Morning journal and courier., 1890-07-12
TIE FIFrx-r1nsr CONGRESS.

THE FIFTY-FIRsT CONGRESS. Farther Discussion on the Shipping
 Bi1ls-The Conference Report on she
 Silver Bill Submitted to the House.
 Discussion Limited to Four Hours-
 To be Taken Up To-Day.
 WASHINGTON, D. O., July 11.-Mr. Teller introduced joint resolution declaring it to be the determined policy of the United States government to use both gold and sil- yer as full legal tender money, instructing the president to invite the governments Of the Latin Union countries, and of such other nations as he may deem advisable, to join the United States in conference to adopt common ratio between gold and silver for the purpose of establishing internationally the use of bi-metallic money and securing fxity or relative value between those metals.
 The conference is to be held at such place as may be mutually agreed upon by the executives of the governments joining in 1t. And when, in the judgment of the president of the United States, Q sufficient number of nations shall have entered into such inter- national arrangement he shall declare the ration 30 fixed to be the existing ratio in the United States. The president is to ap- point no less than three nor more than five commissioners to attend such . conference on the part of the United States and who are to receive $2,500 and their reasonable ex- penses.
 The joint resolution WAS referred to the finance committee.
 Mr. Wilson of Iowa offered resolution (which was referred to the committee on foreign relations) calling on the secretary of n fNR S~vn< nGA American citizen, Thomas T. Collins, being deprived of his rights, liberty and property at Manila, in the Phillipine Islands, and as to what action has been taken in regard to the matter by the state department.
 The senate then proceeded to the consid- eration of the senate bill to establish 8 United States land court and to provide for the settlement of private land claims in New Mexico, Wyoming, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Colorado, such claims being by virtue of Spanish or Mexican rights.
 The bTl was discussed until two o'clock, when the shipping bills were in order as the unfinished business. They were taken up and Mir. Gibson addressed the senate. He argued against the proposed subsidies for ships, but in favor of moderate postal subsi- dies He spoke of the importance of estab- fishing line of steamships te trade with the Congo country, of building a government dry dock at New Orleans, and of reforming the tariff by admitting commodities from the South American states at lower rates of duties. but there was nothing, he said, more destructive of the ships ping interests than an attempt to tax the farmers and producers of the c0un- try in order to supply bounties for ship- builders. It was not by such means that the United States had once occupied a leading position on the ocean. It was by freedom, not by restraint; self reliance, not by boun- ties or subsidies. He appealed to the chair man of the committee on commerce (Mr. Frye) to relax the rigidity of the policy; to allow ships to be purchased abroad and sail tariff duties from all materials, supplies and outfits that go into the construction and sailing of ships, and to accept as compro- mise the policy of giving postal subsidies to American built vessels.
 MT. Coke stated why he opposed the bill to grant subsidies in aid of the merchant marine. That proposition, he said, com- menced at the surface and not at the root of the trouble. The cause which had from 1S55 to 1889 pulled down the carrying trade of the American merchant marine from 75 per cent. of imports and exports to 16 per cent. was not a surface cause or @ casual cause. The frst great leading cause of the decadence had been the substitution of iron and steel ships for wooden ships. To that original cause had been added the legislation that for. | bade American citizens from buying foreign built ships, and the tariff legislation that l tended to protect the United States from other nations. If he had to frame bill to place the American mer chant marine on an equality wist that of other nations he would moi commence with taxing the people for the pay ment of subsidies, but he would take hold ol the shipping laws of the United States ani | repeal them. He would allow to American citizens at least the same privileges that for | eigners had in American ports of getting their ships where they could buy then cheapest. He would also modify the tariff laws that they would not seal up the port of the United States against the importation of foreign goods. He protested against tn bill because it proposes to tax the people fo was impossible under existing legislation The plan proposed was Utopian one, wis ionary one. It was simply impossible unde existing tariff and navigation laws to buil, up the foreign carrying trade of the Unite States.
 Mr. Vest offered as substitute for tn
 bill as to the American merchant marine
 provision for free ships to be used only i
 the foreign carrying trade, not in the coast
 wise or lake trade. The bills went owe
 without action after sn unsuccessful effoI
 
 morrow. After brief executive session th
 senate at $40 p. m. adjourned until te
 morrow.
 MT. Conger of Iowa presented the confer
 ence report on the silver bill. After it ha
 been read the question of consideration we ! raised by Mir. Bland of Missouri.
 ] The question was put. "Will the hous
 proceed to the consideration of the confe
 enoe reporta" and it resulted-yeas 106, nay
 A, the speaker being unable to record
 quorum.
 A call of the house was then ordered.
 the call 194 members, more than 8 qurun responded to their names. It was the : agreed, on suggestion of MT. Blount ( Georgia, that four hours debate should allowed to morrow on the silver conferent : report, at the end of which time the prev
 ous question should be considered as ordere, The vote on the consideration of the silv conference report was partisan. the republ cans voting in the affirmative and the den ) ocrats in the negative. The only exceptio was MT. Rogers of Arkansas, who before u announcement of the result changed his vo
 to the affirmative in order to move a recoI
 sideration, but this motion was made usele by the absence of a quorum.
 The house met at o'clock, and on q