The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-21
THE FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS-
Mr. Frye Proposes an Inquiryas to Con-
vict Labor on Government Work.
Mr. Morrill, Delivers Speech Combating
Mr.. Beck's Silver Theory-Debate on
Widows Pensions in the House.
THE SENATE.
An Inquiry as to Convict Labor-Mr. Morriii
Makes an Anti-Silver Speech.

An Inquiry as to Convict LaDor-Mr Ho11M
Makes an Anti-Silver Speech.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2O-On the opening of the
Senate, to-day, Mr. Hale offered the following
resolution:
Resolved. That the Secretary of the Treasury be di
TO the contract Branerd to other parties for
the work. any part of the same. of putting addi
tional story the Peoria ILL.,. postofice in 1888;
also, all protests fled by labor leagues In relation
thereto; also copy of the protest filed by Messrs.
Straub g. Co., of Buffalo N. Y, giving information
that work of said contract would be performed by
convict labor and that consequently the contractors
who employed free labor could not afford to compete
for the work
In Offering the resolution Mr.. Hale said he was
not prepared to believe. without further infor-
nation, that the Secretary of the Treasury
would let any contract for work to be done on
public buildings in euch way that the work
would be performed by convict labor. He Mr..
Halel had received information of such charac-
ter as made It desirable to ascertain the facts in
the case set forth in his resolution. He did not
believe that contracts for public work should be
let to the employers of convict labor when there
was no lack of ordinary labor of the country.
He did not believe that free labor should be put
In competition with convict labor The resolu-
1ution was agreed to.
A resolution offered by Mr.. Mitchell. of
Oregon, for reference to the committee on
foreign relations and so referred, calling on the
ence between the United States government and
the Chinese government since the promulgation
of our treaty with China, having reference to the
enforcement of the treaty provisions.
The resolution to pay the expenses or Judge
Underwood of Virginia in contesting seat in
the Senate which resolution has lain over since
the special session OF the Senate, was laid before
the Senate, and, on objection by Mr.. Allison to
its present consideration. it went over.
Mr. Morrill, addressed the Senate on the silver
question. He promised with the remark that
the elaborate speech of the senator from Ken
lucky Mr. Beck seemed to throw the burden OF
rejoinder on the friends of the administration
II do not mean," he continued, ito encroach
upon the privileges which so many Democratic
senators appear eager to enjoy. of coming to the
rescue Of the President and the Secretary of the
Treasury against the rather cruel attack made
upon a cardinal measure of the administration,
as I know the fate of those who ven
ture to interfere with family quarrels
but this measure, through which silver
might be maintained on par with gold,
80 worthy of all acceptaton, fear will not have,
after the hot demonstration of the recognized
leader of his party in the Senate against it, that
unanimous support to which it may be fairly en-
titled. In the first place, let me say that there
are no parties, 80 far as know, in the Senate,
or out of it, that propose or that have any wish,
to demonetize silver To charge otherwise is a
baseless assumption. and IN worthy of the arena
of fair debate Everybody is willing. nay aux-
ious, to keep as much silver in circulation as can
with our gold coinage. The only hostility to sill
yer arises from what seems to be fixed and
passionate purpose on the part of some of its adj
yocates to promote such an excess of silver coin
age as will drive gold out of the country and
leave vast trade and commerce based upon
silver only. In reaching this position of silver
monometalism, it is impossible to be blind
to the disastrous contraction OF the
circulating medium of the country that would at
once occur; for when the moment arrives that
gold commands a premium it will all be held as
q commodity for sale, not for circulation, a
small or 5-per-cent premium being as product
tive OF universal boarding as 20 per cent and no
possible advantage to our people could be ex-
pected from following the lame and feeble exam
pie Of India or Mexico in utilizing silver cur
rency only.n Mr.. Morrill, insisted that there was
no war upon silver, but that, in substance and
effect, declaration of had been made on
gold by the leader Of the Democratic party in
the Senate. From the pleasure which the Sen
ator from Kentucky had evinced in delivering in
the Senate his antagonisms to the President and
Secretary of the Treasury, it seemed to Mr.. Nor
rill that that Senator had been, for the moment
under the delusion that he was still belaboring
with lefthanded compliments some Republican
President and Secretary; but Mr.. Morrill, could
look on with composure, confident as he
was, of the survival of the fttest."
His Mr.. Morrill'sl conviction that continued
coinage Of large amounts OF silver would drive
all the gold out of the country, was based on
the past experience of all civilized peoples, that
the inferior money never failed to expel the su-
perior and on the fact that our own silver mines
furnished more than one-half the annual silver
yield of the world Mr. Morrill, denied that
there had been any failure on the part of the
Treasury officials to comply with the laws re-
garding the application of the moEev received
from customs dues. 1t would not be contended,
he said. by anybody, except perhaps, the Sena
tor from Kentucky that as the money was re-
ceived at the customs offices, it was to be set
apart in separate fund The percentage of
these silver dollars in actual circulation outside
the Treasury has been constantly growing less
since 1881. making then 30 per cent and now
only 18. per cent We have coined over 205,-
000 900 Of silver dollars, and have only been able.
at any time, through much cost and
trouble to get $50 0O0,0 600 intos circulation.
Whenever the government, from inability. or
indisposition, shall fail to maintain the silver
dollar at par with gold, all of the silver certif
Gates, well as all other paper currency, togeth
with the silver dollar itself. will fall to the
act commercial value of the bullion contained in
the standard silver dollar. All of legal ten
der must then stand on that basis There is no
financial or legislative witchcraft. The Senator
from Kentucky [Mr. Beck, of course, expected
to carry the Empire State in 1883 on his plat
form. Not himself eligible candidate for the
presidency. the distinguished Senator waves his
banner reckless of the clouds, without any sill |
yer lining, which thereby token the fate of any
Democratic son of New York who may seek to
conquer under that sign The inevitable result |
OF using silver in the payment of the public
debt would be to Danish gold or twothirds of
all our present metallic circulation. and leave MS
with nothing but silver coinage Go
where it might, it would have more
appreciation. and its departure could
not fail to produce serious monetary criss-a
contraction which Congress wonld be promptly
asked to cure by an indefinite issue of new edi-
ton of legal tender greenbacks, or by revival
of the wildcat banks to supply the place of the
departed gold. This, for anythine2the Supreme
Court has already announced, Con- ress may do
its pleasure. Such step once taken, the expert
ence of the world shows. cannot be easily re-
traced. Mr. Morrill, contended that The public
faith was pledged to the payment of the bonds
both principal and interest, in gold. and that our
credit would be dishonored by paying them in
silver worth seventy nine cents on the dollar and
concluded as follows: THE fact that the Presi
dent and the Secretary of the Treasury the |
Treasurer, the Director of the Mint and the