Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-06
He Talks to the Senate on Free
Coinage.
TIRE ANTI OPTION BILL PASSED
It is Put Through Under the Sus'
pension Of Rules.
THE RIVER AND HARBOR BILL
An Effort Being Made to Get It
Into Conference.
THE SENATE.

The Senate chamber presented an appearance
today strikingly suggestive Of the general de-
sertion by Senators Of their duties as legislators
in order to devote themselves for the time being
| to politics. Whole sections Of seats on both
sides were deserted. Messrs. Sherman, Allison,
Hale and Chandler were in their accustomed
places, however, and Mr.. Hill was also in his
seat. But all told there was not more than
| thirty Senators present, and there appeared to
be an utter lack Of interest in ordinary business
There was q short cOlloquy as to the proper ref
erence of some petitions to prohibit the manu-
| faoture or importation OF cigarettes, on the
ground Of their injury to public health, the
| question being between the committee on edu-
| cation and labor, the committee on finance and
| the committee on epidemic diseases
The latter reference was advocated by Mr..
Voorhees,, and it was the one which WAS eventu-
ally agreed to.
MR.. VEST ON FREE WOOL.
The consular and diplomatic appropriation bill
was laid before the Senate, but was temporarily
laid aside in order to permit Mr.. Vest to ad-
dress the Senate on the resolution heretofore
introduced by him to discharge the finance COM
mittee from the further consideration Of the
bill to place wool on the free list and to bring
it before the Senate for action.
Mr.. Vest said that it was not his purpose to
invade the province of the national demo-
CIdtlC COuNcutlOH " Dc uelu III SulCARO.
He had expressed his opinion freely and clearly
to democrats in relation to the policy which he
thought the democratic party ought to
pursue. He had no explanation. excuse or
| apology to make for any utterance made
by him on that question. He was
and not to any aelf-constituted tribunal inside
or outside of the Senate chamber. He
was no strstegist and no advocate
of the claim Of any particular candidate for
| the presidency. If he were a member Of the
| Chicago convention he would cast his vote and
| use his influence for the nomination of that
man who could succeed in the coming canvass on
| the well-known democratic platform in favor of
tariff reform and against all class interests. He
had not believed and did not believe now that the
| free coinage Of silver constituted the leading
| issue befOfe the American people. It was hardly
| necessary for him to say that he favored BIZ
| metallism. He favored the extension Of the
same rights to silver that were now given to
gold. He was unable to ace why (when silver
and g gold were both both the money Of
who dug silver out of the ground
| should be denied the same right to mint it that
was given to his neighbor who owned q gold
mine on adjacent territory. But the great and
| salient difference that was disrupting both po-
ltical parties was not in regard to bimetallism,
but in regard to the ratio between the two
metals. The contest between the two great
parties Of the country in 1890 had been in
| regard to taxation, not in regard to the free
coinage Of silver, and in that contest the demo-
cratic party had made large gains. He be-
leved that there would be compromise on the
| silver question, that the ratio would be changed
and that free coinage would come, because it
was right and because the Overwhelming mass
Of the people were in favor of it. But
| he did not propose to read out Of the demo-
cratic party men who stood by the same flag as
| himself because the difference was merely in re-
lation to the ratio.
| SECRETARY rosrrR's RECENT STATEMENT.
| Referring to Secretary Fosters recent state
ment in New York that in order to obtain gold
to buy silver he would iii necessary issue
United States bonds, Mr. Vest declared, with
emphasis, that if Mr.. Foster did SO he would
be impeached by democratic House Of Rep
resentatives and tried by the Senate for violating
the Constitution and the laws.
| In the course Of a colloquy between Mr.. Vest
| and Mr.. Allison the latter stated Gin reference
| to a vote heretofore given by him) that he had
put himself on record then against the free
| coinage Of silver, just a. he was against il
| now, as proposed in Mr.. Stewards
bill, but that the Senator from Missouri
did him injustice in saying that he was op-
posed to silver as money metal. It had al
| ways been a money metal, he said. and it was q
money metal-there being $500 0O0, 900 silver
dollars in the treasury.
The democratic party stood together abso-
lutely on the tariff, while it was wide apart in
regard to free coinage, and therefore the tariff
question was the one to be pressed upon public
attention. The wool feature was the salient
one in the Mckinley act and the one on which
action should now be taken.
THE HOUSE.
Before the reading Of the journal Mr.. Cooper
Qnd.) raised the point that no quorum wa
present although the attendance was as largs
as any which has been in the House at IL o'clocl
since that hour has been fixed upon for tn,
daily meeting), and roll call was ordered
Mr.. Cooper's point was INTERCEPTED as an OBJ
stacle to the river and harbor bill and not as az
sntagonism to the anti-option bill, both Of
which measures are expected to be brought NJ
today. One hundred and eighty-nine mem
bers-more than a quorum-responded to theil
names and the clerk proceeded to read the jour
nal Of Saturday, and it was approved.
THE ANrI-oPTIoN BILL.
Mr.. Hatch (Mo) was Immediately recognized
and moved to suspend the rules and pass tn,
anti-option bill.
Mr.. Cummings IN. w. demanded second
pending which Mr.. Hatch asked that the repor
Of the committee be read-the time consumed
in the reading not to be taken out Of that a.
signed to the advocates and opponents Of tn,
measure. As the report il o voluminous docu
ment, the reading Of which would consume a,
hour or two, Mr.. Blanchard Ola. }, in the inter
est of the river and harbor bill, objected
whereupon he asked that a second be considere,
as ordered. But here he was met with an obiec
ton from Mr.. Cummings Messrs. Hatch ant
Cummings were thereupon appointed tellers o,
the demand for a second. The opponents O
the anti-option bill, as a rule, refrained from
voting, in order to break a quorum; but tn
effort was unavailing, as the vote resulted
| 1871.
On q second having been ordered, Mr.. Cul
berson asked unanimous consent that the de
bate be extended to two hours-but thirty min
utes being allowed under the rules-and agail
Mr.. Blanchard came forward with his objection
Mr.. Hatch made a few vigorous remarks i,
support Of the measure, which he said was h
put stop to the practice Of dealing in farm
} products not based on the ownership Of prom
erty or on the right derived from the owner /
sell it for future delivery.
OPPOSED TO THE BILL.
!, Mr.. Herbert (Ala.) opposed the bill on con
stitutional grounds. as did also Mr. Boatne
: Ola. }, who declared that if it received the in
dorsement Of q democratic House IL vould h
, the Endorsement Of more fragrant violation q
the Constitution than had ever received the in
, dorsemsnt Of the republican party
, Mr.. Rayner md protested against rushin
| . bill Of this Importance through under a su1
. pension of the rules. 1t was one Of the mo
dangerous measures that had ever made an an
pearance in this body. 1t destroyed every con
ception Of state sovereignty and would. car
ried to its logical conclusion, break down th
distinctions between federal and state govern