Morning journal and courier., 1892-03-23
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH.
From ALI Quarters.
THE FREE SILVER FIGHT
Discussion on the Bill Be-
gun in Earnest.
MORE ABOUT the MODus VIvENDl,
A Minister'S Mysterious
Disappearance.
mir. hill Net TO Be 4 CANDIDATE.
The Senator Fears Defeat
at the Polls.
MORE ABOUT the MoDUs VIvENDI,
mir. hill Net TO Be 4 CANDIDATE.
THE FIGHT.BEGUN.

Great Interest shown in the FREQ
Coinage Struggled Full House and
Galleries Thronged-A Point Of Or.
der by Mr.. Tracey Overruled-Mr.
Bland the First SPeaker-Mr. Har-
ter's Mastery Argument Against the
Bill "A Largo Attendance at the
Evening Session.
WASHINGTON, March 22.-The galleries
were crowded when at 1920 the free coin
age bill was called up under the resolution
of the committee on rules, and its reading
requested by Chairman Bland. Even the
foreign diplomats, who are usually the last
to display an interest in the proceedings
Of congress, were on hand in considerable
numbers, and their presence in the diplo-
matte gallery attested that the silver ques-
ton is indeed one of worldwide interest.
The bill having been read in full, Mr..
Bland took the floor, but was immediately
taken thersfrom by Mr.. Tracey of New
York, with the point of order that the bill
must receive its first consideration in COM
mittee of the whole, as it involved charge
upon the treasury. This was overruled by
the chair. On motion of Mr.. Bland a res
olution was adopted providing for evening
sessions tonight and tomorrow night for
general debate on the silver bill.
Midland was then permitted to proceed
with his speech. Among other things he
said that while this bill placed gold and
silver on an equality in the matter of the
issue of coin notes on their deposit at the
mints, 1t also maintained that equality by
providing when the coin notes should be
presented for redemption the government
should be free to redeem them in either
gold or silver as it might prefer. Thus
coin notes issued on deposit of gold bull
lion might be redeemed in silver, or coin
notes issued on deposit of silver might be
redeemed in gold, just as the treasury
might prefer.
Mr.. Harter of Ohio said he had made an
effort to have consideration of this silver
bill postponed, believing that by another
would prevail to such an extent As to rem
der its passage impossible. The response
bility for its untimely discussion rested
upon old shoulders. He was glad to meet
the issue; happy to confront a superstitu-
ton with experience and a fallacy with the
everlasting truth. The Bland bill, he con-
tinued will contract and debase our
money. Mr.. BANDS claim that the pass
age of his bill will make money plentiful
is misleading and untrue. Gold sells in all
pasts of the world for 1913 times its
weight in silver, and if under free coinage
we only give it a value of 16, all human
experience showed we would have no gold
in circulation after the president signed
free and unlimited coinage bill. The bill
is pure and simple, bill to compel the
people of the United States to buy tho en-
tire product of a most prosperous
which gives them protective tariff
or bounty of over 143 per cent.
The bill proposes to make us the virtual
purchasers of all the silver produced in
the world and at 1879 cents per ounce,
while much of it costs not over 81 cents
per ounce. Such proposition never So
cured the assent of any legislative body in
the world and if it passes this house now
it will be q record which will come back
to plague and shame its members
down to the hour when they
drop into their collins. If we are
to have coinage and free coinage we must
follow law and precedent. We must make
the coinage ratio in close accord with
small ones abroad gives us heavens op-
portunity to correct our mistakes of the
past. We would, but for this Bland bill
discussion be getting in from Europe
fifteen or twenty millions of gold a month;
instead of this, alarmed and excited
Europe is sending back our stocks, bonds
and securities by the resm. Gold pours
out and away from us through every chan
mel. Continue this wild craze for free sill
yer and fair crop in Europe next year will
banrupt the United States.
hended that all persons were in favor of
honest money. when seventy cents would
be coined into dollar, every dollar would
go into the pockets of the Nevada and
Colorado millionaires as they marched up
and demanded of the director of the mint
that he stamp a flaming lie upon the
product of their mines. Free coinage
meant the demonstration of gold, forcing
it from circulation.
At the evening session there was large
attendance in the galleries and q very small
attendance on the floor. The silver bill
was again considered. Mr.. Stevens of
Massachusetts, who was expected to con.
clude his speech, was not present, and Mr..
Mr.. O'Donnell, Mr.. Wadock of Michigan
and Mr.. Bowers of California opposed the
bill.
Mr.. Covert of New York denied that
| the bill was democratic measure. He
| said it was a sectional measure. From the
south and west came gentlemen who ad
| vocated the bill as a supposed measure
of relief to the people of their section
The measure had no place in either party
| The protest against the attempted legisla
ton came not from one political party
nor did it come from one especial class o.
our people.
Mr.. Lewis of Mississippi favored the bill
and Mr.. Port of Illinois opposed it.
Adiourned