The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-11-21
WASHINGTON.
Action of the Senate Committee ON the
Silver Bill.


Silver Bill.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2O.-The Senate finance
COMMITTEES today took up the consideration of
the House bill for the reconciliation of silver
Amendments we're proposed and in succession
rejected by tue uniform vote OF four against
three providing for Limitation of the legal ten-
der power of the silver dollar to amounts of
&c. $40 or $50 in anv one payment. An
amendment providing that silver dollars shall
be legal tender only for the same purpose as
existing United States notes or greenbacks, was
also voted down. In place of the free coinage
clause heretofore stricken out, an amendment
offered by Mr.. Allison was adopted, providing
that fund of S. 100000 of legal tepder notes
shall be set apart by the Secretary of the Treas
ury for purchasing bullion and getting new
coin into circulation, as follows:
1t makes it the duty of the Secretary of the
Treasury to purchase each and every month a
sufficient amount of silver bullion to enable
the department to coin at least 100000 sill
yer dollars per month and the bullion so pur-
chased to be Immediately coined for this pur-
pose. He is authorized and directed to use
any of the funds in the treasury not otherwise
appropriated, provided tie total amount of U.
s notes thus employed and withdrawn from
the treasury shall not at any one time exceed
$5,000000.
Amendment is silent as to the disposition
the department shall make of the silver dollars,
but in view of the foregoing requirement and
as they are to be legal tender for the payment
OF the government Indebtedness, the presump-
ton is that they will be promptly paid out for
current expenses if not for interest in govern
ment bonds. These purchases and coinage of
silver bullion at the rate of from So, 000, 600 to
$4,000 900 per month are by the terms of the
amendment to proceed Indefinitely.
Another amendment was offered, providing
that after the enactment of the bill commits
ion shall be appointed to confer with any SINH
lar commissio that may be appointed by other
nations using the double metallic standard for
the purpose of recommending the adoption by
all such nations of some uniform relation of
value between the metals.
The hour of the assembling of the Senate ar
rived before action could be taken upon this
amendment, but the Indications are that it
will be adopted at the meeting tomorrow. and
that the majority of the committee will then
order that the bill be reported to the Senate
without any additional amend ments of import
ance.
The committee were divided upon the main
questions at issue as follows:
In favor OF the amendments restricting the
legal tender power of the proposed silver dol
lar, Messrs. Morrill,, Dawes and Bayard.
Against them, Messrs. Howe, Jones, Allison
and Wallace. TIE Allison amendment is I'M
derstood to have been agreed to by all present,
except Mr.. Jones, who contended that it would
not practic ally affect the operations of the bill
in any way, or make it more acceptable to
either Of the two parties on the subject.
Army Matters.
An order has been issued that the President
hereafter will not allow previous bravery of
officers OF the army to prevent the full meas
ure of punishment for convicted cases Of drunk
enness.
The Adjutant General has submitted to the
Secretary OF War, to accompany the Secretary's
report to Con gress, a report on the way in
which the army should be increased. which he
thinks should be by adding men in the dis
erection OF the President to the existing CON-
panies. He also recommends the enlargement
of the number of officers on the retired list.
An Item for the Payment of the Louisia aa
Commission Stricken Out Of the Def
cheney Bill.
The House Appropriation Committee re-
called the deficiency bill and had it recommit-
ted on account of the item which had been
favoraby reported. appropriating $1,000 fer
the expenses of the Louisiana commission
Mr.. Atkins, chairman Of the committee, dis.
covered late yesterday afternoon that General
Butler and Proctor Knott had made an alii-
ance to attack that portion of the deficiency
bill, and if the bill had been presented to the
House containing that item it would under
these circumstances have been defeated. To
prevent this the chairman notified the Repub-
lican members OF the committee of the danger
to the bill, and secured their consent to have it
recalled
The Louisiana Senatorship.
The Senate Committee on Privileges and
Elections alta meeting this afternoon generally
agreed to take go testimony in the Spofford
Kellogg case, but to admit in evidence the
Louisiana investigating committee reports of
both houses. A Republican member of the
con- mittee said they would probably reach
some definite conclusion in the case within the
next few days. They meet again tomorrow
Immediately after the adjournment of the Sem
ate.
The MeiricaI System.
Noa =
says that the objections to using the metrical
system OF weights and measures throughout
the postal service are two, viz: The expense in
cident to a change of systems, and SECOND, ap-
prehension that it may fail to give practical sat-
owing to lack of knowledge of the
system and experience in its use by many post
masters and the public. He suggests that if
Congress decides to extend the system to the
entire postal service an adequate appropriation
should be made to supply all the post offices
With suitable scales and balances and that six
months be allowed before requiring its obiiga-
tory use. Twelve months would be ample time
to obtain the supply, and in eighteen months
after the appropriation is made the new system
could go into operation.
The Secretary of the Navy sees no objections
to the metrical system in the navy except if APP
piled to sounding given 10 charts, it would
probably involve change of all the charts and
chart plates now in use, and would be prejudi-
cial to an exchange of charts with England.
Various Matters.
Nesrly 200 excursionists FIR ON Virginia vera
at the executive mansion today aud paid their
respects to the President, who shook hands
with all.
The Treasury Department has decided that
new pieces of iron which are cut off the ends
OF iron bars, are not scrap iron, and should pay
the same duty as iron in bars.
=, The President has signed the army bill and
the navy deficiency bill.
Secretary Sherman is preparing his annual
report: 1t will hardly be completed till the
The Secretary of War will hand his report to
the President tomorrow.
The National Woman Suffrage Association
have called 10th amendment convention of |
al the woman suffrage associations ia
The United States, to be held in this CITY Jan.
9Th and 9th next
The Senate foreign committee today post
poned the cases of Messrs. Sanford, minister
to Belgium, and Hillcord of Ga, minister to |
Brazil for deliberate consideration.
The Senate committee on privileges and cleo |
lions have assigned Jan. 9th for hearing of |
the committee of the Woman's Suffrage Asso- |