The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-17
IN THE SENATE.
Another Day Spent In Considering the
silver Question.

WASHINGTON, May 16.-In the senate
to-day Edmunds for the judiciary COM
mittee reported back the house amend
Iment to the antitrust bill with an amend
ment thereto striking out certain words
and inserting the words $50 that the rates
Of such transportation may not be raised
above what is just and reasonable"
Agreed to and the conference committee
appointed. The silver bill was then
taken up and Sherman offered the
amendment mentioned in yesterdays
dispatches. Plumb moved To amend
Sherman's amendment by inserting "and
hereafter no funds. available for the pay
ment OF the Dpublic debt, including such
as are kept for redemption of
treasury notes, shall be retained in
the treasury In excess Of SilO,O00,0O0."
Sherman opposed Plumbs amendment,
as putting restraint upon the treasury
department and preventing IL from pay
ing government obligations as they be-
came due. Plumb defended his amend
ment, arguing that the treasury depart
ment should have nothing to do with the
currency supply OF the country and hold
ing OF money in the treasury except for
the needs OF the government itself as
an economic critic. He (PlumbD did not
want the secretary OF tile treasury To he
the instrument OF speculation in Wall
street or elsewhere, he did not want the
bulls and bears Of New York speculating
on what the government was going to do
about retaining or putting out money.
He did not want to have treasury
points" petldled on Wall street
as coming from persons near the throne.
Congress ought tn put a limit on the
amount Of money TO be kept on hand in
the treasury, SO that whatever the result
might be IL could never be imputed tn the
secretary that he had used his great dis
cretionary power either unwiscly or wick
edly.
The discussion was further continued
by Sherman and Hiscock coming To the
discussion OF the silver bill itscli. Sher-
man said he did not like some of its fea-
tures. He may he driven To support IL.
Some of the friends Of the bill seem To
have abandoned il already. There are
some good features in II which like very
well. II we can agree upon some meas
ure that will furnish the people money
and tend To advance silver bullion nearer
the standard Of gold am willing to vote
for such measure, but l do not want to
embark upon the wide sea of free coin
age of silver, and do not want congress
10 pledge itself TO buy all the silver which
may be offered. Let those who will take
the risk Of such a speculation take IL, not
l. But anything whatever that can be
done by this bill, or any other, to give us
more good paper money based ON actual
deposits OF gold and silver bullion, or
that will raise the valuc of silver
will favor. IL We can adopt measure
thot will make use OF both gold and silver
and keep them together at par with each
other. will vote for il. II not, will con-
tent myself by simply voting in the mega
tive, The discussion was continued at
great length, finally turning on the
monthly debt statements Of the treasury,
Ingalls, asserting that he found In them
astounding, amazing, bewildering, and
irreconcilable discrepancy; Sherman un-
dcrtaking Tn explain them and Allison
giving is views upon them. Allison said
there was erroneous but widespread be-
lief in the country, particularly In the
west, that there was an immense amount
OF government money stored up i'm the
treasury, while In fact the real surplus
was as stated by Sherman, S35,O0O,0OO.
The silver bill went over without action
and the house adjourned.