St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-27
MIR. Harter, Of Ohio, Takes a
PesSimistic View of the
Silver Question.
Free Coinage Advocates in a
Jubilant Mood Over Cau-
Gus Results.
Bland and His Friends Sat-
isf1ed That His Bill Will
Pass the House.
Anti-Free Coinage Men Pro-
pose to Filibuster as Long
as Possible.

poSO W L illUuSt0F DIS Long
as Possible.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26. - The free
coinage men of the house feel quite
elated over the action of last nights
caucus in refusing to consider any
proposition for the delay of free-coinage
legislation. Although the action OF the
caucus. in so far as results are con-
cerned, may be termed draw, the fail
ure of Mr.. Harter and the other pro-
nounced opponents of free coinage to
secure any considerable support for the
proposition of poStponement is great
comfort to Chairman Blaud and his free
silver colleagues in the house.
They state with considerable emphasis
today, and indeed it is not denied by
their opponents in the Democratic
party, that the free-coinage men could
have developed sufficient strength
last night to have passed
resolution expressing the senti-
ment of the caucus in favor
of an early and decisive consideration
of the Bland free coinage bill. Mr..
Harter and his friends content them
selves today by simply announcing that
they will oppose the Bland bill by every
parliamentary tactics in their power
when 1t comes up in the house, and that
1t VIII Never Pass
the lower branch of congress if the gen.
crosby of the Democratic committee on
rules has placed at their disposal the
parliamentary weapons of obstruction
necessary to tire out and weary the
friends of the measure by weeks of de-
lay. The free coinage people openly
deride the pretensions of Mr.. Harter
and his friends that the passage of the
Bland bill can be defeated when it
comes up for consideration. They say
that the Democratic members who
are opposed to free coinage will,
for the most part, merely
content themselves by recording their
votes against it, and that the visionary
and somewhat belligerent schemes of
Mr.. Harter and the Eastern Democrats
will not find substantial support in the
Democratic party. They also insist that
should the latter call to their assistance
Ill their dilatOry tactics the aid of the
Republicans of the house, they will
thereby place themselves outside the
pale of the Democratic party, and show
that in secret their affiliations are with
the minority party i'll the house. Of
course, the gold men quite
Vehemently Protest
against any attempt to rule them out Of
the Democratic party, and say the re-
suit of all the discussion will be that
the Democrats of the nation will come
to their senses ere the date of the ma
tional convention, and that no plank
fav0ring free coinage will find place
in the platform at Chicago on the 21st
of June.
Chairman Bland, Representative
Pierce, of Tennessee, and other leaders
of free coinage in the house are today
compiling and arranging the petitions
which are to be presented tomorrow to
the committee on rules asking for day
TO be set for the consideration of the
free coinage bill. These petitions have
been freely circulated on the Demo-
cratic side of the house. and contain the
signatures of all the friends of free
coinage. The petition is as follows:
1.-The undersigned Democratic members of
the house request that the committee on
rules set apart time for the consideration of
the bills of the committee on coinage,
weights and measures for the free coinage of
silver. J"
sit is our intention," said Represent
alive Pierce today, "tO present these pc
tltlonS tomorrow to the speaker of the
house. who is eX-officio chairman of the
committee OH rules. l have no doubt in
the world, from the assurances that
have been made to us by the speaker
and by Mr.. McMillin and Mr.. Catchlngs,
that the committee will report an order
to take up the free coinage bills at all
early day. | think our bill will be made
an order for the latter part of March or
some time in April, and date will also
be set when
The Final Vote
will be taken on the passage of the bill.
SO far as we are concerned we do not
ask for more than three or four davs'
debate-certainly not more than week.
Mr.. Bland himself says that a weeks
debate will be quite satisfactory to him,
but the matter which he shall insist
upon is that final action shall be taken
when the bill comes up. We will pass
the bill through the house, send it to
the senate, and then, if that body fails
to pass free coinage bill, the RESPONSE
bility will rest with it.
Our bill has clear majority of about
forty votes in the house. so that there
is not the slightest doubt of its passage
with the ten Republicans who are IA
vorable TO free coinage. We will have
about 210 votes in favor of the passage
of the bill. About thirty-fve or forty
Democrats and the entire Republican
party, with the exception of the ten
men mentioned, will vote against the
bill. A thorough canvass has been
made, and this is just where we stand,
and the free coinage people of the coun-
try can rest easy with the assurance
that we are all right in the house. l
think that by the middle of April, at
latest, our bill will have passed the
house and be In the hands of those
grave and reverend senators who have
so assiduously striven in an indirect
way to evade the issue and kill the bill
in the house."
Harter Is Hopeful.
Mr.. Harter, of Ohio, who denies that
he is discouraged by the result of last
nights caucus, this evening gave his
view of the situation as follows:
1.-THE result of the caucus is pleas
ing to the opponents of free silver.
1t showed that the strength of
the craze is not so great as it was sup
posed to be, and that returning reason
is slowly but surely reasserting itself.
If now all classes of citizens throughout
the country reach their members of
congress here with letters and protests,
demanding that they oppose the Bland
bill or any other measure giving to metal
having market value of only 20 cents
legal tender value Of 100 CENTS, the
ultimate defeat Of the outrageous de-
mands of the silver people will be as
sured,
"1t is, however, no time for the mill
ions Of people at home 10 fold their