Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-25
ONCE MORE ON DECK.
The Silver Bill Taken Off
the Hook.
Its Discussion Resumed in the
House.
The Coinage Committee Recommends
NOn-cOncurrence.
The Republicans Oblig ged to Come Over to
the Democratic Position and Take
Speedy Action.
Associated Press Dispatches. |

WASHINGTON, June 24.-Ihe house
committee on coinage held meeting
today and took up the senate amend
ments to the silver bill. The committee
decided by vote of 6 to 5, to recon-
mend non-concurrence in the senate
amendments, and to ask the house to
order conference. Walker, of Massa-
chusetts, and Mutchler, of Pennsylva-
MIA, were absent from the meeting.
The house committee on rules ar
ranged to have final vote taken in the
house at 2 o'clock tomorrow, upon the
report OF the coinage committee, recon-
mending non-concurrence in the senate
amendments to the silver bill, and re-
questing conference.
House Proceedings.
When the house met this morning
Springer, of Illinois, called attention to
the fact that the journal showed that
the legislative appropriation bill, as
amended by the senate, had been re-
ferre0 to the appropriations committee
without reference to the house. He
said if anything had been decided in the
case of the silver bill, it was that refer
ence should be made in the open house :;
that the bill should have gone to the
committee of the whole.
The speaker said the usual custom
had been followed that the record duly
informed the house of the reference, and
he therefore declared the journal ap-
proved.
A conference was ordered on the bill
to reorganiZe the customs collection dis
trict of Puget sound.
Mckinley Calls Up Silver.
Mckinley, from the committee on
rules, reported resolution that the
house proceed at once to consider the
silver bill with the senate amendments,
and that at 2 O'Clock tomorrow the pre-
vious question be considered as ordered
He demanded the previous question on
the adoption of the resolution, which
was ordered. Twenty minutes debate
was allowed on either side.
The Democrats denounced this as an
application of the gag rule.
Mckinley said the purpose of the res
olution was to secure definite and speedy
action upon the subject of silver. He
was surprised at the opposition from the
other side. They charged that the Re-
bill and prevent legislation. Today
had given direct refutation to that
statement. The Republicans had brought
the bill back almost at once. They in
vited the house to concur or non-concur
in the senate amendments. The order
gave an opportunity to the free coinage
men to vote for their proposition. 1t
was results the Republican side was
after, and politics the Democratic side
was after.
Obliged to Come Over.
Springer, of Illinois, said the Repub-
licans had finally been obliged to come
over to the Democratic position.
The special rule was adopted without
a division.
The coinage committee presented its
report, which simply recommended that
the house non-concur in each and all of
the senate amendments to the silver bill.
Bland, of Missouri, moved that the
house concur in them.
The Debate Begun.
With these motions pending the de-
bate began.
Conger defended the action of his
committee, saying it had reported wise
and conservative measure. If the bull
lion redemption feature was stricken
out, then the government was placed in
the position of buying gold and silver
bullion and paying for it in silver coin,
for that was the only money provided
for the purpose. Free coinage meant a
profit of $13,00O,OO0 a year to the bull
lion owners of the country. 1t meant
that we should say to the world: "Bring
us your silver and we will give you 80
per cent. more for it than you can get
anywhere else."
Conger held that under the terms of
the house bill, silver and gold would be
equally within the reach of all, while if
the senate bill passed the country would
be driven to a silver basis. He believed
that under the terms of the house bill,
silver would appreciate; under the
terms of the senate bill he believed it
would not. He wished that his col
leagues could understand the pressure
that had been brought to bear by
men interested in silver specula-
ton to secure silver legislation.
Not only had paid lobbyists been
plying their vocations here, but various
other means had been resorted to by the
silver spectators to procure legislation.
Pool after pool had been organized in
this city to speculate in silver. Money
had been deposited in banks in this
country by hundreds and hundreds of
thousands, ready to purchase bullion as
soon as this legislation should pass.
These people were opposed to the house
bill, simply because if that bill
passed they would have to trust
to make the value of their
product. If free coinage bill passed
the congress of the United States, it
would fix the value at 80 per cent. above
what silver was worth. He had been
invited time and again to join the silver
pools, but SO long as he had seat here,
his voice should be raised in behalf of
the people of this country; for the
laboring man; for the savings bank de-
positors; for the crippled and starved
soldiers of the country.
In conclusion, Conger said if there was
no silver legislation the responsibility
would rest upon the advocates of free
coinage, because the delay up to this
time rested largely upon their should
ers.
Bland Knows Nothing of a Lobby.
Bland said he knew nothing about any
lobby. He had not seen it and had
never heard of it. If speculative pools
had been Orpanizad thew mioht have