, 1879-05-19
>WASflING'TON..
Exciting Debate on the Silver
Bill in the House Sat-.
urday.
Its Friends Believe Springer's Amend
ment Kept the Bill from ..
So: -. ID. Passing. >'s
Figures Showing that the Vote On
: tha Measure Will Be a
Close One. :.
THE SILVER BILL.
WHAT ITS FRIENDS SAT-

TIE SILVER BILL. =
WHAT IT'S FRIENDS SAT-.
Sp<efa! Dispatch 10 The Tribune
WAsu1NG1oN, D. c., May 18.-The friends Q!
the Silver bill say to-day that the bill could
have been passed yesterday If vote could have
been reached, but that Springer and his amend
ment prevented. 1t seems that eight Democrats
we're absent yesterday with pairs, and
thatall OF them were opposed TO- the
bill. The. following Democrats r are Known
to be. opposed to the bill: Covert,
O'Rctlly, Bliss, Muller, Wood O'Brten,
and Louhsberry, Of New York; Phelps, OF Con-
necticut; Morse, of Massachusetts; Ross, OF
New Jersey; Martin, Of Delaware; Kimmell'
Talbot, and McLane, OF Maryland; Johnston,
of Virginia; Hurd, OF .. Ohio; Morr1-
son, of. Illinois; BeltzhooVer,: OF Penn
sylrania; Deuster, g.. Of Wisconsin;
and Gibson, Of Louisiana lin all twenty :Ihe
friends Of the bill count for it Nevada and
Colorado, each one vote, three from Kansas,
and one Republican Judge Kelley from Penr+
sylyania. It is expected that Columbus upson,
who succeeds Schleicher, OF Texas, will be sworn
in On Tuesday, and be will favor the bill. An
ANALYSIS based on the above facts will show that
the vote on the bill, when it is reached, will be
a very close one. So. -:
An EXCITING CONTEST.
Speeia, Dispatch to The Tribune.
WASHINGTON, D. c., May 17.-There was
very close and exciting contest in the House to-
day over the Silver bill. At the adjournment
the friends Of the measure had carried their
point, but it Is yet to be determined whether
the temporary ADVANTAGE gained will be per
manent. The amendment Of Judge Belford, OF
Colorado, to limit the free coinage to silver OF
American production was defeated after very
earnest speech from Belford, who claimed that
the owner Of bullion under the. Warner.
bill would make :. Is =. cents , on every
dollar. For that reason he desired to have the
profits limited to American producers. Springer
advocated his amendment, offered yesterday,
which proposed to give the United States the
profits on the bullion and not to leave it all for
the bullion-owner. He desired to have the Gov
crnmeut receive the difference between the coin
value Of the bullion and the va1ue Of the coin
silver dollar. - 80. ::
Mr.. NEwBERRT, OF MICHIGAN,
made his first speech. He argued. that tue en-
tire scheme was in the direction. Of the t1at
theory, md insisted that, If the Warner
bill should pass, the Government could
just as. we'll: stamp its dollar-mark on
y cents worth of bullion. Indeed, he
inquired why IT would be necessatyto waste the
silver at aha Whv one cents worth, with the
Governments stamp, would not be as valua-
BILE? -... 49, go:
The Belford amendment was rejected by q
vote Of 81 yeas to LEO nays. The supporters Of
the Warner bill j. =: :. >: :.
Had BECOME ANXIOUS
at the unexpected opposition to their measure
and were particularly alarmed at the strength
which the Springer amendment seemed to have.
Ewing, Buckner, and Warner, and other. friends
.of the bifl-hat! Bevetn conferences, ns the re-
suit of II hfch' they agreed upon an amend
meut TO be offered with the purpose. OF
defeating the Springer amendment. Ewing's 8
amendment provided that the market value OF
the bullion should be the highest market price
at New York and San Francisco for week Dre-
.vious to the purchase; :.~
MADE THE CERTIFICATES J. LEGAL-TENDER~
for all Government dues and debts; provided
for the issue OF certificates, and also provided
that silver dollars to the extent OF 90 per cent
only Of the amount OF certificates outstanding
should be retained in the Treasury for the pur-
pose of redecming the certificates, and that the
remaining 60 per cent should be applied to
the payment. Of the principal and interest
Of the public debt Ewing hoped BY this
amendment to- secure, the rejection Of the
Springer amendment, leaving the bill exactly as
it was reported. This attempt was made sue
cessful by -" = .>>,:''
THE SPEAKERS CASTING VOTE. 49,,
Much debate, however, preceded it. Mr.. Can
non, Of Illinois, advocated Sprnger's amend
ment in the interest, be said, OF good sense and
good pJlicy. Mr. Marsh, OF Illinois, eulogized
the silver dollar, but said that il the Demo-
Gratis went to the country on the third section
without amendment they would be buried so
deep that the horn Of Gabriel would not wake
them. -:
Mr.. Garfield insisted that the country was
looking with alarm ut the attitude of the metals
toward each other. He showed that to-day the
United States is coming one-third OF the silver
Of the world, and China Is coming another
third. ~ He, =. =.
URGED CONGRESS TO GO HOME,
and let business, peace, and order work them
selves out. - s'~
|. Mr.-Springer, to save bis amendment, accept
ed so much Of Ewing's amendment as deter
mined what the market price Of silver. should
be, but this concession was Intellectual. The
vote being taken upon .Ewing's amend
ments,' resulted, in the midst Of con-
siderable e1citement-yeas, los; naEs,
los, when Speaker : Randall gave his
casting vote in the affirmative for. the Ewing
amendment, and it was anopted. This vote Of
Mr. Randall may be considered -: ~-
VERY INGENIOUS srRADD1E.
Randall, in case the bill tiually passes as it
came from the Committee, will be able to say
to those who advocated 1t that by his casting
vote he kept up the obnoxious Springer amend
ment, which it was conceded would tend to de-
feat the BILL On the other hand, ii the bill
should fail, Mr.. Randall would be able to say to
the opponents Of it that By placing the Ewing
amendment on the Springer amendment by his
casting vote he prevented the adoption Of the
Springer amendment, which might possibly have
passed and have carried With it many: Of the OBJ
jectionable features Of the bill, and Mr.. Ran