Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-02-13
BLAND'S SILVER BILL
EARNEST EFFORTS 70 SECURE EARLY
CONSIDERATION.
The Senate Situation with Respect - Free
Coinags--Ths American Product
Pisn-Ths Outlook.
lBy Telegraph 70 the DIsps.ch.l

fBy telegraph TO the DIspstch.l
WASHINGTON, d. c., February 12-The
silver men have some eight or ten petitions
in circulation on the Democratic side OF
the House urging that the silver bill be
made special continuing order, and, 1t IL
said. had early to-day secured about 100
signatures. There are some doubts enter
tanned as to the expediency of the petition
movement. but the silver men mostly
believe that it may advance considers
ton of the bill, and are doing what they
can TO bring the matter to an issue early
in the session. The resolution introduced
by Mr.. Bland the day he reported the bill
fxed February 18th, which is next Wed:
nesday, ss the day on which the bill
should be taken up. but it Is not expected
by the silver men that they will succeed IN
getting it lp 80 early, and they Will propa-
Div be content il by that time an order
can be secured naming later day on
which the bill shall be taken up.
EARNEST WORK.
There is very earnest work being done
on both sides of this question. but at the
present time it is in quiet way. Inc
anti-silyer men are urging delay and are
working TO that end in the hope that there
NAV be Developments which will aid their
cause and enable them to find some. way
out Of the difficulty. The free-coinage
men are in favor OF speedy action.
and say that on political grounds
alone, aside from the monetary prin-
ciple involved, the sooner the issue Is met
the better. The Rules COMMITTEES has not
yet taken up the subject. No meeting mas
been held since the resolution was onered,
and it is understood that there are severai
other matters which have been before the
committee for some time likely to be acted
upon in advance of action on the silver
resolution.
THE PEOPLES PARTY
in the House of Representatives has joined
with the free-coiIage people generally IN
demanding the prompt consideration OF
the Bland bill. In separate petition To-Day
addressed to the Speaker, as er-cffcio chair
man of the Committee on Rules, the nine
regular Peoples party representatives petit
ton the Committee on Rules to set an early
day for the consideration OF the BLAND
free-coinage bill. The petition IS lnde-
pendent of the one circulated by the Tree
coinage members of the Committee on
Coinage. Weights, and Measures, and IS
intended az the official utterance OF the
Peoples party as represented IN the House.
THE SENATE VIEW.
Yesterday Senator Teller in view OF the
talk last year (Which has been to some ex-
tent renewed this year, about compro.
mise of the silver question on the basis OF
free coinage of the American silver product,
saw a number of the leading senators with
a view to ascertaining the feeling on the
Senate side. He found that many leading
Republicans were opposed to 1t. and that
it had very little support from men OPP
posed to unlimited free coinage. Senators
Sherman, Morrill,, and Allison, members OF
the Finance Committee, authorized the
use Of their names as more opposed to this
proposition than to absolute free coinage.
Speaking on the subject, Senator Teller
said: mot with any idea on my part that
they would agree to 1T, or that / would
agree to 1t if they did so, talked with a
number of anti-free silver Senators for the
purpose of ascertaining their views. They
were very frank in thei- opposition to the
American free-coinage proposition, and
Mr.. Sherman, MIR. Morrill,, and MIR. Allison
said they would infinitely prefer unlimited
coinage OF silver to free-coinage OF the
American product" The reasons of these
Senators for taking this position, he said,
they preferred they should themselves
state.
THE ANTI-AMERIcAN-coINAGE POSITION.
lows: 1t Is perfectly illogical. Ne theory
OF silver money would justify us in taking
a partial amount Of the silver offered and
giving that free coinage and denying 1t 10
the rest In order to give silver ITS own
status it must be treated in all respects as
gold is, and to say that only American sill
yer shall be freely coined would not be
equivalent to that. Then such a measure
would appear to every body outside OF the
silver States as simply bill to give to
the silver producer an extra price for
this fight on the ground OF enhance
ment of the price of silver. but because
there was a demand for more money and
to provide a metallic basis on which paper
money could be safely issued TO supply the
need of an increased circulating medium.
The scheme is utterly impracticable, and
would not receive any considerable sup
port from free silver or gold men. have
every reason to believe that President
Harrison would be quite as hostile to that
proposition as to free coinage. Ii mis- OPP
position to free coinage be based on any
intelligent appreciation of the dangers
supposed to be feared, he ought to be
more opposed to free coinage of the Amerl-
can product than to unlimited free COIN
age.'
FREF-srLvER BILL WOULD PASS.
Mr.. Teller expressed the opinion that
free-siver bill would pass the Senate when
brought to vote. Speaking of Senator
Palmer's opposition to silver, he said that
if it had not been understood that he was
a free coinage man he never would have
received the two Alliance votes which
elected him.
Senator Allison stated his reasons tor
opposing the American product plan as
follows: THE free coinage of American
silver only would not advance the price OF
silver bullion outside of the United States.
1t would retard an international agreement,
and it would be great temptation and in
ducement TO owners of silver bullion out
side of the United States to introduce 1t
here and have 1t coined as American sill
yer, making profit equal to the difference
in price between the silver bullion in other
countries and its coin value here. This
coinage would simply give the owners and
producers of bullion here the difference
between the bullion value and the coin
value, which now goes INTO the treasury"
member of the Rules Committee of the
House said this afternoon that there was
no disposition on the part OF the commit
tee to retard the consideration of the sill
yer question, and that the committee would
be found disposed to bring the matter toa
conclusion in the House. He personally
was of the opinion that 1t would be found
there would be no hlibustering.