The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-06-09
CAUCUS BILL PASSED.
Closing Day of the Silver Debate In
the House.

VIC fN0GoOs
WASHINGTON, June 7.-Before the be-
ginning of the debate on the silver bill in the
House, today, at the request of Mr. Payson
of Illinois, Mr.. Conger of Iowa, in charge of
the bill, modified his substitute so as to pro-
vide that the treasury notes issued in pur-
suance Of the bill shall be a legal tender in
payment of all debts, public and private,
striking out the following words: Except
where otherwise expressly stipulated in the
contract" Mr.. Payson said that he realized
that the bill would in substance pass
this body, and it would be done in obedience
to public sentiment, which he believed to be
universal in favor of larger use of siver as
money metal and of further increase of
the currency of the country. Referring to
the financial plank of the Republican plat
form, and speaking of the treasury bill, he
said that he had not expected when he list
ened to the reading of that plank that two
years thereafter he would be called upon to
vote in Republican House upon a measure
which not only, practically and absolutely
demOnetlZed silver as money metal. but
established gold standard upon the stat
ute books. 1t wiped from the statute books
the only law the country had for the coinage
of the standard silver dollar. He believed
in the doctrine announced by the Republi-
can National Convention, and he stood for
it. He opposed the treasury bill because it
proposed to treat silver simply and purely as
% merchantable %s e. commodity, and to fix (nntil
tion on the statutes that guid. and gold
alone, should be the standard of value, de-
clared so by the supreme law of the land.
He had always believed that the doctrine of
Of paper which should be issued by the gen
eral government having monetary functions
at ali. should be legal tenderlfor all debts,
private as well as public. This MAS Was Il not
ure of bullion redemption was an argument
that was conclusive that this bill and the
the substitute were treating silver bullion as
a commodity and nothing else. On this prin-
pie the same thing could be done with as
great propriety with copper. with tin and
with nickel as was proposed to be done
with silver.
He was confidently advised that if this bill
should pass in its present form the matter to
which he had alluded would be corrected
elsewhere. This bill was bound to be con-
sidered at the other end of the Capitol; it
would be amended there and the House
would have an opportunity to vote on the
amendments.
Mr.. Bynn,gm of Indiana-"suppose it is not
-"From.assurances have from
another source, have no more doubt of that
than that l am standing hele. = Mr.. Payson
then proceeded to criticize the silver policy
of the Hayes, Arthur, Cleveland and Harri-
nunciation of the Cleveland administration
by the Republican party, and said that he
had indorsed that denunciation all over Illi-
nois.
Mr.. Williams of Illinois inquired whether
the present law, if fairly executed, was not
better than the pending bill.
Mr.. Payson replied that, if the discretion
vested in the secretary OF the treasury had
been fairly used for the past six months, let
alone for % seven or eight years, no such legis-
lation as this would be under discussion TO-
day. [Applause.] The treasury officials
were the friends of gold and gold alone. No
miser ever clutched for gold with greater
avarice and greed than every secretary of the
treasury.
Mr.. Mutchler of Pennsylvania was opposed
to both propositions pending before the
House.
Mr.. Hatch of Missouri reiterated and in
dorsed everything the gentleman from Illi-
nois had said relative to the hostile attitude
and denounced the method In which the
measure had been brought before the House.
If gentlemen, said he. believed in repre-
sentative form of government, why did they
not give the people, through their represent
atiyes, an opportunity of voting for fair
and honest proposition to put silver on an
equality with gold. Because they knew it
would pass by a large majority. Before the
sun sank today behind the western front of
the Capitol, more representatives. would
have betrayed their constituents and yiolat-
ed their conscences than ever before. fAp-
plausel. If gentlemen on the other side,
who, on the floor declared themselves in IA
vor of free and unlimited coinage, would
throw off the caucus shackles, before the
sun went down today silver would be re-
stored to perfect equality with gold. Re-
ferring to the election, he said that Republi-
can success had not been due to Republican
had been the frying of the fat out of the
manufacturers. 1t was the most debasipg
and demoralizing spectacle ever witnessed in
this country, the counting out OF Tilden not
excepted applause Grand The ,,mo House
the exhibition of Massachusetts
on the floor. Laughter Today the
House was witnessing the triumph of the
Republican machine, which was running as
it never run before, with man in control of
recklessnesss than any man who had ever
had control of it before. rApplause and
laughterl. Gentlemen on the other side got
up, and. with apologetic lips, said that they
we're in favor Of free free coinage but t,d my
vote for it. Laughter. If the silver men
on the other side joined with those on the
Democratic side they would roll up such
majority for the demands OF the. people on
the silver question. that even ,t the man the
Republicans had put in the White House
would not dare to dlsapprCye 1t. lApplausel.
Mr.. Tracey of New York said that since
the opening of the 51st Congress it had been
constant surprise to him that the admins
tratlon, knowing the widely different views
held by people in the United States had not
avalled OF the power under existing law to
increase the purchase of silver bullion in
steao OF pressing new measure upon Con-
greSS
Mr.. Bartine of Nevada advocated free
coinage
Mr.. Connor of Illinois said there were not
twenty men on the floor who dared to vote
for free coinage if they believed the bill
would become law. Why? Because they
knew thai people in New York
Isaac, and Abraham, and Thomas
would buy up The bullion of the
world, and, rushing with it to she mints, take
out $1.26 in money for bullion costing them
81. While he did not apprehend that the
bill was perfect mis- Judgment was that, take
| it all in all, 1t was the sOundest measure that
the House could originate and pass.
Mr.. Anderson of Kansas favored free sill
yer coinage. The only men, he thought, who
would be hurt by it were the men who loaned
mODeV.