The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-07-05
A DIFFUSION AND SNARE.
Tho Free silver BMl That Passed the Ser
ate n DlsHppoIntmen ont to It's Friends

Tho Free silver BiIi That Passed the Sem
ate disappointment to It's Friend.
NEW YoRK, July 1.-THE Times Wash
ington special says: Some of the free
silver men are beginning to wonder
whether the free coinage measure
which the senate passed Friday would
really accomplish what they have been
aiming at if it should become law.
Apparently very few Of them knew pre-
vious to Friday that Senator Stewart
proposed to offer a substitute for his
original measure, and most OF them
seem 10 have been ignorant OF the pro-
visions of the new bill. Now that the
bill is in cold type the impression is
growing that, should it finally become
the law Of the land, the free silver men
would soon realize that they had been
led into ridiculous position. One sem
ator who voted for the bill without OK.
aiming it said last night to cores
pondent OF the Times that he believed a
serious mistake had been made. "rhe
BILL" he said. provides that the un-
coined bullion in the treasury must be
coined. Taking the amount on hand
and the capacity OF the minis into con-
sideration, over three years would
elapse before any bullion not yet deliv-
cred could be handled by the govern
ment. The man who drew up the sub
stitute which was accepted evidently
did not think OF this"
Representative Harter, Dem Of
Ohio. says it is the most bungling meas
ure which ever passed a legislative
body.
"the most ardent free silver men would
soon begin to upbraid its trainers.
First, it provides for the stoppage' OF
the monthly purchases of silver, and
also stops the issue OF silver certificates.
This ends the accumulation OF silver
month by month and puts q period to
the vicious increase OF silver certificates.
Observe that it absolutely closes the
monthly market for silver bullion, and
is likely to cause the price to drop away
below SS cents per ounce. So far, you
see, the free silver people have in their
deal killed the goose which lays the
the golden for siiver) egg, and If their
bill should ever become law, the
curses from the mining camps would
be long, tough and deep.
go step further and notice that
the bill orders the coinage OF the bull
ion in the treasury. This will
cost say 100000, which is, SO to
speak, thrown away, but it will occupy
the minis on government coinage for
probably not far from two years, and
meanwhile our free silver friends can
keep their silver and cool their heels on
the sidewalks.
Suppose you had 100000 in silver
bullion and proposed to got the bene-
fits ofthis bill You would take it to
the mint, but as the mint has no storage
it would be wholly impossible Though
legally and in Pickwickian or techni-
cal sense possible) for the government
10 take it. In other words, it may be
two years before the government would
take your bullion. 1t may be five years.
But suppose the government does
take it; viii you be kind enough to tell
me when you would get your silver
dollars in return2 Here is nice sum
in mathematics for the silver men, and
after they have figured it out they can
go and buy their OK teams and be ready
to transport their coin. ] am satisfied
/ have said enough to cause any man to
see that the whole bill is delusion and
a snorn ~