The daily gazette., 1877-11-21
FROM WASHINGTON.
THE SILVER QUESTION.

SO~NI~@NASN
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20.-The Senate
finance committee had long session to-
day over the silver bill. The bill will be
! reported from the Finance Committee at
the earliest opportunity, and, If possible,
tomorrow with the following amend
ments:
First-That the profits of the coinage
OF silver shall 80 to the Treasury and not
to the owners of bullion,
First-That the Secretary of the Trea-
sury be directed to purchase silver bull
lion and coin 1t, at the rate of not less
than 100000 nor more than $4,000
600 per month, and that he is at no time
to have on hand more than $4,000, 600 in
bullion.
An amendment proposed in the COM
mittee to make silver coin possess the
same legal tender functions as United
States notes and no more was voted
down. An amendment limiting the legal
tender to $50 was also voted down. An
amendment, that after the pas sage of the
bill the President shall appoint two COM
missioners and shall invite the double
standard nations In Europe to also ap-
point commissioners to meet them and
agree upon the relative value of gold and
silver, the commissioners to report to the
next Congress, will probably be adopted
before the bill is reported. 1t will be
seen that the amendments adopted In the
committee take the mischief out of the
Silver bill Senator Jones hopes to have
| these amendments struck out in the Sem
ate. 1t is not probable that the bill can
pass at this session and it may not even
come up for discussion.
The members of the committee wero
divided to-day upon the the main ques-
tions at issue, as follows: In favor of
amendments restricting the legal ten
der power OF the proposed silver dollar
Messrs. Morrill, (Rep., ,Me.,) Dawes Rep.
Mas.,) and Bayard (Dem., Del. J Against
them-Messrs. Howe (Rep., Wis.), Jones
(Rep., New, Allison Rep, Iowal, and
Wallace (Dem., Pa Messrs. Herman
(Dem., N. Y } and Ferry (Rep., Mich.)
were absent bat paired.
The Paris Exhibition bill comes up in
the Senate tomorrow and may be debat-
ed by the republicans in order to gain
time. An early adjournment seem now
improbable as the democrats are deter
mined to push the case of the Southern
Senators to a decision before they ad-
journ.
A lively time has begun in the Senate.
The democrats, tired of the delay about
the Southern Senatorships, to-day brought
in resolution discharging the Elections
Committee from the further consideration
of the case of Mr. Butler, Senator elect
from South Carolina. The first result of
this movement was hasty promise from
Mr.. Wadleigh, chairman of the commit
tnQ that ha u-nlal Id On ha Sv,N I'D
Kellogg case within two days. Since
the adjournment this afternoon the re-
publicans of the committee have deter
mined to report on this case tomorrow
morning, and, if possible, claim prece-
dence for its consideration over the case
OF Mr.. Butler. They intend, of course
to report favorably for Mr.. Kellogg, the
democrats reporting a minority of the
committee for Mr.. Spoford. The repub-
licans will attempt TO substitute tho
Louisiana for the South Carolina case,
but it remains to be seen whether they
can succeed in this. They are evidently
uneasy at the action of the democrats.
1t is rumored tonight that in executive
session Tomorrow or Thurrday, are pub
lican Senator will prove that the Com
merce and judiciary committees be re-
quired either to report at once on the
nominations referred to them or that they
DC discharged from the furthar consider
alton of these nominations. Among
these are those of General Harlan, and
the New York nominations. If this is
done it will add to the turmoil in the
Senate already begun by the motion in
reference to Mr.. Butler to-day. 1t is said
that some powerful New York democratic
Influences are at work here to induce
enough democrats to vote against the
confirmation of the New York nomina-
tions to defeat them. 1t is probable
that this will fail, as not more than two,
or at most three senators are believed to
be willing to commit themselves in this
direction.