, 1890-06-25
THE SILVER BILL AGAIN.
The Coinage Committee Reports
1t to the House
And a Vote Will be Taken at
2 o'clock Today.
Senators at Work on hppro-
priation Bills.

WASHINGTON, June 24.-SprinQer, of
Illinois, called attention to the fact that
the journal showed that the legislative
appropriation bill, as amended by the
senate, had been referred to the appro-
priations committee without reference to
the house. He said if anything had been
decided in the case OF the silver bill. it
was that reference should be made in the
open house and that the bill should have
gone to the committee of the whole.
The speaker said the usual custom had
been followed and that the record duly
informed the house of references, aud
therefore declared the journal approved.
A conference was ordered on the bill
to ~reorganize the customs collection dis
trict OF Puget Sound.
Mckinley. from the committee on
rules, reported a resolution that the
house proceed at once to consider the sill
yer bill with senate amenments and at 2
O'Clock tomorrow the previous question
be considered as ordered. He demanded
the previous question on the adoption OF
the resolution. which was ordered, twenty
minutes debate being allowed on the
other side. The Democrats denounced
this action as the application of gag rule.
Mckinley said the purpose of the resolu-
ton was to secure speedy and
definite action upon the subject
OF silver. He was surprised at
opposition from the other side. They
charged that the Republicans would
smother the silver bill and prevent legis-
lation. Today had been given a direct
refutation of that statement. The Re
publicans had brought the bill back al
most at once. They invited the house to
concur or non concur in the senate amend
ments. The order gaye an opportunity
to the free coinage men to vote for their
proposition. 1t was results the Republi-
can side was after, and politics the Demo
cratic side was after.
Mr.. Springer of Illinois said the Re
publicans had finally been obliged to
come over to the Democratic position.
The special rule was adopted without
division. TIE coinage committee pre-
scented its report. 1t simply recon
mended that the house non-concur in
each and all OF the senate amendments to
the silver bill
house concur IN them.
ou bhCSt FAOpOSlNNOuo luG utD1lC DC
gan.
Conger defended the action of his COM
mittee saying it has reported wise aud
conservative measures. Ii the bullion
redemption feature was stricken out her
the government was placed in the posi-
ton OF buying gold and silver bullion and
paying for II in silver coin, for that was
the only money provided for the purpose
now, Free coinage meant n profit of
SI3. O00. 600 a year to the bullion owners
of this country. 1t meant that we should
say to the world: Bring us your silver
and we will give YOU 80 per cent more for
it than You can get for it snywhere else.
ConQer held that under the terms Of the
house bill silver aud gold would be
equally within the reich OF all, while if
the senate bill passed the country would
be driven TO a silver basis. He hoped
that under the terms of the house bill sill
Yer would appreciate; under the terms of
the senate bill he believed it would not.
He wished his colleagues could understand
the pressure that has been brought to
bear by the men interested in silver sDec-
ulation to secure silver Legislation. Not
only have paid Lobbyists been plying their
avocatiOn here, but various other means
have been resofted to by silver spectators
to prOcure legislation. Pool after pool
has been organized IN this city to specu-
late in silver. Money has been deposited
in banks in this country BY hundreds and
hundreds of thousands ready to pur
chase bullion as soon as this legislation
should pass. These people were opposed
to the house bill simply because il
that bill passed they would have to
trust to the market value of their pro-
lr. I H., g., ---axa XII U-.a.l IL
congress of the United States would fix
the value at 30 per cent above what silver
was worth. He had been invited tune
and again to join silver pools, but as long
as he had a seat here his voice should te
raised in behalf of the people of this
country, for the lahoring man, for the
savings bank depositors. for the crippled
and starved soldiers of the country. In
conclusion. Conger said If there was no
silver legislation the responsibility would
rest upon the advocates of free coinage,
because the delay up to this time rested
largely upon their shoulders.
Bland knew nothing about any lobby.
He had net seen it and had never heard
of it. Ii speculative pools had been or
gauized thev might have been founded
upon belief in the passage of the house
bill because it opened the door to the
widest speculation. One day there might
be ten millions in the treasury, and the
next not a million. He criticised the
house bill in other respects He was for
free coinage, but if he could not get it he
would vote for this bill if he could get two
observation-disclosures providing that notes
outstanding should not be limited to the
cost price of bullion. and another that
notes should be redeemed in coin. This
latter was important in order that coinage
should be kept up and bullion not stored
in the treasury simply as a commodity.
Townsend OF Colorado said free coinage
was the only way to secure a stable fnan-
cial system, but if he could not get free
coinage he would vote for this four and a
half million bill as offering considerable
improvement on present conditions. The
question was further debated by Kerr,
Vest, Hill. Kelly, Struble. Wheeler and
Bartine. The htters tated that he felt it
his duty to vote for any measure that
pointed in the direction of free silver.