Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-06-06
FREE COINAGE OF SILVER.
MIR. Hiscock Addresses the Senate in OPP
position.

WASHINGTON, June 3.-In the Senate
the silver bill was taken up, and Mr..
HiScock addressed the Senate in oppo-
Sition to the free coinage of silver. He
believed that majority OF the people
were opposed To opening the mints of
the United States to the free coinage of
the world.
At the conclusion of Senator IIiScock'S
address Mr.. Sherman took the floor and
attacked free coinage. In his judgment
the national conventions of both politi-
cal parties would by decisive majOrtieS
repudiate such proposition. The last
Democratic national convention had ig-
nOrcd the question altogether, and the
Republican national convention, If the
question had been submitted to it,
would have rejected it by an over
whelming majority.
Mr.. Bland, OF Missouri, said that there
was no doubt but that large majority
of the House was In favor of the unlim-
itcd coinage of silver. In order TO pre-
vent that fact from appearing on the
record, il was proposed to gag every
Democrat in the House and many OF the
Republicans. Every gentleman who
voted for this resolution voted against
free silver. The man who had not
manhood and independence enough to
stand up against this gag rule was an
unfit representative. Mr.. Cannon, OF
Illinois, said that the resolution was
simply proposition that under the rules
Of the House, the House should proceed
at once to consider bill of great inter-
est TO the country. The minority could
offer every amendment to the bill that
they could under the general rule. The
minority which was now clamoring for
free coinage, had held the House in the
Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congress but
had passed no bill for free coinage.
Mr.. Sherman then addressed the SEN
ate. lie had, he said, consented to the
increase of circulation proposed in the
bill-ffty-fOur millions year. He saw
no objection to that, although he
thought il little larger than was neccS-
Sary. He believed treasury notes based
on silver bullion were safe. That was far
preferable to the free coinage of silver;
because. with all the efforts made To get
the silver dollars in circulation there
was not one of them in circulation for
every inhabitant. Passing to the queS-
tion of the demonetiZation of silver in
1873. Mr.. Sherman gave history of
that transaction so as to set at rest for
ever all the charges Of bad faith and
cons piracy in connection with it. No
bill, he said, had ever been more fully
I r.. Io, nd ,-Af hi. friaVI
Mr.. Morrill,, and himself who had voted
against it. because it discontinued the
charges for coinage, were constantly
denounced rs conSpiratorS, while the
Senators from the Pacific Coast, all of
whom voted for it, posed as victims.
lie thought it necessary, he said, i'm
closing that subject, to trace down the
lie. not only for himself, but for all
others engaged in that legislation.
Coming back to the question of the
bill. he said that the result of free coin
age would be to demonetize gold, and
to cause gold To be hOrded or exported.
The pound sterling wound be worth 81
instead of Si.s2. and the American dol
lar would be, as in Colonial times. worth
ShillngS, or francs.
In conclusion, Mr.. Sherman said that
he would vote for any measure that
would. in his Judgment, secure and main
tain the bi-mctallic standard.
Mr.. Teller congratulated himself that
the mask was of the faces of the So
called silver party The gentleman
(Mr. Sherman) was evidently for gold
as a standard, and the abandonment of
silver as a money metal.
Mr. Stewart again referred to the bill
of 1873, demonetized the silver dollar,
and said the amendment demOnetiZlng
silver had never been read in the House.
Mr.. Sherman produced the original
bill and showed it had been read and
voted on in the HOnSe, and amended
there on his motion. Mr.. Stewart as
serted it was not read, and Mr.. Sher-
man said he was sorry Il Senator who
had the testimony before him could not
frankly and fairly withdraw his charges
of tmprOpriety.
Mr.. Stewart said he had been charged
with being present when the transaction
took place.