The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-05
THE BATTLE AT HAND.
Silver Mine Owners to Force
Fighting in the House.
THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN.
But stewart's Bill II Absurd I'm sever.,
Particulars and the President
Would Veto It Anyhow.

WASHINGTON CRY, July Especial. l.
Bland is here ready to take hold of the big
end OF the silver fight. He believes the
Stewart bill will have to be amended in
order to prevent its being a practical re-
pudiatlon OF silver certificates now out
standing. A meeting of the committee on
coinage, weights and measures will be
called for Wednesday to consider the sill
yer bill, and speedy report is expected.
To Star reporter today Bland said he had
not talked with members of the committee
or senators interested in silver, nor vet in
vestigated the subject. but, looking the
bill over, he feared it would have to be
amended, as it appeared to him that
by repealing the act of 1890
the bill deprived eighty odd mil
lions of silver certificates of
the legal tender quality. This, he
said, would admit of a veto by the presi-
dent without reference to the question of
silver coinage. Of course there was no in
tention on the part of the gentlemen pro-
posing the bill to destroy the legal tender
character of the cert ificates, and il NAV be
that they have looked into the matter and
covered it all right. So far as passage of
Z
be accomplished if brought to a vote. If it
proves necessary to amend, it will be done
and sent back to the Senate for considers
ton. Ii it needs no amendment, the mat
ter will be very simple
Pierce will introduce resolution provid-
ing that on day to be agreed upon it
shall be in order to move suspension of
the rules to pass public measures which
are previously discussed, and that a ma
jority vote shall be sufficient. 1t is prob
able such rule will be reported from the
committee. 1t may be this proposition
will be adopted at meeting of the COM
mittee on rules tomorrow, instead of q
two-thirds suspension rule for Thursday.
to secure passage Of the tin plate and
other bills as we'll as the silver bill.
While Speaker Crisp is known to be in
favor of free silver, he is not DISPOSED to
bring in cloture rule if it is not abso-
luteiy necessary to do so in order to reach
direct vote on the silver bill during this
session. That the silverites are going to
force the fight and continue the encounter
until a vote is reached, is known to be
certainty. In order to transact and close
up all the business before the House.
Speaker Crisp may yet find it necessary to
fall into line and bring in cloture rule,
as the silver men desire and will demand
that he do. 1t looks tonight as if the sill
verites would be able to secure the return
of all the members known to be in favor
of free coinage, and if they accomplish
this it is almost certain that they will
succeed in pushing their bill through the
lower branch. Just what action President
Harrison will take If the free coinage bill
Is reported to him Is uncertain at this
time, but while both sides are confident
that the president will yet find it wise to
affix his veto to the measure, it is not be-
lieved that he has had any reason to
change his views on this question. If he
has not, it Is safe TO say that the free COIN
age law will not go into effect with his
sanction.
Some of the free silver men are begin
ming TO wonder whether the free coinage
measure which the Senate passed on Fri
day would really accomplish what it has
been aiming to bring about if it should be-
come law. Apparently very few of them
knew previous to Friday that Senator
Stewart proposed to offer substitute for
his original measure, and most of them
seem to be ignorant of the provisions of
the new bill. Now that the bill is In cold
type. the impression is growing that
should it finally become law the free sill
yer men would soon realize that they had
been led into ridiculous position. One
senator who voted for the bill without ex-
aiming it said to correspondent that he
believed that q serious mistake had been
made. He said
The bill provides that the uncoiued bullion
m ha
amount on hand and the capacity OF the minis
into consideration, figure that over three years
would elapse before any bullion not yet deliy-
cred could be handled by the government The
man who drew up the substitute evidently did
not think of this.
Representative Harter, Democrat, of
Ohio. says it is the most bungling measure
which ever passed legislative body. He
said:
Should Ii become law the most ardent free
silver men would soon begin 10 upbraid its
trainers First, 1t provides for the stoppage OF
more purchases of silver aud also stops the
issue of silver certificates. This ends the ac-
emulation of silver and puts period to the
vicious increase of silver certificates. Observe.
1t absolutely closes the market for silver bullion
ana is likely to cause the price to drop way
below IS cents per ounce. So tar you see, the
silver people have, In their zaal. killed the
EDose which idlu the goiuen, or silver, esK, 1liu
If their bill should ever become a law the curses
from the mining camps would be loud and
deep. Go . step further, and notice that the
bill orders the uncoined bullion in the treasury
to be coined. This will cost 81, 100000. which
Is. so to speak, thrown away, but
viii occupy the capacity of the governments
minis for months, probably not far from two
years. In the meanwhile free silver's friends
can keep their silver and cool their heels on the
sidewalk. suppose you had 100000 in silver
bullion and proposed to get the benefits of this
bill. You would take il to the mint, but as the
mint has no storage IL would be wholly irpos-
sole. though legally and in a Pickwickisn or
technical sense possible, for the government to
take IL: or, in other words, it may be two years
before the government could take your bullion,
AMI II may be five years. But suppose the gov
eminent does take IL. will you be kind enough
To tell me when you would get silver dollars in
returnr Here is & nice sum in arithmetic for
the silver men, and after they have figured IL
out they can go and buy Orleans and be ready
II transport their coin. / am satisfied ! have
said enough 70 cause any man TO see that the
whole ball is deluson and a snare.