treasury. It is perfectly clear, then, that more than one half of the gold withdrawn is now hoarded in the vaults of banks and safe deposit companies. Why? It can earn nothing for its owners while thus lying idle, and the men who are credited with doing the hoarding are men who always expect a profit out of all their financial transactions. There is only one way they can make a profit out of this one, and that is to force gold to a premium. That's why so many believe they are doing that very thing, or at least trying to do it. Can congress do anything to head off such a conspiracy? It unquestionably can, but will it do so? That is a question easier to ask than to answer. If there is such a conspiracy, it exists solely because of the belief of its members that congress will do nothing to prevent its operation being successful. President Cleveland and Secretary Carlisle are thoroughly alert, and they will not allow gold to go to a premium if it be possible under the authority vested in them by present laws to prevent it, by issuing more bonds, and they are both satisfied that it will be, although they would much prefer congressional action. Senator Faulkner, who is chairman of the committee on territories, is anxious to get the bilis for the admission of Arizona and New Mexico before the seoate and hopes to be able to do so in a few days. Those bilis would have been passed long ago, but for the secret opposition of republican senators who lack the courage to openly oppose the admission of these territories, but make use of all their parliamentary skill to kill the bilis indirectly, by preventing their being acted upon. Secretary Carlisle succeeded in getting the house to adopt two important amendments to the sundry civil appropriation bill. The first restores to the secretary of the treasery the discretion to issue notes of such denotninations as he may deern best in place of currency presented for redemption. At present he is compelled to reissue notes of the same denomination as those redeemed and cancelled. The other, which amends the law for the issue o! gold cerüficates, provides that ,such certifica tes shall not be receivable for custorns dues after July i, 1895, and shall not be available for use as a part of National banks reserve fund and discontinúes their iürthèr issue. Sixteeci out of the twenty-one votes which were cast in the senate against the Nicaragua canal bilí came from dernocrats, and 11 out of the 31 votes cast tor it. Thirteen democrats were paired. Opinión differs widely as to the probability of the bül setting through the house. Only one tning is certain, and that s, that it cannot be brought to a vote in the house without an order from the committee on rules. It has been stated by friends of the biJl that Speaker Crisp had partly promised that an order setting a time for a vote would be reportad, but the statement has never been confirmed by a member of the conimittee. Even if such an order were reported it might meet the fate of the currency bill order - be rejected by the house. The canal lobby is very active. A decided administration victory was won in the senate Saturday afternoon, when Senator Vest's arnendment to the pending Hawaiian resolution was adopted by the senate. The Vest amendment expresses sympathy with all attempts to establish republican institutions: reaffirms the doctrine of absolute non-interference with foreign nations,and says: "That the admin istration of President Cleveland in maintaining this policy as to our foreign relations deserves the approval and support of the American people." The odd feature of this victory that it was won by the vote of Senator Pettigrew, who it wijl be remembered was one of the republican senators who voted against the McKinley tariff bill, he having with 23 democrats voted for the Vest amendment, while j8 republicans and 4 populists voted against it. Had Pettigrew voted with the re publicans there would have been a tie. The tariff receipts of the government are rapidly increasing, thus furnishing an answer to the argument advanced by republicans, that the tariff would have to be amended in order to produce more revenue, and bearing out the estimates made by Secretary Carlisle of the new tariff as a revenue-producer.