Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-18
SILVER WON THE DAY
The Goldbugs OverthrOwn in
the Senate.
A Free Coinage Bill Passed by
Vote of 42 to 25.
The Silver Certificates Given Full
Legal Tender Power.
Senator Wolcott Congratulated on His
Maiden Speech -Edmunds Re-
nounces His Party.
Associated Press Dispatches. |

w ASHlNGTON, y uIle lI.-lu Ille SeHdIc
this morning the house silver bill was
taken up, and Wolcott addressed the
senate.
Wolcott said when the senators who
lived in the silver-producing states were
accused of holding sordid and unworthy
and unpatriotic opinions, and when it
was said those who were demanding
that silver be restored to its old place
with its sister metal were spectators
and adventures and were Indifferent to
the true welfare of the country, he
would have to be pardoned for feeling
that he had right to claim the atten-
ton of the senate long enough to protest
against such intimations and against
such a method of conducting the de-
bate. If it were true Gas it was not)
that the people of the silver-producing
states were governed in the matter by a
desire to protect the industry
on which their property depended,
large warrant was given to them
for such course by some of the east
ern states. The country, particularly
the northern states, seemed to have
fallen on days when politics were rated
at commercial value alone, and when
political fealty was made to depend upon
whether the prosperity of the locality
where the voter resided was to be bet
ter fostered by competition with other
countries, or by large and prohibitory
duties which practically excluded
foreign competition. The property of
the people of the mountain states of the
west had ever to rest chiefly on the
products of their mines, yet while they
uaro lacc to6 tbap opv ut bar yooio,,
of the country by the high protective
tariff, they were asked every session to
stand by the duties which the east form
ulated, and when they asked that silver
should also be protected they were told
they were sordid and unpatriotc, and
that their ideas were those of dissatis-
fed and visionary people.
The Administration Scathed,
Wolcott went on to criticise the un-
friendly attitude of the administration
toward the silver question, and said
when Harrison was nominated his record
was searched in vain for any noteworthy
actions the Republican leaders of the
west made great efforts among the farm
'ers and miners and secured the success
of the ticket; the president had not ex-
actly materialized on the silverqueston,
and the awakening had been rather rude.
He ventured the opinion that if the
presidents opinion on that question had
been announced before the last election,
not single state west OF the Missouri
river would have given Republican
majority-nOt because the ma jority of
the people of those states were not true
and staunch and earnest Republicans,
but because they would have wished to
rebuke overwhelmingly the selection as
fhai Oh do ord- HI Of yxrhn
unmindful of the interests of the coun-
try and disregardful of the will of the
great majority of the members of the
party. An open foe was to be preferred
to secret enemy. The recommenda-
ton of the secretary of the treasury
struck viciously at the interests of silver.
The act of 1878 was infinitely pref
cradle to the bill recommended
by the secretary. The whole purpose of
the house bill seemed to be to degrade
and debase silver to make it COM
modify; to reduce it to one of the baser
metals, and to prevent it's again taking
its place as standard OF value.
WOlcott's Maiden Speech.
In conclusion, Wolcott said the silver
bill was OF far greater Importance than
the election bill, anti-gerrymandering
bill or tariff bill.
The conclusion of Wolcott's maiden
speech in the senate was attended with
great applause and compliments from
the senators.
Amendments Voted On.
The senate then voted on the amend
ment reported by the finance commit
tee, striking out of the house silver bill
the provision that the treasury notes is
ell L,1 hon ho loo
tender in payment of all debts, public
iected-Y eas, IA nays, so; and the pro-
vision remains in the bill.
The senate then voted on the second
amendment striking out the bullion re-
demption clause. Agreed to-Yeas, 81 ;
NAYS, Z; so that clause was cut out of
the bill
The senate then voted on the third
amendment reported by the finance COM
mittee, striking out. the sixth section for
the free coinage of silver when the mar
ket price is one dollar for 3714 grains of
pure silver. The Amendment was re-
jected-yeas Is, nays 46-so that pro-
vision remains in the bill.
The amendment fixing the limitation
of the act to ten years was reject ed-yeas
A, nays "a.
IlumD'S AuOpUeOs
On motion of Plumb the following
was substituted for the first section OF
the house bill (yeas 43, 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 4121a grains
of standard silver, and said coins shall
be legal tender for all debts, public and
private; that thereafter any owners of
silver or gold bullion may deposit the
same at any mint in the United States,
to be formed into standard dollars or
bars for his benefit and without charge
but it shall be lawful to refuse any de-
posit of less value than one hundred
dollars, or any bullion so base as to be
unsuitable for the operations of the
mint.
Mitchell addressed the senate on the
general merits of the bill, and, in the
course of his remarks, declared that
any administration which would set it.
self up against the free and unlimited
coinage of the silver dollar would be, as
it deserved to be, hurled from power.
D1,1p,h 10 oIl tr