The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-03
FREE COINAGE OF SILVER.
Its Friends and Foes in the House
Making q Hard Fight.

Its Friends and Foes in the House
Making a Hard Fight.
WASHINGTON, July 2.-According TO the
rules of the House, the free silver bill,
which came over to the House from the
Senate to-day, will be on the speakers table
for one legislative day and will then. be re-
ferred to the committee on coinage, weights
and measures. AS the House adjourned
from to-day until Tuesday the bill will not
get before that committee until that day.
Wednesday is the regular meeting day OF
the coinage committee, and it is probable,
il nothing unforeseen occurs, that a meeting
will be called for that day.
Representative Bland. chairman Of the
COMMITTEES, has been absent from the city
at his home about two weeks. On hearing
the news of the passage of the bill he
promptly telegraphed that he would start
Immediately for Washington, and he will
be here in time to authorize the calling of
meeting for Wednesday. Mr.. Epes
of Virginia, and Mr. McKeighan of Ne
braska also members Of the committee,
both of whom are in favor Of free coinage,
are also absent from the city, but it is ex-
pected that they will be here in time to as
sist the free silver men in getting favor
able vote on the Senate bill. Pending action
on the bill by the committee nothing re-
mains to be done except to create sentiment
for or against the bill among the members
of the House; and this the managers of the
respective sides are doing with more or less
vigor and success
THE CLOSURE RULE.
As there would be but small prospect of
reaching vote on the bill if unlimited de-
bate were allowed and the necessity for
closure rule to close the debate is admitted,
the talk to-day has primarily been confined
to discussion of the question whether there
will be closure rule or not, and second
arily, if there is ono, how the republicans
will vote il such q rule Is reported.
The anti-silver democrats have as yet
held no formal conference, but they are
doing a great deal Of missionary work.
They believe that they have sufficient
strength to defeat closure, X they can OBJ
tain the assistance of the republicans; but
the republicans will not commit Themselves
Mr.. Tracey OF New York. who was one of
the most prominent leaders of the hght
against the Bland bill. has resumed the
position he then occupied, and is working
TO create sentiment against the later meas
ure. He says to-day that the numter OF
members who are opposed to the closure
rule remains about the same as 1t did when
the Bland bill was unde r consideration.
Mr.. Pierce of Tennessee, one of the free
coinage advocates, is enthusiastic over tie
prospects of getting the bill before the
House at very early day. He is confident
that it will encounter no successful obstruc-
ton In the coinage committee When the
bill gets on the calendar the rulos commit
tee will be asked Co report special order
for its consideration. Free coinage advo-
oates will not brook any delay that indi-
Gates a disposition to shelve a request for
the order.
Mr.. Pierce offered to-day. for reference to
the committee on rules, a resolution pro-
viding that on the - day OF July the
speaker may entertain a motion to suspend
! 4.
a majority vote. Mr.. Pierce is confident
that the resolution will be reported favora-
bly,.
TO WORK HARD FOR CLOSURE.
The silver men will bend all their energies
toward getting q majority Of the demo-
Gratis to sign request to the committee
on rules to bring in the closure rule on the
silver bill. Without these signatures
Speaker Crisp has refused to vote for the
closure rule. This was his actio when the
bill was shelved in the House before The
silver men tried then TO get the necessary
number of names and failed To-day they
claim to have the assurance of 100 men that
they will sign, but assurances and signatures
are very differeut things. The sound
money mon will not yield point in the po-
sition they have so courageouslY held all
the session George Fred Williams says
the silver bill will be defeated if everything
else in legislation has to stop in order to ao-
eomplish that result. Mr.. Tracy of New
York said to-day that the sound
money men would meet one situation
at a time and their fight would
first be In the committee He
thought the bill would be defeated, but
1t might be that some men who opposed the
passage of a free coinage bill originally
might vote for this bill under the changed
conditions. This was among the possibin-
ties, but he expected the failure of the bill
If the bill comes back to the House and
the attempt to stfle it In committee
fails, the committee on rules will be asked
to fix day for i5s consideration. The COM
mittee on rules will do this but there will
be no closure provision in it. That would
be asked for later. Without the closure
provision the sound money men would fili-
buster against the bill and prevent tho bill
coming to a vote.