The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-06-19
AFTER MANY AMENDMENTS
AND MUCH DISCUSSION
1T FINALLY PASSES THE SENATE.
Senator Reagan's Amendment Adopted
Proceedings in the House Yes
terday-Other Federal Cap
ital Items.
FIFTY-FIRsT CONGRESS.
SENATE.

SENATE.
WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE house re-
port on the senate bill for public build
ing at Salina, Kas., was presented and
agreed to.
The house silver bill was taken up ard
Senator Wolcott addressed the senate.
After the speech by Senator Wolcott the
senate proceeded to vote on the amend
ments reported by the finance committee.
The first was to strike out the provision
that treasury notes issued for the purchase
of silver shall be legal tender in payment
of all debts, public and private. The
amendment was rejected yeas IA, nays So
The next vote was on the amendment to
strike out the bullion redemption clause.
1t was agreed to- yeas 70, nays 5.
The next vote was on the amendment to
strike out the sixth section for free coinage
OF silver where the prlce was 81 for 371L
grains of pure silver. 1t was rel gcted-
yeas 16. nays 46. So the section is retained.
The next vote was on the amendment
providing that the act shall terminate at
the expiration of ten years. Rejected
yeas 4, nays GA,
Senator Blair offered an amendment
limiting the amount OF silver to be coined
to $5,000,000 a month, Rejected-yeas IL,
nays 46.
Sepator Plumb offered the following
amendment in lieu OF the section of the
house bill, that from and after the date of
the passage of this act the unit of value in
the United States shall be the dollar and
the same may be coined of 4l2% grains of
standard silver or of 25 $40 grains of stand
ard gold and said coins shall be legal ten
der for all debts public or private. That
thereafter any owner of silver or gold bull
lion may deposit same at any mint of the
United States to be formed into standard
dollars or bars for his benefit and without
charge, but it shall be lawful to refuse any
deposit of less value than $100 or any bul
lion so base as to be unsuitable for the
operations of the mint
Senator Mitchell addressed the senate on
the general merits of the bill and declared
that any administration which would set
Itself against free and unlimited coinage of
silver dollars would be hurled from power.
Senator Plumb's amendment was agreed
to-Yeas 43 nays "a.
Senator P, nmb moved to add the new
section to coL,e in as Section as follows:
That the provisions of Sections 3, of an act
10 authorize the coinage of standard silver
dollars and restore Its legal tender charac-
lis hereby made applicable TO coinage in
this yet provided for. Agreed to.
Senator Reagan offered the following
amendment as substitute for Sections 3,
4 and s:
Section g. That the certificates provided
for in the second section OF this act shall
he of the denominations of not less than
one nor more than one hundred dollars,
and such certificates shall be redeemable
in coin of standard value. A sufficient
amount to carry out the provisions of the
act is hereby appropriated out of any
money in the treasury not otherwise ap-
propriated. A provision in section /, of
the act of February %, 1878. entitled an act
TO authorize the coinage of standard dol
aar and to restore its legal tender character
which requires the secretary of the treasury
to purchase at the market price thereof not
less than 50, 100000 worth of silver bullion
per month nor more than $4,000,C00 worth
per month of such bullion is hereby re-
pealed.
gar's amendment and it was agreed to
without division.
Senator Teller moved the following as
new section: That the certificates provided
for in this act shall be redeemable for all
taxes and dues to the United States of
every description and shall be legal
tender for the payment of all debts, public
and private. After a long discussion it
was modified by adding the words, land
all silver certificates already issued" and
so modified it was agreed to-Yeas 81,
mays %.
Senator Plumb moved to insert the fol-
lowing as an additional section: "Owners
of bullion deposited for coinage shall have
the option to receive coin or its equivalent
in certificates provided for in this act, and
such bullion shall be subsequently coined.
Agreed to-
The bill was then reported to the senate
and all amendments agreed to in commit
tee of the whole. Yeas 40, nays 2U.
Senator Chandler moved to insert the
following amendment: No gold or silver
bullion shall be received by the treasury
department under this act except such as
shall be shown to be the products of mines
within the United States" Senator Teller
moved to lay the amendment on the table.
Agreed to-Yeas AZ, nays 25.
The bill as announced was then passed
yeas AZ, nays %.
The senate then adjourned.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Kerr of Iowa, presented and the
house agreed to conference on the bill for
a public building at Alexandra, La, the
limit of the cost being $4,000. The house
then went into committee of the whole on
the sundry civil bill. TIE committee rose
and reported on the bill and 1t was passed.
The house then went into committee OF the
whole on Indian appropriation bill.
The appropriation of S2OOCO to refund TO
the Cherokee Indians, the expense of their
removal to the Indian territory, was
stricken out Pending further action the
committee rose and the house adjourned.