Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1874-12-23
FOURTH EDITION.


MAIN FEATURES IN THE SENATE DEBATE, YEsrfR-
DAY-ATTITUDR OF THE POLITICAL PARTI Es
TOWARDS THE BILL.
Especial Dispatch to the New YORK Times.l
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-The bill to provide for
the resumption of specie payments WAS passed
in the Senate this evening" about 7 o'clock. Be-
yond the speech of Mr.. Sherman, explanatory Of
its provisions, the debate was unnteresting, and
of q discursve character, and not directed to a
discussion of the merits of the bill. MIR. SheI-
mans speech, though brief, was clear and strong
and received the attention it 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 speech
in which he said several times he would cheer
fully vote for the bill. He sad 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 tile bill be-
fore recess, and declared he would net vote for
1t OF against it, because he considered the sub
ject had been 6 unworthily treated" MIR. Schurz
wanted time to consider 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-.
tion, would have to take measures to carry out
the pledge. The Democratic side of tile
Senate we're apparently much embarrassed
and even perplexed to decide what course
to take. The vulnerable point of the bill and
its most exposed poiut 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. MIR Sherman took the ground
That under the operation of the bill there could
arise no question reissuing the redeemed cur
rency for at least three or four years TO come,
and there was no need to legislate ON
tLat point now. Because he refused to express
his own opinion as to whether the bill would per-
NIT the Secretary of the Treasury to reissue, at
his discretion, the redeemed currency, the Dem
ocrats assumed that it would be 80 constructed,
and Mr.. Bayard called it double-faced and a
juggling measure. Mr. Stevenson said it was a
bill contrived that the inhationists would
claim it as their measure and the resumptionist
as theirs. He failed to give his own opinion
of the effect in respect to imitation. All
the intiationists among the Democrats,
notably such rank aud 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-
era tic side it was to seek delay, and Mr.. Bayard
said there was no need of haste in passing
Finance bill before q 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 it
who were last year known as infationists There
is 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
il they acknowledge such departure to them
selves That the bill should recognize such facts
and conditions was a necessity, but having
grown out of an earnest, honest attempt to re-
concile and harmonize differences, like the pro-
duct of all such successful efforts it has grown
in favor with all who participated in the party
conferences, and it receives hearty support from
all Republicans, and not least of all from those
who made in it's behalf the greatest sacrifices of
personal preference.