Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-06-17
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Vigorous Speeches In Senate
on the Silver Bill.
House Makes Amendments to Sundly
Girl appropriation Bill.
Bill to Place Gen Banks on Rstifsd q
List-choisra Reported.


pensions and the census vas reported and
passed.
Dawes introduced bill TO retire Gen.
Banks as major general of the United
States army. and presented the petition of
members of the Massachusetts legislature
in all Of it Referred TO the committee on
military affairs.
Plau presented . petition in favor of an
increase Of duty on seeds.
Blair introduced . joint resolution re-
gue.ting the President to institute an inter
national conference. TO meet in Washing
ton in February, 1891, with q view to the
formation Of an international alliance for
the suppression of slavery aud the slave
trade and of traffic in Intoxicating liquors,
firearms and destructive substances with
unciyilixed people, and provide for the
establishment of schools of common knowl-
edge. art and industry, also secure the dis
armament of nations and the establishment
Of international courts. and sppropriating
| 800 900 for the expenses of the confer
ence. The Joint resolution was laid on the
table.
The House silver bill was taken up and
Daniel resumed his speech. lie expressed
the belief that the coinage of silver WAS
safe and proper. If not safe the fact
could only be shown by what was, 10 de-
gree. an experiment.
Allison addressed the Senate. He said
the pending bill was substantially the bill
proposed by the finance committee when il
made a report originally, with the excep-
ton that the House added to it a provision
for redeemng in bullion and 4 provision
| relating To free coinage when silver should
come to par. He believed the original re
port the wisest, and on the whole, the best
| solution of the question. lie would sup
port the amendment to strike out the sixth
section and would not support the amend
ment limiting the operation of the bill TO
ten years. He regarded limitation unnec.
esssry and impsrillng the efficiency Of the
bill. He did not believe the bill would
last ten years. Ee had agreed to report
because it was necessary TO increase the
currency under the present exigency and
situation. The necessity came from the
| fact that the United States having taken
under its control and disposition the entire
| question of the paper money of the coun-
try, it was the duty Of Congress to provide
= reasonable supply of currency.
| BY payment Of the public debt. the
national bank circulation was gradually
passing away, and public opinion seemed 50
strong against allowing any other basis for
that circulation than government bonds and
| that the bills introduced in each House,
allowing for different security. seemed to
have met no favor. The question WAS what
currency could be safely substituted for
the national bank circulation. 1t was evil
| dent public opinion favored the issue of
| that currency by Government. II has been
| suggested that currency should be issued
on farm produce, also that one should be
issued on liens real estate. The judgment
| of the finance committee was, If Govern
ment issued paper money, it should issue i
on something that was, in and of itself
convertible into legal tender money. There.
fore the bill proceeded on the idea that
whatever paper money should be issued
should he issued on silver bullion purchased
| by Government in the markets of the world,
at market price.
| He supported the bill on basis with the
idea that the government of the United
States would use its power in endeayoring
| to secure an agreement whereby all com
mercial nations would use silver as gold is
now nsed, at a rate to be agreed upon. lie
regarded the pending measure in unsnmity
with which it was supported, as complete
justification of the legislation in 1878,
which contemplated minimum monthly
coinage of two million silver dollars and
the maximum four million.
Eustis inquired whether the prospect into
national agreement for silver coinage
would be promoted by the pending Law
| vhch would demoneiize silver.
Allison excused himself from answering
| the question. pleading the sbortness of
time before the close of the general debate.
Teller suggs sted that there would be no
| objection to the exten nsion of time for the
general debate.
| Allison then replied TO Eu,,is' question
to effect no demouetization of silver pro-
| posed in the pending bill. Its provisions
| in that respect are the came as in the act of
1873. except the pending measure provided
for the monthly purchase Of half million
more silver than the maximum authorized
by the act of 1888. There is nothing in il
TO Justify the state ment that tie pending
measure demonitized silver.
Vest commented on the remark Of Allison
as to the new born zeal of the demo-
cratic senator's in the cause of the free
| coinage of silver, and stated tha. that had
| always been the democrat policy. lie
read the resolution he offered in the Senate
in 1879 for the complete restoration of sill
yer. which had been. on Allison's motion
and BY vote Of the republican ma jority re-
ferred to the finance committee. where il
WAS buried beyond resurrec ction.
Vest remarked that il the Democratic
psrty said nothing on the silver question in
its platform in 1888, it was not because it
had receeded fr m the position that it had
always held. but was because President
Cleveland did not sympsthiEe With the ma
ioriiy of his party on that question. Clev-
elsnt had come to the Presidency imhued
with the prejudicies Of the New York
bankers, and was in one sense, (as far a.
his opinion on silver was concerned 4 sec
tionsl man. He had reason to believe that
now Cleveland vas better informed on the
subject, and vas in sympathy with the peo-
pie of the great West and the majority Of
| the Democratic psrty,
Teller, in response TO Allison's state
men, that free coinage of silver could not
be undertaken now, coutroverted that posi-
ton and made Argument ts the contrary.
| Morrill, called attention to the fact that
the Limit ixed for general DEBATE had been
exceeded nearly too hours.
Hale gave notice that hereafter be would
! object TO any further extension Of time be-
yond FIVE minutes allowed Senators on each
question.
Ingalls, said he desired to sddres, the
Senate but had been prevented By having
had to discharge duties of the chair. He
respectfully aked that the risor of the
rule might be condirionally waived in his
| favor tomorrow if he should Ask the a;ten-
ton Of the Senate.
Several Senators expressed their assent.
Without coming to any definite ar
rsnsement the Senate went into executive
session at s n5 p. NJ and adjourned.