Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-02-08
A FARCE-COMEDY.
The Meetings of the Coinage Committee
Afford Much Amusement.

!SpeciaL Telegram 10 tie sunday Reqister.
WASHINGTON, February 1T has got so
that the public attend the meetings OF the
House Committee on Coinage, Weights ana
Measures as they would 90 to an entertain
ment. designed specially for their amuse-
ment. The sessions OF that committee uur-
ing the 'hearings" on free coinage are near
Ivas entertaining as one of HOyt's farce
comedies, and the room is crowded as long
as the proceedings are in progress. All the
members of the committee, except the
chairman, who keeps very quiet, take an
active part in the performance and each
contributes his share towards making IL
interesting. but the three star actors are
Messrs. Walker, Bland and NauX. walker
and Bland are the bright, particular stars.
Each has his own convictions ana purposes
and is excitably in earnest ana they are as
opposed TO each other as are the climates
of the equator and the poles.
Walker is so much opposed 10 silver coin
ace that the bare mention OF it puts hlm IN
a state of nervous agitation. be appears
TO feel that the financial credit oil the
country depends upon him, and iiies INTO
violent passion if anything is done IN the
matter which does not fully meet MS
views. He is so deeply in earnest that ne
cannot be calm. He is a very vigorous OLD
man. who wears short white hair and little,
closely cropped whiskers OF the same purl-
Nv, running little way down IN front oi
his ears. His face is otherwise clean
shaven. displaying heavy chm ana d hrm
mouth. with very thin lips. his eyes arc
of p sharp blue and have that nad express
SION common in parrots. While listening
tn arguments he is always busy writing
/ down questions, which he seldom is given
an opportunity to ask. But the listening
IN arguments occupies only small part OF
/ the committees time. That is only the IN
| production which leads up 10 the amusing
part of the sessions.
! = Bland is as much in earnest as is Walk
er. and feels as heavily the responsibility
of the finances of the country weighing up
on his shoulders He is as sensitive about
opposition and lets loose his temper as
Quickly. He is as suspicious OF Walker as
Walker is Of him, and is resentfu! OF the
arrressiveness of the Boston leather deal
er. He has a self-conhdent ar, as Is a.
ways sure of being right, which IS extreme
! " Irritating 10 any man who holds an opln-
ion on finance which differs from his. He
has way of sitting back in his chair with
an expression of sOrrowful resignation
while eastern fnanciers point out the dan
GERS Of free coinage, until his patience is
entirely exhausted by the bringing on OF
moro and more witnesses. Then he bursts
ont in a passion, denouncing the dilatory
tactics of the gold bugs" to defeat free
coinage. This is signal for fierce battle Of
words before Missouri and Massachusetts,
and before il is through with the whole
committee has become involved, and there
is a most extraordinary wraugle, in which
everybody IS mad and all talking at once
or irving to, which nothing but the arrival
of the hour of adjournment can end At
another time the thing is reversed. A free
coinage man is talking to the committed
and MIR. Walkers patience becomes eX'
hausted. He gets mad. the rest OF the
committee get mad, and bang-up row en-
sues. Dav after day these scenes have
been repeated until the reputation OF the
committee has spread far and wide and tht
public come there TO be entertained Some
time Mr.. Vaux comes IN Win some guam