Evening journal., 1891-02-07
THE SILVER BILL.
Its Death Blow Said to Have
Been Received.
MR.. BLAND ADMITS DEFEAT.
His Attempt to Hurry Action Was a
Failure.

The Gentleman from Missouri Tried to
Tack Tree Coinage Amendment on to
the Civil Appropriation Bin. the speak
er Sustained Point OF order Made
Against the Move and the House sup
ported the Decision Of tho Chair-rhe
General Opinion seems to BE That
Further Legislation Of q Similar Char
actor win Not BE Attempted at the
Present Session Of congress-w worlds
Fair Debate in the House-The senate
Deyotes Much Time to an Interesting
Discussion Of the Proposed Eight Hour
Law.
WASHINGTON, Feb. TN the house the
senate bill amending the land forfeiture
act Of Sept %, 1890, was passed The post
office appropriation bill was reported and
placed on the calendar. The house then
went into committee Of the whole on the
sundry civil appropriation bill. The pend
ing question was the decision of the chair
(Mr. Payson) upon the point Of order
raised against Mr.. Bland's free coinage
amendment The point Of order was sus-
tanned and Mr. Bland appealed. Before
the vote on the appeal was taken there
was great excitement in the house, and
nearly every member arose and anxiously
watched the count. The decision Of the
chair was sustained, and when the vote
yeas, 13f; nays, 127-was announced there
was an outburst of applause on the Re
publican side The following Democrats
voted in the affirmative: Andrew, Muteh-
ler Vaux, Spinola, Dunphy, Wiley and
Clancy. The following Republicans voted
in the negative Carter, Townsend (Colo.),
Lind, Bartine, Turner (Kan), Kelly, Law,
Connell, Hermann, Sweeta nd Clark.
Debate on the paragraph in the bill rela-
tive TO the Worlds fair consumed the
balance of the day. Mr. Payson sustained
the point Of order against Mr. Bland on
the ground that the amendment was not
gernane to the paragraph to which it was
offered and that it changed existing law
No More silver Legislation This Session.
The general opinion concerning the ac-
tion OF the house in sustaining Mr.. Pay
sons ruling against the silver bin is that
there will be no more silver legislation
this session. The vote is considered fair
test OF the strength of free coinage in the
house, and it is believed that the same re
suit viii be had if a vote is taken in the
lower body on the senate bill The Repub-
lican senators who are advocates of the
free coinage will not admit that the bill
has received its death blow, and they say
they are prepared to make every effort to
push The measure in the face of the un-
favorable conditions confronting them.
Free Coinage the Issue.
One of the free coinage senators said to
reporter that he considered that those Re
publcans in the house favorable to silver
legislation who had voted to sustain Mr..
Paysons ruling had voted as they did in
order to keep in with the administration.
But they will understand soon enough, .
said he, ''that they have made q mistake.
Free coinage will be the issue in the next
campaign, and am sorry to see the Re
publican party, in the face of this knowl-
edge, doing what it has done in the house,
worlds Fair Debate.
The committee then REQUIRED to the
Worlds fair paragraphs to which Mr.
Gambler (Mass.) proposes Though it has
not yet been formally offered) the follow
ing substitute:
That the secretary Of the treasury be in
structed not to approve the payment Of any ex-
pense attendant upon a meeting Of the Worlds
Columbian commission or Of the board Of lady
managers, except such meetings as may be
called at the time Of the dedication and opening
Of the Worlds fair provided for In section ?
OF said act; nor to approve the payment Of any
expense attendant upon meeting Of the execu-
tive committee Of the Worlds Columbian COM
mission as created by article Of the bylaws Of
said commission, nor upon meeting Of the ex-
ecutive committee Of the board Of lady mana
gers, except such meeting as may he held not
oftener than once in six monthsi nor to approve
the payment Of any salary to any officer Of the
Worlds Columbian commission out Of any
money which has been or may be available for
such purpose other than an annual salary not
IN excess Of 5000 to the president S4,t0 to the
vice chairman Of the executive committee and
S3UO to the secretary; nor to approve the pay
ment Of any salary to any officer Of the board
OF Lady managers out Of any money which has
been or may be available for such purpose
other than an annual salary not in excess Of
s5,00 to the president and $500 to the secreta-
ry; nor TO approve the payment Of any ex-
penses Of the Worlds Columbian commission
or of the board Of Lady managers other than
those hereinbefore mentioned which shall
amount to more than $1,000 per annum in the
| aggregate.
Definition of Sinecure.
Mr.. Flower (N. W, speaking to the
amendment, said that the desire of the
committee on the quadro-centennial was
to make the country understand that the
committee was in favor of economy in
| governmental expenditures connected with
| the fair Mr. Wilson CIV. Na) questioned
| the efficiency of the national commission in
the expenditure of government money and
criticised the salaries paid to the officials.
| The total amount of the salary list was
S6S $40, and under the authority given the
commission to increase the number of ap-
| pointees as the fair grew, the salaries
would swell until they swamped the gov
ernment appropriation. The report of the
| Worlds fair committee was that these sal
| aries should be cut down. If the United
States assumed to run the commission by
/ paying its own commissioners it should
be morally bound to make up any def
cheney that might occur. Oscar Turner, OF
| Kentucky, had once defined "sinacureen
| las he expressed it) as position "where
| there was nothing to do and id sight
of pay (Laughter) He thought that a
good many of the positions on the national
commission were "sinacurees.
Ben Butterworth's Plea.
Mr.. Butterworth (O) contended that
congress should not touch this matter
1 uingerlv with the fins Of ite 6npprs He