, 1885-02-10
SILVER COINAGE.
The Senate Has a Struggle
With the Bill.
COnspiracies of the Banks
Against the Laws.
Jealousy Between the Senate
and House.
CONGRESSIONAL.
The silver BIN in the senate.

ported the provisions of the bill calling
for the redemption of the trade dollar.
but strongly opposed the suspension of
the coinage Of the standard dollar. The
proposition to suspend silver coinage had
no necessary or proper connection with
the trade dollar bill 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 a discount, and were now in the
hands of bankers and brokers. He had
felt confident these bankers would be able
to make themselves heard by congress,
and the result proved he guessed Alright.
1t was said trade dollars were not coins Of
the United States. bat had been given a
legal tender character by accident or in
advertence, and that therefore we ought
not to take them up. There was no ac-
cident or inadvertence about it. Beck
said. They were made coins Of the
United States, just as gold was so coined.
The provisions prohibiting counterfeiting
applied equally to the trade dollar as to
gold eagles. When congress concluded to
limit the issue of trade dollars to the
quantity required for export, it did not
take the coin character nor the coin value
from them; and certainly as to all those
that had actually been issued it could with
no reason whateverb be said they were not
oosro - H. TTrstoI Qtotoe TIa
tary Of the treasury had been constituted
by law the judge of the num-
Der which he should issue
and he had chosen to issue 35, 000, 900
He. (Beck) wanted specially to know
what the ''inadyertence'' was that had
been alluded to. Morrill, said that by
''inadvertence" he (Morril) meant that,
as trade dollars had been minted solely for
export, it was wrong to have given thema
legal tender at all. Beck said that
would be equivalent to saying 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 PROPOSE
ton to suspend silver coinage was the re-
suit Of hat conspiracy. He inquired
why banks should be permitted to con-
spire against the laws. There were al
ready laws enough, but not n Of our
public officers wanted to execute those
laws. The people needed new officers.
Senator Morgan said he had at the last
session submitted 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
Of that committee Beck) that the COM
mittee was cognizant ofthe commission of
crimes by banks; that the president also
was cognizant oft, but the crimes were
not punished Morgan saw no use in
multiplying statutes merely that the sem
ate of the United States itself might dis
honor them by constantly and persistently
ignoring their existence.
The pension appropriation bill was
t~hen.taken up. A long discussion ensued
regarding the Interpretation of the senate
rule forbidding proposing general legisla-
ton on appropriation bills.
A discussion arose on a point Of order
raised by Senator ingalls, on an amend
ment proposed by the senate appropriation
committee to this bill.
Senator Sherman thought it would be
well to pass a resolution, expressing. for
the present session at least, the sense Of
the senate to be. that, the time con-
struction Of the rule was that amendments
of general Legislative measures may be
made to the appropriation bills.
Senator Edmunds, taking the floor,
spoke strongly against opening the
door to any proposition which would
permit such amendments. There was no
embarrassment, he said, involved in the
position Of the senate. The way was per-
fectly clear. All the senate had to do was
to strike out all the provisions of any OBJ
~jectionable character referred to. There
would be no collision between the two
houses. The senate was not, by such
action, declaring that, because the house
would not do what the senate wanted, the
senate would therefore not carry on the
government.
Itwould not only be absured, but wicked
to make such a declaration. The house
was a patriotic body and it was just as
patriotic as the senate. He might say
the senate held motions about this mat
ter; but the house knew neither body
could coerce the other and the subject
would be taken into proper and serious
consideration.
Senator Hoar said if the decision of the
chair vas not sustained the senate might
as well propose an amendment to the
constitution declaring the house 10 be only
a law making body. He Hoar) did mo-
wish an extra session; but better an ex
ira session than the practice Of lacking
legislation to appropriate bills. Senate
Hoar, in abiding to the failure Of tn
house to consider the bankruptcy bill
said he did not believe the American PEG
pie would long tolerate hat one of thei
Legislative chamber should be fettered b,
rules that made It possible for a dozen o