, 1890-06-18
OUR TURN NOW
Wyoming's Bill Made Unfn.
ished Business.
Senate Passes the Amended
House Silver Bill.
Senator Wolcott Delivers His
Maiden Speech.

silver bill was taken up and Wolcott ad-
dressed the senate. He said that when
the senators who lived in silver producing
states were accused Of holding sordid.
unworthy and unpatriotic opinions, and
when it was said that those who were de-
handing that silver he restored to Its own
plrc with its sister metal were ~specula-
tore md adventurers and were Indifferent
to the true welfare of the country, he
would have to be pardoned for feeling
vexed. He had a right to claim the at
tention OF the senate long enough to pro-
test against such a method Of ~conduction.
1t it were true (as it was mott that the
people OF the silver producing states were
governed in this matter by 4 desire to
protect the industry on which their
prosperity depended, large warrant was
given to them for such a course by some
of the Eastern states of the country, par
ticularly the Northern states. which
seemed to have forgotten the days
when politics were rated at com
mercial value alone aud when political
fealty was made to depend upon whether
the prosperity OF the locality where the
voter resided was to be better fostered BY
competition with other countries or by
large and prohibitory duties which prac-
tieally excluded foreign com petition. The
prosperity OF the people of the mountain
states of the West had ever to rest CHI fy
on the products of their mines, yet, while
they were less benefited than any other
region of tie country by the high pro
tective tariff, they we're asked every SEES
sion to stand by the duties which the
East formulated, and when they a.ked
that silver should also be protected they
were told they were sordid and unpatri
otto. and that their ideas were those Of
dissatisfied and visionary people
Woloott went on TO ~criticise the I'M
friendly attitude of the administration
toward the silver question and said that
when Harrison was nominated his record
was searched in vain for any noteworthy
act or saying; that the Republican lead
ers OF the West made great efforts among
the farmers n miners and secured the
success ofthe ticket;that the president has
not exactly materialized on the silver ques-
ton and the awakening has been rather
rude. He ventured the opinion that if the
presidents opinion on that question had
been announced before the last election
not a single state west of the Missouri
river would have given a Republican
majority, not because a majo ity of the
people of these states were not true and
staunch and earnest Republicans, but be-
cause they would have wished to rebuke
overwhelmingly the selection as their
standard bearer one who was u~nmindful
OF the interests OF the country and disre-
gardful OF the will of a great majority of
the members of the party,
An open foe was TO be preferred to a
Eza-aN a.. IT, r
the secretary of the treasury struck
viciously at the interests of silver. The
act of 1878 was Infinitely preferable to
the bill recommended by the secretary.
The whole purpose of the house bill
seemed to be todegrade and debase silver;
to make it a commodity; to reduce it to
one OF the baser metals and to prevent it
again taking its place as a standard money
metal. In conclusion, Wolcott said the
silver bill was of far greater importance
than the election bill and the gerryman-
dering bill OF the tariff bill. The conclu-
sion OF Wolcott's maiden speech in the
senate was attended with great applause
and compliments from the senators.
The senate then voted on the amend
ment reported by the finance committee
striking out of the house silver bill the
provision that treasury notes issued for
silver shall be legal tender in payment
of all debts, public and private" The
amendment was reiected-yeas IA. nays
5O-aud the provision remains in the bill.
The senate then voted on the second
amendment, striking out the bullion re-
demption clause. Agreed to-yeas 81,
nays Ito that clause was cut out OF the
bill.
A vote was then taken on the third
anapdman ranortal hv tho Eoonoo 49,
mittee, striking out the sixth section for
the free coinage OF silver when the market
price is 81 for 37li grains of pure silver.
The amendment was rejected yeas l6.
nays 46 to the provision remains in the
bill. The amendment fixing the limita-
ton Of the act to ten years was rejected
yeas 4, nays GA.
On motion of Plumb the following was
submitted for the first section of the
house bill yeas 46, nays 24): 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 4l21 grains of standard silver,
or twenty-five and eight-tenths grains of
gold, and the said coins shall be legal
tender for all debts, public or private;
that thereafter the owner of silver or gold
bullion may deposit the same at any mint
10 the United States to be formed INTO
standard dollars or bars for his benefit
and without charse. but it shall be lawful
&c refuse any deposit of less value than
800 or any bullion so base as to be un
suitable for the operations of the mint.
Mitchell addressed the senate on the
general merits of the speech and in the
course OF his remarks declared that any
administration which would set itself up
anataaf fha lsaa .-l ,-l..s1 n
the silver dollar would be, as it deserved
to be, hurled from power.
Plumb moved to add a new section. as
follows: That the provisions Of section
3 of the act to authorize the coinage of
the standard silver dollar and to restore
its legal tender character held prior to
Feb. %, 1878. are hereby made applica-
BILE to the coinage in this act provided
for. Agreed to without division.
Reagan offered the following amendment
as a substitute for sections 3, 4 and s.;
sections. That the certificates provided
for in this act shall be OF denominations
of not less thar 81 nor more thar 800,
and such certificates shall be redeemable
in coin of standard value. A sufficient
sum TO carry out the provisions of this act
is hereby appropriated out OF any money
IN thetreasury not otherwise appropriated.
The provision in section l of the act of
February is, 1878, which requires the
secretary of the treasury to purchase at
the market price not less than 50. 900. 900
nor more than $4,000. 600 worth of silver
bullion per month is hereby repealed.
Edmunds here arose and said: With
out interfering with the fine symposium
we are having. | wish to say l am op-
posed to the bill as it now stands and to
every one. of its amendments in general