The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-24
The rroub Iesonne Silver Question.

The Troub lesome Silver Question.
The republicans having got their tariff
bill into shape are making extraordinary
efforts to frame q silver bill that will be
acceptable TO their party. and which, at the
same time. will be popular measure. They
want votes, and they are ready to do what
they know will not be for the best interests
Of the country to get them. In framing
the tariff bill their ways and means com
mittee showed clearly its determination to
be guided by the policy of catering to the
interests which controlled the most votss,
regardless of the ultimate effect which its
action would have upon the prosperity Of
the country. They are following the same
policy in their efforts to reach an agreement
on the silver question.
A committee of House republicans has
been o1nferring with committee of Senate
republicans for several days, and each COM
mistee has made concessions, but no agree
ment is yet in sight Both committee un-
derstand that their party made very lib
eral promises 70 tbs silver ms1 during the
last national campaign, and both are will
ing, apparently, to stand by those promises,
but there are very grave difficulties IN the
way of granting all the silver men demand,
and the way to overcome those difficulties
has not yet been discovered.
In our dispatches yes; erday it was stated
that the silver men had succeeded in gain
ing two concessions which they regarded as
very important. One was that the govern
ment should buy not less than 2,00G, 900
ounces of silver every month regardless of
the price of silver, and the other was that
treasury notes, issued in the purchase of
silver bullion, should be redeemed in coin or
lawful money, as well as in bullion, but this
concession was accompanied with the pro
viso that the government should have the
option of determining the medium in which
the notes should be redeemed.
The Senate republicans appear to be in
favor of requiring the government to pur-
chase not only all the silver product of this
country, but also that of Mexico. If the
bill authorizing the purchase of "a, 500,000
worth d month were to become a law the
government would have to go abroad for
81, 00O0 600 of the S54 900, 900 worth of silver
year which 1t would have to purchase. 1t
would seem as if the silver men ought to be
SaUSueu III bne governments purchased Jne
whole of the home product.
The thing that the silver men are now
insisting upon is, that the notes issued in
purchase of silver bullion shall be red eemed
in coin or lawful money, and never in
silver bullion. The Secretary Of the Treas
ury holds that the notes should be redeem
able in silver bullion only, or that he should
at least have the authority to determine the
medium in which they should be redeemed.
Unless he had this authority there would
be danger OF the country being forced to
silver basis. ,S
The Secretary Of the Treasury is in
position 70 know how much silver cur
rency the country can take without danger
Of its depreciation 1t would seem, there
fore. to be wise to allow him a large amount
Of discretion. What the silver men are
after, however, is free silver coinage, and
if they cannot have that they intend to
have as near that as possible. The Repub-
lican party, recognizing the influence of the
silver men, is disposed to make concessions
&c them that it is not safe to make 1t is
dealing with the silver question as if it were
political instead of financial in its char
acter