The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1890-06-20
FREE SILVER.
Sweeping Amendments Adopted
By the Senate.
Piumb's Free Coinage Amendments Passed
BY Surprising vote-The Silver
Bill rs 1t Leaves the
Senate.

WASHINGTON, June 1s.-The Senate
surprised itself and everybody else yes
terday by passing a free coinage silver
bill by nearly two-thirds vote. 1t add
ed to the surprise by providing that coin
certificates which may take the place of
money thus coined shall be legal ten
der for all obligations, private or
public.
At about $50 p. m. the voting began.
few unimportant amendments which
had been offered were taken up and
voted down. 40
Then Senator Plumb's amendment,
which declared the silver dollar of 412x
grains equal in value to the gold dollar,
and authorized all holders of silver
bullion to take the same to the United
States mint and have it coined free of
charge, was taken up. The amendment
was read and a yea and nay vote de-
manded.
The Democrats voted almost solidly
for the proposition, and the Republicans
from the Mississippi valley and the Far
west generally voted aye. 1t was evil
dent before the call was completed that
the proposition had great strength and
that it had probably passed, but nobody
was prepared for the result which the
announcement of the vote showed, yeas
81, nays "a The announcement created
a buzz of surprise.
senator Plumb's free coinage amend
ment was substitute for the first sec
ton OF the bill. Senator Reagan offered
as an amendment that the provisions of
section 8 of the act of February %, 1878,
which provided for the coinage of silver
dollars and the issue of silver certifi-
Gates by the Treasury Department in
lieu of silver dollars deposited with the
treasury, apply to this bill. This was
passed by about the same vote, as was
also another amendment repeating the
provision OF the act of 1873, which re-
quires the purchase of silver by the
Secretary of the Treasury and the coin
age of 81, 100000 of silver bullion per
month.
Then Senator Teller offered another
amendment declaring the silver or gold
certificate issued by the treasury in lieu
OF the coin provided for by this act to be
a legal tender for both public and pri-
vate obligations.
This brought Senators Blair, Gray.
Call and others to their feet in opposi-
ton, Blair declaring that the attempt
|
cept that of war or great public emer-
gency was an unprecedented one and
dangerous. After a discussion the
amendment was adopted; yeas "a, nays
%.
| Then the Senate proceeded to cut out
OF the original bill nearly every line in
it and substitute amendments which il
adopted, and by the time this was com.
| NIL tnd hn
ments had taken on an entirely new
form.
1t was then passed-yeas. 40; nays, 25
The Senate then, at Sis, adjourned
TEXT OF THE SILVER BILL.
WASHINGTON, June 1s.-The follow
ing is the Silver bill as it now stands as
adopted by the Senate:
lection l. That from and after the date o.
the passage of this act the unit of value o
the United Strtes shall be the dollar anC
the same may be coined of 4I2l2 grains O.
standard silver or of twenty five and eight
tenths grains of standard gold, and tn'
same coin shall be equally legal tender
for all debts. public or private; tha
thereafter any owner of silver OIL
gold bullion may deposit the same
at any mint of the United States to b,
formed into standard dollars or bars for hi:
beneft and without charge: but it shall bC
lawful to refuse any deposit of less valu,
than SOD or any bullion so base as to be un
suitable the operations of the mint.
Sec 2. That the provisions of section o
an act to authorize the coinage of the stand
ard silver dollar and to restore its lega
tender character which became law Feb
ruary 20, 1878. is hereby made applicable t.
the coinage in this act provided for.
Sec g. That the certificates provided 70
In the second section of this act and all sill
yer and gold certificates already issued shall
be of denominations of lot less than one o
more than one hundred dollars and sucI
certificates shall he redeemabIe in coin o
Standard value. sufficient sum to carr,
out the provis ions of this act is h"reby ap
propriate1. The prov sion in section 1 o
the act of +. b. 20, 1873 entitled ian act t,
authorize the coinage CT the standard silve
dollar and restore its legal telde
character" which quires the Secretary o
the Treasury to purchase at the marke
price thereof not less than 81, 900, O0o of sIIve
bullion per month nor more than $4,000
worth per month of such bullion is herebl
repealed.
Sec l. That the certificates provided 70
in this act and all silver an gold certificate
. already issued shall be receivable for al
taxes and dues to the United States of ever,
description and shall be a legal tender TO
the payment of all debts, public AM
private.
fec. s. The owners of bullion deposited 70
coinage shall have the opportunity to re
ceive coin or its equivalent in the certifi
| Gates pr ded for in this act and such bull
lion shall be subsequently coined.
Section provides for covering into tn
treasury the fund held for the redemption
of National bank circulation.
The title of the bill was amended so T.
read: ''An act to provide for the free coin
, age of gold and silver bullion and for othe
purposes"