The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1891-02-21
STEWART ON FREE COINAGE.
The Difficulties i'm the Way of Silver
Legislation.


Lake Tribune Senator Stewart makes
clear the difficulties in the way of any
silver legislation at the present ses-
sion Of Congress
EDITOR TRIBUNE | fear that you
are being mislead with regard to the
silver fight. l agree with you that
free coinage of American silver would
be all that our miners could desire,
but it must be remembered that the
silver men from the West must secure
and fight with such friends as they
can get. The Administration and a
very large majority of the Republi-
cans in each House are at heart gold
men. Every possible effort was
made during the first part of the ses-
sion to bury the silver question with
the Force bill aud kindred subjects.
Finally, found one morning that l
had eight votes on the Republican
side to take up the Silver bill. l
made the motion and succeeded in
bringing the bill before the Senate.
After it had been under consideration
several days I tried to effect a COM
promise and had proposition print
ed which provided for free coinage OF
the American product and mint
charge ION foreign silver equal to the
difference between the London price
of silver and the coinage value there
of in the United States. l made an
effort to obtain Republican votes for
1t, but was unable to get a single adj
ditional vote on the Republican side
which could not be obtained for free
coinage. l then tried to persuade the
Democrats to accept it. The majority
OF them consented to do SO. and Mr..
German introduced 1t with The I'M
Outstanding that if it divided the
Democratic party he would withdraw
It. IL was soon ascertained that il
would lose quite large number of
votes on the Democratic side and
gain none on the Republican side,
and at my request il was withdrawn.
The Democrats, with three excep-
tions, were for free coinage, and i'm
order to pass the bill at all was conn.,
PEELED to yield to them. Any other
tactics on L Y part would have lost
the bill and buried the question,
which would have been an irrepara-
able injury to the cause of silver.
The Wyoming Senators are out and
out gold men. They thought my
management very defective aud now
tell me that they are not positively
certain that they would have voted
for free coinage of the American
product, but could not induce them
to agree to such proposition while
the bill was pending. They are in
timately associated with Eastern bus
mess interests and are about as solid
gold men as We have i'm the Senate.
Your correspondent, taking his cue
from them or some other Western
Senators who have voted against free
coinage, telegraphed to your paper
that the silver men had managed the
fight badly. If any one can suggest
what different course could have been
pursued, should be very glad to get
the information.
The same difficulty now exists in
the House. The gold Republicans say
that the silver men are unreasonable
in demanding free coinage. but. so
far, they have refrained from sug.
costing any measure for which they
would vote. 1t is still possible that
the bill will be brought before the
House for vote, but it is now under.
stood that Mr.. Reed will use all the
parliamentary tactics in his power to
prevent its consideration. II the Re-
publicans will not vote for the free
coinage of American silver and make
1t Republican measure, the silver
men in the House will be compelled
to give up the fight or join the DEM
ocrats and vote for free coinage bill,
pure aud simple. The Republicans
will never have another chance to
pass silver bin after this session of
Congress shall have adjourned. l'he
next Congress is more than two
thirds Democratic, it will pass a free
coinage bill without qualification.
The Senate will be compelled to take
1t as comes from the House or have
no bill. The President may veto il.
and 1t will pass the House over the
veto by by over two-thirds majority.
and probably fail OF two.thirds vote
in the Senate by three or four votes.
The issue will then go in the Presi-
dental campaign of 1892, and the gold
men will try to commit the Republi-
can party against silver. III they
succeed the Democrats will carry
nearly all the western States. There
Is no salvation for the Republican
party but silver bill at this session.