National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-01-15
BROWN UPON BECK'S BILL.
ANOTHER NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Sill
YER SPEECH IN THE SENATE.
The Bankers and Bondholders Respon-
siDle for the Request for Suspension
egisiation-Nepotism and Nonsense -
The House Considers the Succession


Legislation-Nepotis and Nonsense
The House Considers the Succession
BilI.
Yesterdays session at the north end Of
the capitol presented little to excite and in
tcrest the occupants Of the comfortably
filed galleries. Senator Browns speech on
the much-discussed silver question was the
leading incident Of the day, but the silver
question has been presented so often of late
as the daily chief item of attraction that II
Is becoming slightly monotonous to the
regular habitues. However, the august
senators must go upon the record, 50 the
silver speeches 60 on and will continue to
go on, though everybody now knows no
measure for the suspension OF coinage stands
the ghost Of chance for passing in either
branch.
Business opened with the presentation by
Senator Plat Of n petition from commercial
travellers praying for law to relieve them
Of burdCnsome taxation. After q short col
loquy, IN which several senators took part,
the petition was referred to the committee
ON commerce, whose chairman, Mr.. McMil
Ian, said the committee would be glad to
hear parties having any Views TO present on
either side OF the subject.
A resolution offered by Senator Morgan
was agreed to, directing q reference to the
committee nforeign relations Of thatpart Of
the Presidents message relating to the free
state OF the Congo, together with copy of
the general act NJ the Berlin conference re-
lating to the same Mr.. Morgan explained
that In his opinion investigation would
show that our representative at that con-
ference had kept within the scope Of his au-
thority and had In no way committed the
United States to any entangling alliance
Senator AlllsonIsald he desired to correct
an error Of statement In the Kelley CORE
spondence as printed and laid before the
Senate. The statement was to the effect
that when Mr.. Kasson was nominated to
the Spanish mission he was objected to by
Spain. This, he said was wholly erroneous.
No objection TO the reception of Mr.. Kas-
son had ever been made by the Spanish gov
ernment.
Mr.. Allison sent TO the desk, and the
clerk read, letter from Mr.. Evarts TO Mr..
Kasson, dated Jan. o, 1886, stating that no
such objection had ever been made, and
that "the appointment for Madrid orlgi-
nally proposed by me was changed upon
your preference TO Vienna, and for reasons
having no connection whatever with or
knowledge Of either government Senator
Evarts took the floor and confirmed all that
Senator Allison had said, so that Mr.. Kasson
stands well cleared OF the imputatlon OF
having once occupied position equivalent
TO that Mr.. Kelley found SO unpleasant.
Mr.. Morrill, resolution calling on the Sec
rotary OF the Treasury to inform the Senate
whether any collectors OF internal revenue
Of the pay of their offices was, with Mr.
Morrill's consent, amended to make II up
ply to past years, and agreed to.
On motion OF Mr.. Edmunds, the portion
of the Presidents message that relates Il
foreign affairs was referred to the commit
tee on foreign relations.
On motion of Mr.. Ingalls,, It was resolved
that when the Senate adiourns to-day II b.
to Monday next.
Going to the calendar, the Senate CAV,
some consideration to the bill providing To-
the division OF the Sioux Indian reservation
in Dakota. Without reaching result, til,
matter went over.
Mr.. Brown called up Mr.. Beck's silvc
| resolution and addressed the Senate on IL
| 1t would be unwise, Mr.. Brown said, ant
unjust to the people TO suspend the coin
age Of silver at present. SO far as TIL
bondholders were concerned, the medinr
in which they were 10 be paid had not bee
left in doubt but had been nominated |
the bond. They were to be paid in Law
full money of the United States. Tn
officers OF the treasury, he said, shout
treat al public creditors alike. III the
paid the bondholders in gold alone, the
should pay the laborer in gold alone.
AS to the accumulation of silver dollar
In the treasury, Mr. Brown insisted that
was the duty of the Secretary Of the Treas
ury opay them out to the public creditor
whenever anything was due, and II that di
not dispose of them, he should call Il
enough bonds, on which the people ar
paying interest, to absorb the silver dollars
and so stop the interest payments. IL til
pubic creditors Were paid thirty or fort
millions Of silver their endeavor would b
to keep up the value Of silver; II paid 4
gold alone their endeavor would be TO d.
preciate the value OF silver-to make
represent less property. II IL were sal
that II was not honest to pay them In silver
on the ground that the silver dollar wa
not an honest dollar, Mr.. Brown woul
reply that 1t was always honest To pay
debt In the very currency which the cred
itor, by his contract, had agreed to TAKE
The creditor had secured several SUE
cessive changes in the contract, an
the contract, as II now stood, was that I'll
bondholders should be paid In gold dollar
or silver dollars at the convenience Of III
treasury. Though they had thus agreed
take payment in either gold or silver the
were being paid In gold alone, while ever!
body else was paid in silver. This WI
neither fair dealing nor common honest,
Ever since the passage OF the net Of 1877
remonetizing silver and directing the coli
age of 50, 100000 month the bondholdel
and bankers had been threatening that a
our gold would be exported II we did M
stop coming silver. II was now eight yea
since the passage Of that act, and still, NJ
cording TO the report of the Secretary
the Treasury, we had twice as much gol
coin as silver coin In the country. Almo
every year we had imported more gold tina
we had exported. France and German
had three times as much legal tender silvC
coin as we had, yet our country was Sc
eral times larger than those countries con
bined, while our population was mo-
energetic and enterprsing than that Of an
other country In the world. We had with
the past five or six years exported $500
1000 worth OF merchandise more than "
had imported. Those figures reprcsentC
the sum Of money which foreign natiol
had paid us over and above the exchange
commodities. Inasmuch as gold was h
medium of settlement between Europe az
America, we would receive gold for OF
European balances. As TO our cOmmer,
with China, In tea, and with Brazil al
Cuba, IN coffee and sugar, the balance