The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-13
SILVER STRIFE ENDS.
House Passes the Compromise
by a Party Vote.
EVERY DEMOCRAT VOTED NO.
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The Senate Passes the Postal and
Tonnage Sub idy Bi Is. !.
Almost Party Vote Alss-Edmunds and
Platt Vote with the Democrats
Blaine Urges Conference to Estab-
lish International Coinage.

churches of Maine for the passage of the
original package bill; referred.
Conger of Iowa called up the conference
report Oil the silver bill Conger said the
bill presented in The report was, as all con-
ference bills must be, in the nature of
compromise. 1t was not just such bill
as he thought congress ought to pass. 1t
was not just such bill, perhaps, as any
member of the House would like to pass, if
he were preparing q measure to state his
convictions; but it was q bill that would
answer the demands Of the country; that
would answer the demands of the silver
minority; that would answer the demands
of the agriculturists, laborers and busi-
ness men of the country. The gentleman
from Missouri (Bland) wouId tell the
House that the bill demonetized silver. 1t
did nothing Of the kind. On the contrary,
the whole tenor of the measure remone-
tized silver. Additional circulation had
been demanded. The bill would give the
country. at the present price OF silver. an
increase OF $57,T80, 900 year. If silver
went up to par with gold it would give an
increase of $40, 900, COO The last section of
the bill unlocked $70,55OO0O now tied up
for redemption of bank notes, making the
twelve months $140,0C0, COO.
Williams of Illinois inquired whether the
gentleman in his calculation did not as
sumo that silver would not reach parity
VITA gold.
Conger replied that whether it did or
not, the increase would be nearly that
amount. AT any rate, it would fall short
of that only about 81 300, 900. Was the
gentleman from Missouri (BIand) willing
to stand here and vote against measure
which would give the suffering people of
the West an additional circulation Of this
large amount? He wanted the Demo-
cratic party to tell the country whether it
was unwilling to refuse to support a bill
that would give the people large measure
OF relief. This was q Republican measure.
Republican applausel The pending
measure had been agreed upon by Republic
cans only. 1t had been passed in the Sem
ate by Republican votes only, and it might
pass here by Republican votes only. 1t
would then go where it would be signed by
Republican president, and thence it
would go to country that would give
such Republican Endorsement that many
of the gentlemen on The other side would
not be here to vote in the next congress.
The work of the House had been moving
the country rapidly towards the establish
ment of parity between silver and gold.
When congress met silver brought 90 cents
per ounce. Yesterday it sold at $i.O71l.
Since it had been announced that the con-
ferees had agreed upon bill. silver had
gone up more than cents an ounce. IRE
publican applausel.
Cutcheon of Michigan regarded the con-
ference bill as a vast improvement over the
monstrosity sent by the Senate, which pro-
posed to make the United States mint a
dumping ground for all the silver OF the
world for the benefit of speculation. It
was also an improvement over the bill as
originally passed by the House 1t would
give the country additional currency of
metal and paper for use in business.
Hermann OF Oregon said he favored the
bill. although it did not contain the fullest
recognition of the equality of gold and sill
yer as money metals. 1t was concession
on both sides of the question. It was
victory for the popular demand 1t was q
long step toward free coinage He had no
doubt that after the fall election there
would be strong representation here on
the line OF free coinage of silver. He con-
graduated tine people that he represented
that such an advance had been made in
establishing an equality between the two
great money metals OF the world.
Bland OF Missouri concurred with the
gentleman in hoping that the next House
would be free coinage House, but that
House would be composed of those who
advocated free coinage and stood by their
colors. 1t would not be composed of the
republican party, which by the gag rule had
voted down and stified free coinage. If
Tree coinage came at all. it would come
from that party which stood firm to the
flag of free coinage. and which had not sur
rendered its principles at the beck of Wall
street. He denied that the bill was the re-
suit of a free and fair conference 1t was
the result of secret meetings of Republican
conferees. He, as a conferee, had known
nothing of the measure until it had been
framed and the report was ready to be
signed. The Democratic members had
been ignored in the preparation of the bill.
The bill was one which had practically de-
silver. IL was q sugar-coated
quinine pill. On the first reading it seemed
that the secretary was TO purchase 4, 800, 900
ounces every month; but when the man
rolled the pill around in his mouth he be-
gan TO taste the bitterness of ''or so much
thereof as may be offered" There could
be traced in the measure a stealthy and
Italian hand. The bill surrendered every
principle of bi-metallism; it surrendered
free coinage. 1t made combination with
the bullion spectators of Wall street In
the interest of Wall street it departed from
the legal ratio and changed that ratio from
sixteen to one to twenty to one. 1t
changed the ratio to pile up so much
capital in the treasury at the expense OF
the people and in the interest of Wall
street and the bullion owners, and he de-
nounced it as fraud. and a cheat on the
people, who were demanding the ratio OF
sixteen to one. The bill made silver SIM
ply commodity to be measured by gold,
upon which money shall be issued
at it's gold value. 1t was true that
measure might make small increase in
the circulation, but it would make it by
to the gold standard and the
desertion of the silver. 1t was a declara-
ton that tcongress would not make any fur
ther tight for bi-metallism. 1t was neither
a silver bill nor greenback measure, but
simply political device concocted to tide
over an emergency. He denounced it as a
fraud, and would deEounce any measure
as fraud that did not provide for free
When the bill that had his name
was passed he tBland) had fallen into
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