Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-01
SHERMAN ON SILVER.
He Considers 1t a Local and Not . National
or Partisan Measure-His Speech In tho
Senate Attentively Listened to Yester-

He Considers 1t a Local and Not National
or Partisan Measure-His Speech In tho
Senate Attentively Listened to Yester-
day-Important Mining Law Decision.
WASHINGTON, May 31.-Mr. Sherman's
speech in opposition to the bill for the 1ree
coinage OF gold and silver was the feature
in the Senate to-day. The first two hours OF
the session were given, AS usual to the MORN
ing business and to the consideration Oh
bills OH the calendar-of which about ~ were
passed, few of them, however, OF any pun
lie Importance. During this two hours ses'
sion the usual listlessness prevailed IN the
Senate, the average number OF Senators
being not more than Is. But that hsbiess-
ness disappeared ana the Senate champer
hlled up as Mr.. Sherman proceeded Win HE
speech. All around him on the Republican
side OF the chamber his colleagues settled
themselves in their chairs and faceo MIN
with an air Of marked attention. 1t was the
same on the Democratic side. During tne
two and a half hours that Mr. Sherman spoke
but few Senators left the chamber. Fully ~
of them remained in their seats nearly all
the time, payin. close attention TO tne arsu-
ment. Mr.. Sherman's manner was forclDie.
his voice clear and strong, and he spoke hke 20
one who felt deeply the importance OF
carrying conviction to his hearers. Al
though he was interrupted on several oc-
casions he did not allow himself to be dl,
marked out for himself
Five States Inter ested in 1t.
Mr.. Sherman prefaced his speech on the
silver bill by saying that he did not regard
it as partisan measure or as q political
measure on which parties were likely to hi-
vide. 1t was largely q local measure. There
was no question to be compared with it in
the importance of its effect on the business
interests of the country. Five States were
largely interested in the production OF sill
yer, and were ably and zealously repre-
sented in the Senate. The South seemed also
to have caught something OF the spirit that
actuated the mining States because it de-
sired not exactly free coinage OF silver. bnt
expansion of currency, cheaper money, q
broader credit. 1t was also represented
| largely in the Senate in favor of the free
coinage OF silver. and SO in other parts of
the country. He-representing State
nearly central in poDulation-had tested the
sense of the people OF Ohio, and lie believed
they were by large majority, not only in
the Republican party, but in the Democratic
party, opposed to the free coinage OF silver.
They believed that it would degrade the
power one-third, destroy the bi-metallic
system OF the country, and reduce the coun-
try to the single monetary standard Of sill
YER measured at the rate Of 81 grains to the
dollar. He went on to defend the financial
action of the Republican party and his own
part in it.
As to tho National Banks.
In passing allusion to the national bank
ing system, MI Sherman said that those
banks would soon pass away-not because
they were not the best banks in the world,
but because the United States bonds on
which they rested would be paid off. No
man had ever lost a single dollar on the
notes of failed national bank; deposftors
had lost something here and there. but very
little. The system, therefore, had fully
justified itself. Coming to the dropping OF
the silver dollar from the coinage in 1878, and
the substitution OF the trade dollar for it, he
said that it WIS done on the represe tations
and petition of the LEGISLATURE OF California
the people of that and the other silver
mining States wanting to transport their
silver to China. The total amount of silver
dollars coined from the foundation of the
Government up to 1873, had Dsen only little
over eight million dollars; and at that time
the silver dollar was obsolete, dead and
buried. No one wanted it. 1t was therefore
unfair and unmanly to arraign the gentle
man who had charge of the bill which had
demonetized silver The only trouble about
that la was that Senators were not as wise
as the Almighty, and could not see ahead.
If it had been known that silver was going
to fall as rapidly MS it did, he would have
kept the silver dollar and put it on the same
footing as the fractional silver. The suspen-
sion of silver coinage by the Latin Union had
given another blow to silver, and the in
creased production of silver had given it
another blow. 1t was not true that he was
unfriendly to silver
The Bill Bitterly Denounced.
Mr. Sherman then went on to denounce
the bill under consideration as wrong in
principle. wrong in detail, wrong in every
asrect, q fraud on the creditor, deception
to the debtor and monetization of gold.
The very threat of the free coinage of silver
he said was doing more than anything else
to disturb the business interests OF the coun-
try. At this point in his speech Mr.. Sher-
man yielded to motion to adjourn.
The postof1ice APPROXIMATION bill en- en-
House. Little progress was made, how
ever, in its consideration; and but half
dozen paragraph were disposed of. On mo-
ton of Mr. Henderson, OF North Carolina,
a resolution was adopted revoking all leaves
OF absence except those granted on account
of sickness. and directing the Sergeant at
Arms to telegraph absent members that
their attendance is necessary for the trans
action of business.
An Important Mining Law Decision.
Secretary Noble to-day rendered an i'm
portant decision in the case of Hyde and
others against Warren and others, involv-
ing the validity of a location of lot and the
Northeast quarter of the southwest granted
township 63 north, range II, west in the
Duluth land district Minnesota, made by
James H. Warren, with Chippewa half
breed scrip, under the seventh clause of
article two Of the treaty of September 30,
1854 Secretary Noble holds that the scrip
is not assignable and any location made or
attempted to be made By an alleged pur-
chaser is invalid and cannot be sustained.
He also holds that the scrip location is the
subject OF contest under the act of Congress
approved May II, 1880, that the contest
affidavit of one Emil Hartman was sufficient
in form and substance. and having been
first duly filled must be held to take pre-.
cedence over allOther applications to con-
test. This decision overrules the Commits
sioner, who is directed to order a hearing to
determine tho truth of the alterations of
volved is said to contain very valuable
mineral deposits.
Brigadier General D. S. Stanley, COM
manding the Department of Texas, will be
placed on the retired list tomorrow on ac-
count of age, and Brigadler General j. c.
Kelson, Adjutant General, will close his
active service in the army for the same
reason on the oath proximo. The succe ssor
of General Stanley will be either Colonel W.
r. Shafter First Infantry; Colonel E. A.
Carr, Sixth Cavalry; Colonel E. S. Otis,
Twentieth Infantry; Colonel W: P. Carlin.
seventh Cavalry, and the next Adj u tant
General will be either Colonel williams
Colonel McKeever or Colonel Ruggles.
An attorney of San Francisco was at the
State Department to-day and had con-
ference with Solicitor Partridge in regard
to the claims of 81 sailors of the United
States steamer Baltimore against the Chilean
Government for injuries received during
the Valparaiso riots. He urged pronip pit
action in the matter, with a view to provid-
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