The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-10
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS-.
Routine Dusiness-Debate on the Bill to Sus-
pend Coinage of Silver.

Routine Dusiness-Debate on the Bin to Sus-
pend Coinage of Silver.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 0.-The Chair laid before
the Senate the credentials of reelection Of Sen
ator Voorhees,.
The Chair appointed Mr.. Slater on the com.
mittee on commerce, and Mr.. Butler on the COM
mittee on transportation routes to tire seaboard.
both in the place of MI. Farley, excused.
Bills were passed increasing appropriations for
public buildings. as follows: At Pittsburg. to
81 SOC, 900; at Quincy. to $1Do, 900; at Peoria, Ill,
to $245, 900. A bill was also passed to provide
for erection of a public building at Tyler, Tex.
at a cost not to exceed $50, 000.
Mr. Pendleton presented petitions from a num-
Der of Ohio publishers and journalists, praying a
reduction in postage rates on second-class mail
matter. Referred.
The Chair laid before the Senate a concur
rent resolution to Suthorize the President to
communicate to foreign governments the result
of the deliberations of the international confer
ence, held in Washington, for the purpose of Ak
ing a prime meridian and universal day, and to
invite the concurrence of such governments in
this result. Agreed 20.
Mr.. Cameron, of Pennsylvania, called up the
resolution directing the committee on finance to
inquire whether it would be expedient to expend
the surplus revenue Of the United States, or any
portion thereof, for the purpose of r~eviving the
shipping and export trade by allowing a rebate
from tariff duties OIL foreign goods imported in
ships hailt and owned in the United States, and
by also allowing a premium on American prod
uets and articles OF American manufacture ex-
ported in American vessels. Mr.. Cameron adj
dressed the Senate at great length On the resola-
tien, and it was referred to the committee ON
finance.
Mn No~ VNx-o1, - L.
the considerations of the House bill to prevent
unlawful i%nelosure of lands, better known as the
Fencing BILL and the amendments of the Sen
ate committee were concurred in.
AT l o'clock the bill went over, and the unfinish-
ed business was laid before the Senate. being the
anti silver coinage bill, on which Mr. Beck pro-
ceeded TO address the Senate. He supported those
provisions OF the bill calling for redemption of
the trade dollar, but strongly opposed suspension
OF the coinage of the standard dollar. The
proposition to suspend silver coinage had no
necessary or proper connection with the trade
dollar Gill which the House had sent over. He
believed the trade dollar had now passed from
the hands of the people, who were compelled to
part with them at u discount, and were now in
the hands of bankers and brokers. He had felt
confident that these bankers would be able to
make themselves heard by Congress, and the
result proved that he had guessed Alright.
1t was said the trade dollars were
not coins Of the United States, but
Abo ~ 6ANCA q fOSot- tCIoOL Stith U W avn
dent or lnadvertance, and that, therefore we
ought not to take them up. There was no acct
dent or inadvertance about it, Mr.. Beck said.
They were made as coins of the United States,
just as gold was so coined. The provisions pro-
hibiting counterfeiting applied equally to trade
dollars as to the gold eagle. When Congress
concluded to limit the issue of trade dollars to the
quantity required for export, it did not take the
coins character nor The coins value from it; and
certainly as to all those that had been issued,
If COul0 with no reason whatever hn said thew
were not coins Of the United States. The Secre-
tary of the Treasury had been constituted by
law the judge of the number which should is
sue, and he had chosen to issue 35, 900. 600. Mr..
Beck wanted specially to know what inadvert-
ance it was that had been alluded to.
Mr. Morrill, said that by ''inadvertenee," he
tNr. Morriul meant that as the trade dollar had
been minted solely for export, it was wrong to
have given them a legal-tender quality at all.
Mr.. Beck said that would be equivalent to
saying that no silver should be minted at all.
The difficulty, he added, was that our own fiscal
agents had conspired to defy the laws of the
United States. and the present proposition to
suspend silver coinage was the result of that
conspiracy. He inquired why the banks should
be permitted to censpire against the lava There
were already laws enough, but not one of our
public officers wanted to execute these laws.
The people needed new officers.
Mr.. Morgan said he had, last session, sub
mitted a resolution calling for inquiry into the
matters alluded to, which resolution had been
referred to the finance committee, where
it still was. 1t now appeared, on
the statement of a member or that committee
IMr. Beck that the committee was coSnizant of
the commission of crimes by the banks; that the
President. also. was cognizant of it, but that the
crimes were not punished. Mr.. Morgan saw no
use In multiplying statutes merely that the Senate
of the United States itself might dishonor them
by constantly and persistently ignoring their ex-
iStence.
Mr. Beck said we would soon have a new ad-
ministration, aud if it should prove as bad as the
present, then he thought something would hayo
to be done.
MIR. Morgan presented the credentials of re-
election of Senator Pugh.
The pension appropriation bill was then takca
up. A long discussion ensned regarding the In
depreciation of the Senate rule forbidding the
proposing of general legislation on appropriat ion
bills. A discussion arose on a point of order
raised by Mr.. ingalls, on an amendment proposed
by the Senate appropriations committee to this
bill. TIL point of order was that under the
rules of the Senate the proposed amendment
was not in order. The amendment proposed
was to modify the provision of the House bill
that established in favor of pension applicants a
presumption of soundness At the time of enlist
ment. The modification would establish this
presumption in favor of those only who had
served at least three months.
The presiding officer MIR. Platt) held that Mr..
Ingalls's point OF order was we'll taken, and.
therefore, that tie Senate committees proposed
was not admissible.
Dir. ingalls,, for the purpose of obtaining the
opinion of the Senate as to the spirit of the rule.
appealed from the decision of the Chair. He adj
mitted that the present presiding officer had cor
rectly ruled, according to the presidents of the
Senate, but he believed the preceding rulings had
been wrong, and he wanted the Senate now to
declare a precedent that would enable senators
to offer amendments to such general legislation
as the House might put on appropriation bills.
Mr.. Edmunds, taking the chair, said the rul-
ing of Mr.. Plat, while in the chair. correctly
followed the presidents of the Senate, and the
effect of a successful appeal would be that it
would be in order, at any time, to propose any
amendment germane to the subject Of bills I'M
der consideration.
Mr.. Sherman thought it would be well to
pass now a resolution expressing, for the
present session, at least, the sense of the Senate
to be, that a true construction of the rule was