The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-11-22

Alt. Steele of Nofti, Carolina offered all
amendment requiring four of the Com
mlssloners to be practical agriculturists.
Agreed to.
Mr.. Hanna of Indiana moved to strike
out the provision to pay $1,000 to d Com
missary General and 81 900 to each of
the twenty Commissioners. He was in
favor OF the general purpose Of the bill,
but opposed to having money expended
on a lot Of tlunkeys. Without disposing
of the amendments the Committee rose
and the House adjourned.
THE SILVER BILL.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 The Senate
Finance Committee to-day resumed con-
sderation of the House bill for the re-
monetlzatiOn of silver. Amendments were
proposed and in succession rejected by
an uniform vote of four against three,
providing for limitation Of the legal ten
der power of the silver dollar to amounts
OF $40, $50 or $50 in any one payment.
An amendment providing that silver dol
lars shall be a legal tender only for the
same purpose as the existing United
States notes or greenbacks, was also
voted down. In lieu Of the free coinage
clause heretofore stricken out an amend
ment offered by Mr.. Allison was adopted
making 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
two million silver dollars per month, and
the bullion so purchased to be immedi-
ately coined. For this purpose he is
authorized and directed to use any of the
funds in the Treasury, not otherwise ap-
propriated, provided the total amount of
United States notes thus employed and
withdrawn from the Treasury shall not at
any one time exceed five million dollars.
The amendment is silent as to what
disposition the department shall make of
the silver dollars, but in view of the fore
going requirements, and as they are to
be legal tender for the payment of the
government Indebtedness, the ptesump-
ton is that they will be promptly paid
out for current expenses if not tor inter
est on government bonds. These pur-
chaSes and the coinage of silver bullion
at the rate of from two to four million
dollars are by the terms OF the amend
ment to proceed indefinitely.
Another amendment was offered pro-
viding that after the enactment of the
bill a commission shall be appointed to
confer with any similar commission that
may be appointed by other Nations using
the double metallic standard for the pur-
pose Of recommending the adoption by
all such Nations of some uniform relation
of value between metals.
The hour of assembling of the Senate
arrived before action could be taken upon
this amendment, but the indications are
it will be adopted at the meeting to-
morrow and that majority of the com
mittee will then order that the bill be re-
ported to the Senate without any adj
ditional amendment Of importance.
The committee We're divided to-day
upon the main question at issue as fol
lows: In favor OF amendments restrict
ing the legal tender power DI the proposed
silver dollar -Messrs. Morrill,, Dawes and
Bayard; against them FIR Messls. Howe,
Jones, Allison and Wallace Senators
Herman and Ferry, who were absent,
paired. Allison's amendments it is I'M
derstood, has been agreed to by all pres
ent except Jones who cOntended it would
not practically affect the operation of the
bill in any way, or make it more accept
able to either OF the two parties on the
subject