The Helena independent., 1891-12-22
Three PUBLIC QUESTIONS
Which Will Exert a Potent Influ-
ence Upon the Result Of the
Next Election.
The First Ia the Tariff, the Second
Expenditures, and the Third
Silver.
Reasons for tho Selection of Three Gen
tlemen for Important Chairmansilips
What win Harrison DO?

| WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.--The corres ond-
ent Of the New York World sends tha,
paper the following: There are three dis
tinct public questions upon which tho ac
| tion OF the new house of representatives
will exert potent influence in determining
! the election Of president next year. Tirs
is the tariff; second expenditures, and third
silver. Upon his election as speaker Mr.
Crisp took up these problems in tho order
named. For reasons already given in the
4 World, he selected Mr.. Springer to mould
the tariff policy. For others, SO obvious
that explanation is supertluous, he placed
Judge Holman in charge of expenditures.
For other reasons yet to be presented a
majority of the committee on coinage will
be advocates of free silver, and the chair
man in all probability will be Richard T.
Bland. No other course seemed
possible to Mr.. Crisp. A be-
lief that the majority should rule
in determining tariff policy was the chief
cause of the selection of Mr.. Springer.
Consistency demanded til I he should adopt
the same policy regarding silver, and none
knew better than he that fully three
fourths of the democratic members favor
free coinage. Hence his decision. 1t does
not follow that bill providing for unre-
stricted coinage Of silver will be submitted
by the committee or passed by the house.
The policy which Speaker Crisp, Senator
German and other leaders consider most
wise is this:
Let tho house pass bill providing for
free coinage. That is unavoidable. But
let that bill provide for the free coinage of
the product of American mines only.
To such measure they think no valid
objection could be raised. 1t is infinitely
SUPERIOR, in their opinion, to the law now
in force. 1t would satisfy the demands Of
the silver states. 1t would make impossi-
BILE the influx of foreign silver which Mr..
Window claimed to dread. 1t would pre-
vent that absurd melting of spoons which
has been nightmare to advocates of gold.
They believe it would disturb neither bust
ness nor values, and finally its advantages
over the compulsory purchase of bullion BY
the government would be SO obvious that
supporters of the present, not those of the
proposed. system would be placed upon the
defensive. sr
This plan has been proposed before. only
to meet the objection that nobody could
tell whether bullion presented at the mints
tor coinage was or was not the
product of American mines. 70
n cot this objection it is proposed to
make the new bill apply only to silver to be
produced here after and to establish sys-
tom of checks similar TO that now used in
the payment OF sugar bounties. Miners
desiring to take advantage of the law would
be required to notify the government.
Agencies would then be established as oc-
casion required and only the bullion
stamped by the inspectors would be re-
ceived at the mints.
Government officials main aain that this
svstem works perfectly in preventing frauds
upon the sugar bounty law, and there seems
to be no reason why it shonid not opera te
equally we'll in the mining of silver. At
any rate, that is the plan supported by the
democratic leaders. 1t will be urged
strongly in caucus and if adopted will pass
both the house and senate. Just what the
| resident would do with such bill on the
eve of election is pfoblematical.