The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-10
SILVER BILL READY.
Reported to the House by the
Committee on Coinage.
ITS DEFECTS SELF-CURED.
The Goldbugs Will Next Wednesday
Move POstponement, and Will Then
Begin Filibustering.

WASHINGTON CITY, July 9-During this
afternoon the committee on rules adopted
the following resolution, which will be re-
ported to the House next Wednesday:
That Immediately upon the adoptiory of this
resolution the House proceed to the considera-
ton OF Senate bill 81 (the free coinage blD, and
If said bill shall not be disposed of said day,
then consideration thereof shall be continued
during the next legislative day.
Should the rule for consideration of the
bill be voted down, the advocates of the
measure will surrender. Should 1t be
adopted, they will expect their opponents
to move that the whole question shall be
postponed until December. If the motion
to postpone is defeated the anti-siver men
will resort to filibustering, and then the
good offices of the committee on rules will
again be invoked to bring in cloture rule.
All the Democrats of the committee are
adverse to bringing in such a rule, and
will only do so when they are absolutely
compelled by force of circumstances, such
as request from a majority of the total
Democratic membership of the House.
The Republicans are still reticent. and
their position on the question is an I'M
known quantity. If they see chance of
defeating the bill they will do it, but they
will not agree in advance to help either
faction of the Democrats.
A careful poll of the House made today
by Williams of Mississippi convinces
him that if the bill comes TO direct vote
on its merits it will be defeated by ma
jority of from four to eight, but the ar
rival of absentees may change the esti-
mate. The opponents of this bill believe,
however, that there will be a much larger
majority against its consideration. Kill
gore, a member of the coinage committee,
voted in committee against the demand
for the previous question on a motion to
report the bill as it came from the Senate
He did So he says, because he believes the
bill defective in at least three particulars,
and ought to be amended. The most i'm
portant defect is that it repeats law
making about 500, 600 of treasury
notes redee mable in coin and legal tender
as we'll.
In the House Bland presented a report
to accompany the silver bill, in which the
committee says:
Whatever may be the effect of the bill as it
reads to the treasury notes issued under the act
of July Ii, 1890, which act was repealed by this
bill, there is no diverse opinion that the notes
are redeemable in coin derived from the coinage
OF bullion purchased under the repealed act.
The bill reported compels this coinage, the notes
being therefore redeemable in coin.
The bill prescribes as the sole requirement
upon the owner of silver bullion that he shall
deposit it for coinage the same gold. The min.
officers are to coin the silver into the standard
dollars authorized by the act of February IS,
1873 If this bill should pass, silver
bullion would be paid for at the minis
on deposit of the in money
appropriated by congress and kept there by the
secretary of the treasury, now provided for
gold. The capacity of the minis Is limited prac-
tically by appropriations. The minis at Phil
adelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Car
son City, run to their full capacity with two
changes of workmen or shifts per day, can coin
largely In excess OF all the bullion silver pro-
duced from the mines from year to year.
The vote in the committee on the bill
was:
Yeas-Bland, J. r. ". lliams, Kilgore, Robert
son, Pierce, Fps. McKeighau and Bar;ne.
Nays-Tracey, NJ. T. Williams, Abner, Taylor,
Stone and tombstone.