The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-02-11
THE SILVER DOLLARS DAY,
BIand's Coinage Bill FaVorably Re.
ported to the House.
SECRETARY BLAINE MEETS THE
CANADIAN NEGOTIATORS.

Bill to Prevent Loss to National Banks
Explained in the House-It Caused an
Exchange of Pleasantries Between Mr..
Reed and the Speaker-Denunciatio
of the "Czar' Again Text for Oratory.
WASHINGTON, February 10.-When the
coinage committee began proceed
ings under the order that voting should
begin at 1880 today, the second bill in
trouduced by Nh. Bland was, by unani-
nous consent, substituted for the first
bill. This bill blouse bill No. 1926,
was read by sections. The first motion
came from Mr.. Taylor of Illinois, who
moved to strike out part of the first sec
ton giving bullion owners the right, on
the deposit of their bullion at the mints,
to receive coin notes therefor in lieu of
having it coined for them into dollars.
This was lost s.
Mr.. Williams of Massachusetts, moved
to strike out the two lines declaring that
standard gold and silver coins of the
United States shall be legal tender in
payment of all debts, public and private.
The vote on this motion showed clearly
the position of the members, the five
anti free and unlimited coinage men,
Messrs. Tracy, Williams of Massachu-
setts, Taylor of Illinois, Stone of Penn
sylvania and johnson of North Dakota,
supporting it and the free coinage men
voting against the motion.
Mr.. Williams of Massachusetts, then
moved to increase the number ofgrains in
the silver dollar and accepted the amend
ment offered by Mr.. Tracy
Fixing the Number of Grains !
to the dollar at 533 1-3 instead of 4121 as
at present. This was likewise defeated.
Mr.. Stone of Pennsylvania brought for
ward the following new proposition:
Provided, That whenever. gold and silver
coins OF the same denomination shall cease to
metal s6aIl fall below or rise above par on the
present established ratio of value, then the
mints shall be closed to the cheaper metal and
the coinage thereof shall be suspended until
parity is again restored.
On the vote, Mr. johnson of North
Dakota voted with the free coinage men.
The amendment was lost The Amer
lean product scheme was then put to the
test by motion of Mr.. Stones to add
the words produced from mines located
in the United States to the clause de-
claring that the holders of gold or silver
bullion were entitled to have the same
coined free of charge. Messrs. Stone
and johnson alone voted for it.
The sole amendment made by the COM
mittee in the bill as introduced by
MI. Bland was unanimously adopted. It
was the proposition made by Mr.. Bar
tine to increase the maximum denomina-
ton of any coin note issued under the
provisions of the bill, from $500 to $1,000.
Mr.. Williams of Massachusetts moved
to strike out section 2 of the bill, which
provides for
The Issue of Coin Certificates
and the retirement of gold and silver
certificates and treasury notes. This
motion was lost without division.
A motion by Mr.. Tracy to strike out
section 6, which provides for the
reduction of the number of
grains in the silver dollar to 400 when
ever France shall open her mints to free
coinage at the ratio of 154 to /, was
lost
AS substitute for the whole bill, Mr.
Taylor offered an international money
conference resolution. The proposition
was embodied in the following language:
That the policy of the United States to use
both gold and silver as full legal tender money
and maintain at all times parity in the value of
all its coins, of both metals, is hereby reaf-
f1rmed The President is authorized to invite
the governments OF such countries as may deem
advisable to join the United States in a confer
ence to be held at q time and place to be agreed
upon, such conference to be called
with view of securing permanenee in
the reserve value of gold and silver, at q COM
mon coinage ratio to be mutually agreed upon
through an international agreement providing
for an enlarged monetary use of silver, and for
giving to that metal equal mintage rights with
gold.
As substitute for this,
Mr.. johnson of North Dakota
offered the following:
A Ii silver dollars hereafter coined shall con-