Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-13
CONGRESS-.
THE COME ReNCE SILVER BILL
PASSES THE HOUSE.
The Tonnage Bin and the Postal Subsidy
Bill Both Pass the
Senate.
IBy telegraph TO tho Dispatch.l
Senate.

1
bills and was addressed by Mr. Vest.
BENoSsTBANcE AoAISsT THE FORCE BILL.
A remonstrance Of tho Board of Trade OF
| Jackson, Tenn. against the Federal cleo
/ ton bull was presented by SIR. Harris.
The two shipping bills We're taken up
and Mr.. Vest spoke in opposition TO these
/ subsidy bills. rs he characterized them.
/ He showed how former subsidies had
! elded IN failure ard scandal. and Illus
/ trated his argument by reference 20 tho
/ Collins Line, which, with a large subsidy,
I had been driven out Of business by the
/ rivalry of the unsubsidized lnman Line.
/ He also related the history OF the Pacific
mail subsidy. taking his facts from
/ pamphlet written by Captain John
/ Goldman and quoting from speeches
\ by Senators Sherman and Morrill,
against subsidies and in favor OF
free ships, aud from statements by John
| Roach and Cramp advocating the removal
of duties on iron and other building ma
terials, and declaring their ability in that
case Of competing with foreign ship build
ers. To sum mp the whole question, he
read an extract from speech of Repre-
sentative Cannon showing an expenditure
| Of over twenty-One millions in subsidies be
tween 1913 and 1878, and asserting that
seven millions would buy oil the American
steamships that were then ailoat.
Nk. bfLWAkI fOh THE BILLS.
Mr.. Stewart gave it az his opinion that
the plan proposed in the pending bills was
the only mode of reviving the ocean-carry-
ing trade of the United States and that
! free ships would simply DESTROY the Ameri-
can ship building yards without atfording
any relief.
blr. Vest made n correction of his state
ment in reference to the human Line
having been n rival Of tho Collins Line.
He ought to have stated. he said, that the
| lnman Line unsubsidlZed had competed
with the Cunard Line and had taken away
large part Of It's business.
Mr.. George addressed the Senate in OPP
position TO the bills, the scheme of which,
he SAID, was TO tax the people IN order TO
make remuuerative business carried on
| by few individuals (and mostly by large
cOrporatIons) and which was now unremu-
nerative. Such a proposition ought to
meet the condemnation Of every fair-mlnd-
ed man.
MR.. CALL TOUCHES on THE wEsr INDIES.
hr. Call said that several boards of trade
in Florida had expressed favorable
opinion Of one Of the pending bills, and TO
some extent of the other. Although he
| concurred IN good deal of what had been
| SAID by the Senators from Missouri aud
Mississippi, still he should have no Obiec-
tion TO vote for well-cOnsldered system
by which efficient aid should be given to
the construction of ships and 10 the running
of ships. He stated that he would give
his vote for the postal subsidy bill, and
that he would be glad TO vote for the ton
mage bill if the rate Of subsidy was not e1-
cessive. He drfted of into talk as TO
the West India Islands. expressing the
hopo that public opinion would induce
action on the part of the United States
Government for the establishment of indie
IL &c kfr q
iations of trade with the United States
would produce mutual advantage.
Mr.. HARRIS OPPOSED TO SUBSIDIES.
Mr.. Harris said that while he was OPP
posed 20 subsidies in every form, If they
were adopted, they should at least be adj
iusted so as not TO discriminate between
American ports so as 10 benefit one at the
expense of another. He therefore offered
an amendment providing that the total
sum paid to any vessel sailing between
any American port and foreign ports shall
in no case exceed the sum paid TO vessels
of the same class and tonnage between
such foreign ports and the nearest Ameri-
can port thereto. The amendment wasre-
jected-yeas, 81; nays, n (party vote.
Mr.. TELLER OFFERS AN AMENDMENT.
Mr.. Teller offered an amendment pro
vidinc that no vessel shall be entitled 70
payment under the act that makes any
discrimination between or gives I'M
equal facilities to competitive transporta--
ton lines in the receiving or forwarding OF
freIghis or baggage at any American port
or at any foreign port.
Mr.. Frye said that he had no objection
to the amendment. II was agreed to.
The vote was then taken on the amend
ment offered yesterday BY Mr.. Vest, pro-
vidinc for foreign trade, but not for lake
or coacfWi trade for free cllDS.
The amendment was roiected--yeas IS,
NAYS ga strict party vote.
THE TONNAGE BILL PASSED.
Tho bill was then passed-yeas, 20 ayes,
Is.
This was the tonnage bounty bill of the
American Shipping League. The only ex-
ceptions to the vote being a strictly party
one were that Mr.. PAYNE voted with the
Republicans in Its favor. and that Messrs.
Edmuuds and Plumb voted with the Demo
Gratis against II.
THE POSTAL BILL PASSED.
The vote was then taken on the postal
subsidy bill and II was passed-yeas q,
NAYS 26-iIr. Payne voting Aye, Mr.. Ed
munds No, and Mr.. Plumb not voting.
The tariff bill was on motion of Mr.. Nor
rlll taken up as unfinished business.
After an executive session the Senate at
O'Clock adjourned.
House of Representatives.
Mr.. Conger, of Iowa, called up the con-
ference report Of the silver bill. Mr.. Con-
ger said that the bill presented IN the re-
port was, az all conference bills must be,
in the nature of a compromise. II was not
lust such a bill as he thought Congress
ought TO pass. Ii was not Just such bill,
perhaps, as any member of the House
would like to pass if he were preparing
q measure to state his convictions. But 1t
was a bill that would answer the demands
of the country; that would answer the de-
mands of the silver miner that would an
swer the demands of the agriculturlsts,
laborers, and businessmen OF the country.
The gentleman from Missouri Mr.. Bland
would tell the House that it demonetiZed
silver. 1t did nothing of the kind. On the
contrary the whole tenor Of the measure
remonetized silver. Additional circulation
had been demanded. The bill would give
the country at the price of silver at pres
ent an increase of S57 10000 year. II
silver went up to a parity with gold 1t
would give an increase of 100000 600. The
last section of the bill unlocked S7O,O00,-
600 now tied up for the redemption of
bank notes. making the total increase OF
circulation in the next twelve months
Sl40, 100000
Mr.. Williams, of Illinois, inquired
did not assume that silver would reach a
parity with gold.
ME-. CoNGER's INCREASE OF THE CURRENCY.
Mr.. Conger replied that whether II did or
not the increase would be nearly that
amount. At any rate it would fall short of
that only about $4,000 600. Was the gem
tleman from Missouri (Mr. Bland) willing
to stand here and vote against measure
which would give the suffering people OF
the West an additional circulation Of this
large amount? Hewanted the Democratic
party TO tell the country whether it was
nwilling TO refuse TO support bill that
would give the people this large measure
OF relief. This was a Republican measure.
and every financial measure of importance
that had been successful in this country
with one solitary exception had been
Republican measure. lRepublican sp-
plause.l The pending measure had been
agreed upon by Republicans only; IT
had been passed in the Senate by
Republican votes only; it might pass
here by Republican votes only, 1t
would then 60 to where it would be
signed by a Republican President and
thence n would 90 To the country which