The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-17
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS-.
THE SENATE.
Continuation of the Silver Debate-Passage
of the Bill Admitting DakOta.

of the Bill Admitting Dakota.
WAsHINGToN, Dec. 16.-Mr. ingalls, presided
over the Senate to-day. The bill making tenn
porary provision for the naval service was re-
ported by Mr.. Hale, from the naval committee.
He gave notice that he would endeavor to call it
up tomorrow.
Mr.. Cockreil, from the committee on military
affairs, reported adversely the petition of Gen.
Strong Post, G, A. r., of Fairfield, La. The Pc
tition prayed that the surplus in the Treasury
be used to m axe up to soldiers and sailors of the
late war the amount lost to them by reason of
the depreciation of the money in which they
were paid from 1862 to 1865, which loss amounted
to nearly one-half of their monthly pay, The
petition adds that the United States government
is in honor bound to grant the prayer.
A resolution was agreed to, calling on the Sec
rotary Of State to communicate to the Senate all
accessible information regarding the extent and
character Of the foreign trade with Mexico, the
Central and South American States, Cuba, Por-
to Rico, and San Domingo; to include il possible
a detailed statement of the value and character
of the manufactured and other articles comprls-
ing the imports and exports of such
states and islands; and also the share of the
United States in the trade of each, and the por'
ton of such imports and exports transported in
vessels belonging to citizens of the United
States.
The unfinished business, being the Dakota bill,
was temporarily laid aside to permit Mr.. Beck
to contine his remarks of yesterday on the silver
question. He repeated that silver had never had
fair treatment from any of our administrations,
nor from any member of them. When we issued
our bonds, he said, they were payable in coin of
the standard value of the United States-gold
and silver coin, and the Senator from Ohio. (Mr.
Sherman), when Secretary of the Treasury, was
required by law to devote the coin received from
customs to the payment of interest on the pub
lie debt; yet that gentleman had paid only gold,
and had said he had paid that because it was
preferred by the customer. When the law re-
quired the Secretary to pay out something
it was not not for him to say that
customers wanted something else. The officers
of the United States were seeking to strike
down silver while we were producing ~ per
cent. of the worlds supply of that metal. Mr..
Beck wanted some administration that would
say to the silver countries that we would stand
by them. We could wait sixty days. thank
God. until the enemies of the silver bill disap-
peared from the other end of the Capitol, by let
ting the world know that we proposed, in good
faith, to maintain the currency of our country
and pay our bonds according TO our obligations
Mr.. Beck characterized as simply impudentJh the re-
cent statement of the Comptroller of the Currency
that the silver coinage law was unworthy this
great Nation" No officer of the government
had a right to make such a statement to the
legislature of the Nation.
Mr.. Sherman denied that any officer of the
United States had made any attempt to strike
down silver or to discriminate against it. From
1862, when the law referred to was passed, there
was no silver dollar in circulation that could be
applied to the payment of customs dues, conse-
quently no discrimination had been made
against it. The statute spoke of CON- but
there had been in existence no coin
except gold, and that was received
and paid out. There was no law requiring dis
elimination against gold, or to compel payment
of silver, and the United States government had
paid to its creditors the kind of money they pre-
ferred, not as a matter of right on the part Of the
creditor, but as q Eaatter of convenience, and
aooOr1inp fO the pT1cfOm of hQnKS and mOnaVPN
institutions generally. Mr.. Sherman defended
the Comptroller of the Currency, who, he said,
had expressed his views like a man. Much dem
agogism had been thrown around the silver
question, but the real question was, whether the
United States could arrest the march of time
and turn the dial backward in an attempt to
make gold and silver equal in value. 1t could
not be done. The question for the United States
to consider was, whether we should 60 on piling
up these silv9 r dollars in our Treasury as idle
money. or suspend it for q time, while consid-
ering, in connection with other nations, the
mutual relationship of gold and silver. Within
a few months, he would admit, anew administra-
ton would come into power, and he com
mended this question to it. If newspaper
accounts were true, his honorable friend from
Delaware MIR, Bayardl was to be Secretary of
the Treasury to that administration. If so, he
would have this question to solve, and if he could
solve it, he MIR. Sherman would follow him
with pleasure. He did not anticipate that his
Democratic friend would find less difficulty Ia
solving this question than others had found a 70
he believed the new administration would have
had to solve it, just the same way that Repub-
LEANS would have to solve it if a Republican
administration were again coming into power.
Mr.. Hill said the Treasury had never paid a
dollar in silver or silver certificates in making
payments at the New York clearing house. If
it did, it would be able to pay out every silver
dollar in the Treasury.
After further debate the matter dropped.
The Dakota bill was then taken up. The
question was on the adoption of Mr.. Garland's
substitute for the bill reported from the COM
Garland's substitute was lost by 4 : party v Vote
! yeas 81, nays 31-the Democrats voting in the
affirmative and the Republicans ia the negative.
The bill was then voted on substantially as it
came from the ommitte on Territories and
passed, also by a party vote-yeas "a, nays 2S-
the Republicans voting in the affirmative and
the Democrats in the negative. Following is