Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-03-30
BLAND is NOW SAD
His Bill Has Received Its Death
Stroke
HE ACKNOWLEDGES ITS DEFEAT
Speaker Crisp cirermvents the Plan of Its
Advocates 10 Bring II Up
Again in the House

wssHrxoroS, March s9.-The Bland
bill Tor the free coinage Of silver is
dead. for this session Of congress 1t
least. and cannot come up until next
December Mr. Bland, who chung 10
the last to the hope Of Eslvanizing the
bill into life, admitted late Monday
afternoon with reluctance that the bill
was dead for this session Many ia-
huences com bined to bring about this
result
The Speakers Action.
speaker Crisp announced Monday
that he would not call . meeting Of thu
committee on rules TO consider . reso-
luton 10 fix an hour for final vote on
the free coinage biz. and would not vote
for such . measure in the COMMITTEES IL
self unless he were petitioned to do so by
q ma jority of the democrats In the
house. The announcement was . grea.
surprise to Mr.. Bland. He had hurried
conferences with Pierce, Bartine,
Bryan and other silver men. and it was
finally decided TO try TO satisfy the
speaker by securing petition for the
cioture rule signed by hall the demo
Gratis Bryan took one of these petit
tions, Pierce took another aud In all
half dozen petitions were circulated
Revolt In the Ranks.
The Indiana democrats were the first
to decline to have anything to do with
the petitions, although there had
heretofore been silver men in the In
diana ranks. Virginia was the next
TO go back on the silver petition, every
man in the delegation except Epes de-
clining to sign. Thus delegation after
delegation said no, and the silver men
found they were BEATEN. They gave
up the Job in disgust when, at p.
M, it was found that the best they
were able to secure was = total of 81
names out of 235 democrats in the
house. For q majority there were
needed lis
Bland Biames Crisp. ~N
Thursday night, or rather early
Friday morning. when ! moved that
the house adjourn" said Mr.. Bland 70
q correspondent. ut was with dis
tinct understanding that cloture rese-
luton would be brought in. And that
understanding was had with the speak
err himself by myself. OF course was
surprised when i learned that the
agreement was not to be carried ou."
do you think that the bill is dead?"
''For time"
''How would it be possible TO get it
through the house this session."
There is no possible way of doing
so with the speaker against US. The
bill is dead as far as this congress Is
concerned 1t has been killed by the
speaker and his friends do not care
to discuss the probable effect that the
death of the bill will have upon the po-
itical future of the democratic party"
speaker Crisp Explains. -
Speaker Crisp defined the situation
to be simply this: II q majority of the
democrats in the house desire the COM
mittee on rules to make q report which
will euable the house to come
to q direct vote on the silver bill and If
they signify that desire the committee
will make report. II they do not SO
signify the committee will understand
tina. the majority do not desire it. and
the responsibility will rest with the
majority of the democrats of
the house aud not with the
committee On rules As 70 MIR.
BANDS reference to the speakers
opposition to silver or his duplicity the
speaker said he had nothing to say ex-
cept to recall that BY his casting vote
he had himself prevented the bill from
being tabled and to state that as rep
resentative from Georgia, he favors snd
will vote for the free coinage OF silver.
Would Net Apply Cloture.
To show that be was in favor Of the
free coinage OF silver the speaker re-
called the fact that he had appointed a
committee which favored the measure
and had appointed Mr.. Bland
at tho head Of that committee.
Notwithstanding Mr.. Bland had
been . very active opponent of
Mr.. Crisp in the speakership con-
test Although In favor of free coin
age. the speaker stated that as speaker
of the house he would cndsavor to cx-
ecute the will OF the majority of the
democrats therein respecting reports
from the committee on rules, and no
criticism by Mr.. Bland or effort by Mr..
Bland to shift the responsibility would
deter him from pursuing this course.
Mr.. Crisp said that when the rules
were being considered he bad in caucus
pledged mis- party that no rule sh ould
be reported prohibiting 6libustering or
cutting OF dilatory motions except At
the request and desire Of o majority Of
the democratic mem bers Of congress.