St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-07
RULED OUT The RIDER
Chairman Payson's Decision
Sustained by q Very
Close Vote.
The Free Coinage Amendment
Topped From the Civil Sun
dry Bill.
Sharp Discussion in the House
Concerning Chicago Extra
Vagance.
The Republican Majority CAL
Gimme Pension Commits
Sioner Raum.

WASHINGTON, Feb. C. The house
went into committee on the whole (Mr.
Payson, of Illinois, in the chair on the
sundry civil appropriation bill. The
pending question was the decision of
the chair upon the point of order raised
by Mr.. Dingley, of Maine, against Mir.
BANDS free coinage amendment.
There was no debate, and the speaker
Immediately proceeded to deliver his
decision. The amendment, he said, was
proposed to the reconage paragraph.
The gentleman from Maine made the
point of order that the amendment was
not in order under the rules for two
reasons first, because it changed the
existing law, and, second. because it
was not germane. In the judgment of
the chair the question involved was
purely one of construction OF the
rules. The arguments addressed Ill
opposition to the point of order were
based on the assumption that the pend
Ing paragraph in the bill, which appro-
priated $4,000 for the expenses Of re-
coinage, was in itself change of exist
Ing law. With that view of the case
The chair did not concur. The revised
statutes imposed the duty on the
Secretary of the Treasury.
in very many different instances, of
causing gold and silver coins in the
treasury to be recOined. The pending
paragraph only made provision for the
performance of this work, so that not
only did the paragraph not change eX-
listing law, but it proposed that the eX-
listing law should continue for the next
fiscal year precisely as 1t had continued
for many years past. 1t made provisions
(as it should) for the expense of
the recoinage of certain gold and silver
coin. Before dollar could be used the
secretary of the treasury must have In
the treasury some coin of the character
named in the paragraph. The para
graph provided the secretary of the
treasury with means for the perform
ance of a statutory act. The amend
ment clearly proposed change in eX-
listing law by substituting free coinage
for the present coinage. The amend
ment was not in order to this paragraph
of the bill. The agument as to the
necessity and propriety of the proposed
legislation in the present financial con-
ditiOn of the country, could be cOnsid-
cred only in case the point was one in
doubt, but in this case the chair was
perfectly clear as to the proper con-
structiOn of the rule. 1t was equally
clear that the amendment was not ger
name to the paragraph. The amend
ment presented a new point and en-
tirely revolutiOniZed the coinage law.
This could not be done in this way, and
the chair accordingly sustained the
point of order.
A Close Vote.
Mr.. Bland, of Missouri, appealed from
the decision, and, after brief remarks
by him and Mr.. Springer in opposition
to the ruling of the chair, the vote was
taken on the question: "Shall the de-
cision of the chair stand as the judg-
ment of the committee?" There was
Immediately great excitement in the
hall, and. as MeSSrS. Cannon and Bland
took their places as tellers, nearly every
member in the house rose and anXiously
watched the count. The following Dem
OcratS voted in the affirmative:
Messrs. Andrew, Mutcheler, Vauk, Spinola
Dunphy, Wiley and Clancy. The following
Republicans voted in the negative: Messrs
Carter, Townsend (COL). Lind, Bartine, Tur-
ner (Kan.), Kelley, Law, Connell, Hermann,
Sweet and Clark (Wyo.)
The vote was very close, and not un-
til the last moment was 1t evident which
side would tip the scale. When the
chair announced the vote to be 134 to
1877 the Republican side burst into ap-
plause. So the decision was sustained.
Pending the announcement of the vote
MIR. Mudd of Maryland stated that he
was paired with Mr.. Featherston of
Arkansas against
The Free Coinage Bill,
but not considering the question of sus-
tanning the chairs decision as vote on
free coinage, he had voted in the affirm
ative. Mr.. Bland suggested that the
gentleman from Maryland was violat
Ing his pair. Mr.. Dockery of Missouri
moved to strike out the appropriation
of $4,000 for recoinage and insert the
words, land so much as may be neceS-
sary to meet the expenses of such re-
coinage IS hereby appropriated out of
the silver profit fund" Adopted. In
advocating his amendment, Mr.Dockery
said that its object was to provide for
the recOinage of 5000, 900 of subsidiary
coin now in the treasury. About SlS,
000,00 of this consisted of half-dollar
pieces. The amendment provided
sufficient sum to meet the abrasion or
DETACHMENT of the coin, and permitted
the secretary of the treasury to substi-
tute coins in current demand for those
half-dollar coins. A further effect of
the amendment would be to compel the
secretary to coin at once into standard
silver dollars the 100000 of trade dol
lars now in the treasury.