Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-24
THE SILVER DEBATE.
AN EXTENSION or IT ASKED ev Mr..
BLAND OBJECTED TO.
References to " the virsinia bland Bin Of
1718"-smaii Attendance at
the Night Session.
lBy telegraph to the Dispatch

| WASHINGTON, ID. o., harch Z5.-Ahe hise
speaker of the day in the House debate on
silver was Representative Pierce, OF Ten
nessee. the able young lieutenant OF CHAIR
man Bland on tho Coinage Committee
In discussion of the pending measure,
said Mr.. Pierce, If did not believe that
the free and unlimited coinage OF silver
was for the best interests OF the whole
people of the country should not so
warmly support this measure. III IS
only by going back to the past upon
this question of bimetallism that
we can properly understand this great
question, for the question OF TO-
| day - whether we shall have bimetalllsm
or monometallism. Going back to 1916,
! beginning with the action OF the great ma
tons of the world upon this question. we
| find that great, industrial England was
prosperous and happy until she struck
down silver and discarded II as one OF her
| coin metals. The voice OF labor then. as
now. was UNDECIDED, aud the result was
| that the next three years witnessed pc
Rod of depression. distress. and suffering
| hitherto unknown in the kingdom OF Great
| Britain. This is matter OF history anu
| cannot be controverted."
MIILs's POSITION.
In conclusion. MIR. Pierce cited the
| speech of Nr. Mills in the last House In
| support of free coinage. and insisted that
| the gentleman from Texas, TO make his
record consistent, must support the bin
| now before the House.
Great applause greeted the closing an
nouncement OF Mr.. Pierce. that, whatever
| sir. Williams. Mr.. Harter, Mr.. Hoar. and
other anti-free-coinage Democrats might
| do in the event of the passage OF this Dill
| by the House, the Democratic advocates
1 4 r.
nominee of the Democratic convention at
| Chicago, whether the platform OF that
convention declared for free coinage or
| not.
1.-THE BLAND BILL OF l74S."
Mr.. Stone. Of Pennsylyania. denounced
the pending bill "a being not bill Tor the
free coinage Of gold and silver. but a OH
for the unlimited issue OF paper money
He had suspicion that this bill is an heir
loom of the Bland family. Laughter
In reading the history of his country he
had discovered that one Richard Bland
was leading member of the House OF
Burgesses of Virginia in 174S. lie was a
man of patriotism and ability, but, Ike ms
distinguished namesake OF to-day, ne
| seemed to labor under the ldea tuat
the economic and financial system OF his
day needed tinkerng. laughter In
| those DAYS the currency OF virginia
seems TO have been tobecco--in hogsheads
| of $50 pounds. [Laughter.l The inconye-
nience of carrying around the legal tender
| of the day naturally aroused desire on
| the part of the people OF the day 10 uevlse
| a more convenient system or currency;
| This desire took shape in 1.-THE Bland hill
of 174sn Laughter. This bill was al
most counterpart of the bill OF to-
day. 1t proYided for the establishment
| OF government warehouses ana the
appointment Of government inspectors III
| CHARGE of them. The Bland bill of today
provides for the use of the mlnts already
erected. The bill of 174S provided lor the
deposit Of any amount OF tobacco py any
person and the issue OF TOBACCO noteS
| therefor. TO be accepted as legal tender
and receivable for the debts and dues OF
| the government; the bill OF to-day pro-
vides for the deposit of silver bullion,
whether owned by an inhabitant of Eng
| land or Africa or America, and the issue
therefor of coin notes as legal ten
| der, receivable for the DEBTS ana
dues of the government. lLaughter.
| This bill 10 not DILL for the tree ana IN
! limited coinage of silver but bill for the
unlimited purchase of silver bullion.
There were nine bills before the commit
tee that did provide for free coinage; but
| they were ali laid aside and this bill re-
ported IN their stead. The effect OF TINS
BILL by repeating the act OF two years ago
| the act Of 1900, would be to restore the
act OF 1878.
QUESTION OF LAW.
Does the gentleman take the position
incurred Mr.. Bland, " that to repeal the
act of July IA, 1890 Woulq reoiue I tnS 'Si'o
of the previous act thereby repealed A.,
"Tbat is position contrary to all the
principles of law that | ever heard OF,
sa,d MIR. Bland. THE act of 1880 repeals
a norton of the act of 1878. Now this
bill. in repeating tine act of 1890, does not
restore the act OF 1878 at all;
Mr.. Stone persisted that Mr., biand was
wrong. and that the passage OF the pend
nc hill vould be to revive the act of 1878.
providing merely for the compulsory CON-
age of S20O0,000 per month.
At the conclusion of Mr.. stones re-
marks. Mr.. Bland asked consent that the
debate on the free-silver bill. winch would
expire tomorrow night, be extended IN
| I'll FRIDAY afternoon at 3 O'CLOCK, Out MI;
| Simpson. of Kansas, objected on account
| of The failure of the friends of the bill 70
make any allotment OF time 10 the irienus
| of the Peoples party.
| DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION.
Renresentative Warner, q New York
| Democrat. spoke in opposition TO the bill.
| He did not believe in the right OF the gov
| errment TO discourage the use OF either
| cold or silver by enforcing an arbitrary
Tot;o between the two metals. lie thought
| H. dntv of the government should end
when IL placed upon its silver coin the
stamp of the government certifying TO the
! nmonnt of pure metal in the COM III tnls
| was an actual free-coinage bill, sald ne
| 1T yould receive my support, but IL Is
| nroposition that every bulllon-oWner In
| his country shall be allowed to bring his
| bullion to the minis and the government
| ehell stamp 1t with the assertion that
every 20 cents worth of it IS worth u.
| Every man Is then compelled to accept sill
| yer at 40 per cent. premium, IN violation
| of all obligations contracted for Inc pay
| ment of debts in honest money. III ls not
| a free-coinage bill. but O torced-curiency
bill"
| MIR. BRADLEY, OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
onposed the bill, contending that its pas
SAGE would prove detrimental to the busi-
ness interests of the country. Inc RATIO
| f,ed IN the measure was not the ratio nAed
Inv the markets of the world, as Jefferson
aud Hamilton both saidi should be. The
| ratio should be fixed by the ratio OF the
| relatiye prices OF the two metals. 30 TINS
question would have been treated if it had
not beep for the silver kings, who, encour-
| aged by the practice OF subsidies ana pro,
| lection in this country, wished 10 palm on
their product on the governmental prlce
1
tarest after another had been protected
by this government at the expense OF the
people until they stood like the barons IN
those castles in medieval Italy and Ger
many upon every precipitous hill and crag.
whence they dominated the subject land.
leyying tribute and extorting ransom. IL
,vo;,l5 noison the source of prosperity to
depart depart from that standard which had un;,
varying equivalence with the money of
the world.
Ru,L HoSEyCoNBED WITH a'KISLEYIsI.'
MIR. Hall. OF Minnesota, in opposition to
the bill. said that it should have emanated
from the Republican side Of the the House; 1t
,ho r;ch soil OF Republcanism could lie
exnected to bring it to fruition. The bill
was not for free COINAGE. Il was honey
eombed and saturated with Mckinleyism.
Mr.. Lynch. OF Wisconsin, opposed the
measure. declaring that its chief aim was
to make something out OF nothing; us
chief purpose to make 70 cents worth 100
cents.
Mr.. Stout. of Michigan. also raised his