Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-06-19
FREE SILVER.
Sweeping Amendments Adopted
By the Senate.
THE HOUSE SILVER BILL CHANGED.
Plumb's Free Coinage Amendment Passed
BY q Surprising VOte-The Silver
Bill as 1t Leaves the
Senate.

WASHINGTON, June 1S.-The Senate
surprised itself and everybody else yes
terday by passing 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 2:3O p. m. the voting began
A few unimportant amendments which
had been offered were taken up and
voted down.
Then Senator Plumb's amendment
which declared the silver dollar of 412H
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 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
80, nays "a. The announcement created
buzz of surprise.
Senator Plumb's free coinage amend
ment was a substitute for the first sec
ton of the bill. Senator Reagan offered
as an amendment that the provisions OF
section of the act of February2S, 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 1878, which re-
quires the purchase of silver by the
Secretary of the Treasury and the coin
age of 81, 900, 600 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
d
vate obligations.
This brought Senators Blair, Gray,
Call and others to their feet in opposi-
ton, Blair declaring that the attempt
to make flat" money in any time ex-
cept that of war or great public ener-
| 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 it
adopted, and by the time this was COM
| pleted the House bill with its amend
ments had taken on an entirely new
| form.
1t was then passed--yeas, ~; nays, 25.
The Senate then, at 5:15, adjourned.
TENT OF TIE SILVER BILL.
WASHINGTON, June 1S.-The follow
ing is the Silver bill as it now stands as
| adopted by the Senate:
Section l. That from and after the date Of
| the passage of this act the unit of value of
the United StEtes shall be the dollar and
the same may be coined of 412l2 grains OF
standard silver or of twenty five and eight
tenths grains of standard gold, and the
same coin shall be equally legal tender
| for all debts, public or private; that
| thereafter any owner of silver or
gold bullion may deposit the same
| at any mint of the United States to be
| formed into standard dollars or bars for his
| benefit and without charge; but IL shall be
| lawful to refuse any deposit of less value
than 500 or any bullion so base as to be un-
| suitable for the operations of the mint.
rI,,t L. of ~
an act to authorize the coinage of the stand
I ard silver dollar and to restore its legal
| tender character which became law Feb
ruary IS, 1873. is hereby made applicable to
| the coinage in this act provided for.
| Sec. 3. That the certificates provided for
In the second section of this act and all sill
| yer and gold certificates already issued shall
be of denominations of not less than one or
more than one hundred dollars and such
certificates shall he redeemable in coin of
standard value. \ sufficient sum to carry
out the provisi ions of this act is hereby ap-
propriated- The provision in section l of
| the act of Feb. 2S, 1878 entitled "an act to
| authorize the coinage Of the standard silver
dollar and restore its legal tender
| character" which quires the Secretary of
the Treasury to purchase at the market
price thereof not less than 100000 of silver
bullion per month nor more than 81, ,000, 900
worth per month of such bullion is hereby
repealed.
Sec. l. That the certificates provided for
| in this act and all silver and gold certificates
| already issued shall be receivable for all
taxes and dues to the United States of every
description and shall be a legal tender for
the payment of all debts, public and
| private.
Sec. 5. The owners of bullion deposited for
coinage shall have the opportunity to re-
ccive coin or its equivalent in the certih-
notou Y dad for in this act and Such hui :
| lion shall be subsequently coined.
Section provides for covering into the
treasury the fund held for the redemption
of National bank circulation.
The title of the bill was amended so as to
read: "An act to provide for the free coin
age of gold and silver bullion and for other
purposes"