Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1874-12-24
The Specie Payment Bill.

MAIN FEATURES IN THE SENATE DEBATE, yEsTER-
DAy-ATTIruDE Of THE POLITICAL PARTIES
TOWARDS THE BILL,
Especial Dispatch to the New York Tlmes.]
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-The bill to provide for
the resumption of specie payments was passed
in the Senate this evening, about O'Clock. Be-
yond the speech of Mr.. Sherman explanatory OF
its provisions, the debate was uninteresting, and
of discureiye character, and not directed to
discussion of the merits of the bill. MIR. Sher-
mans speech, though brief, WAS clear and strong
aud received the attention 1t deserved. OF the
thirty-two Senators who voted for the bill all
were Republicans except Mr.. Salisbury
of Delaware, and Mr.. Schurz, Liberal. Among
the names of the fourteen voting in the negative
was but one Republican-Mr Sprague, of Rhode
Island. Hamilton, OF Maryland, made a speech
in which he said several times he would cheer
fully vote for the bill. He said, almost in the
same breath, that he would vote for it with
great reluctance, and he finally decided not to vote
at all. MIR. Bayard was very angry because the
Republicans were determined to pass the bill be-
fore recess, and declared he would not vote for
1t or against it, because he considered the sub
ject had been unworthily treated" MIR. SEIZURE
wanted time to consider tue bill, but would
vote for it because it contained the pledge to
resume specie payments, and he believed that
Congress, having become committed to resump-
ton would have to take measures to carry out
| the pledge. The Democratic side of the
| Senate were apparently much embarrassed
and even perpexed to decide what course
| to take The vulnerable point of the bill and
it's most exposed point of attack was its failure
to provide for the destruction of this redeemed
legal tenders and fractional currency.
This point was therefore assailed by
all the hard-money Democrats, and by
MIR. Schurz. Mr. Sherman took the ground
| that under the operation of the bill there could
arise question reissuing the redeemed cur
| rency for at least three or four years TO come,
and there was need to legisate ON
that point now. Because he refused to express
his own opinion as to whether the bill would per-
init the Secretary of the Treasury to reissue, at
his discretion, the redeemed currency, the Dem
ocrats assumed that it would be 30 constructed,
and MIR. Bayard called it double-faced and a
| Juggling measure. Mr. Stevenson said it was a
| bill 10 contrived that the infationists would
claim it as their measure and the resumptionist
as theirs. Ho failed to give his own opinion
| of the effect in respect to imitation. All
| the in1ationists among tho Democrats,
notably such rank and furious ones as
Bogy and Merriman, voted against the
| bill, showing they had no belief that it would
expend the currency by reissue of the amount
| redeemed or otherwise. SO far as any policy
relating to the bill was developed on the Demo-
cratic side it was to seek delay, and Mr.. Bayard
said there was no need Of haste in passing a
Finance bill before recess The country
| would not suffer by delay. There is no such
| double purpose in the bill as Mr. Stevenson
charged. No one knows better that the
bill means what its title processes than
do those Republicans voting for ii
who were last year known as iniationsts. There
ia some pride of opinion on the part of men who
have been compelled by their own judgment to
abandon positions held year ago. and they
cannot be expected to declare very loudly wide
departure from views recently entertained, even
if they acknowledge such departure to them
selves. That the bill should recognize such fact'
and conditions was a necessity, but having
grown out of an earnest, honest attempt to re
conclle and harmonze differences, like the pro
duct of all such successful efforts it has grown
in favor with all who participated in the part,
conferences and it receives hearty support from
all Republicans, and not least of all from those
who made in its behalf the greatest sacrifices o
personal preference.