The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-01-13
And Won't Sue for Any Divorce,
Either.
BLAND INSISTS ON FREE SILVER,
And Doesn't Seem Very Kindly Disposed
Toward His Erstwhile Friend, Mr..
Springer-He Turns Up His Nose at
the Notion of an international Con-
ference.

| freely about Mr.. Springer and the remarks
| he makes are not amiable. He says, he
doesn't want any international conference.
| More than that he won't stand any dodg-
| ing. He must have free silver and must
have il now. The Democrats he declares,
| have got to face the music. Humbug,
| is one of the mildest words he uses when
asked his opinion of the proposition for a
conference.
They can hold all the conferences they
| want he vociferates. What am here
for is to legislate for my people"
what is the purpose OF these people In
| asking for conference
II do not know" was the reply, in tone
| of disgust, which indicated that even IL he
did not know he suspected volumes.
SIS IL to delay action ?"
81 do not know" replied Mr. Bland
| again. "You might ask Springer.
| Springer seems to know what we are go-
| ing to do better than we do ourselves. L
| was not sent here TO make laws for France
and England and Germany, but for the
American people, or at least the people Qf
my district. So far as am concerned the
| Democrats of the House must face the
| question of free coinage. We are not here
| for the purpose of making party platforms.
| We are here to vote on this question"
How about bill limiting purchase to
| the American productY
~
response to this query. American pro
Duct Nonsensel II we are limited TO the
! American product let us coin ii. We will
| get long way toward free coinage II after
| the silver is purchased 10 is coined. What
we want. IL we have Treasury notes issued /,
| is to have them issued on 4l219 grains of
! silver instead of on $50 or any number OF
| grains that the department happens to
| feel like paying a dollar for.
"If we put out notes based on 4l21s
grains would that dos"
Mr.. Bland hesitated and then answered
rather doubtfully, "Yes, that ought to
"what does Mr.. Springer expect to ac-
| complish by his suggestiony
"Springer talks for himself" was the
reply. He does not represent me. The
coinage committee will bring in bill as
soon as possible and get it through If they
can"
"Will you first go into caucus to con-
slider what the party ought to do about
| free silveri"
Mr.. Bland responded with thump of
his hand on his desk. mo-" he said, Il
am not here TO caucus on such measures.
We have never seen caucus in twenty
! years where any man felt bound TO stand
| by the action of the caucus"
But what is the use OF passing a Tree
| coinage bill when you know that Presi-
dent Harrison will veto il ?"
| THAT is the argument that n good
many people make, but | do not see any
force in it," replied Mr.. Bland. 'If that
argument is correct we ought to make a
| list OF bills and refer them TO Harrison to
! indicate which ones he would sign and
which he would veto. Then we ought to
pass those he would sign and not pass
| those he would sign and not pass the
others. In other words, we are TO give
him an authority that only the Car of
| Russia has"
Springer's Little Scheme.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.--Some men are
wondering why Premier Springer intends
TO have his silver commission bill referred
| TO the committee on foreign affairs rather
| than to the ways and means committee, of
which he is chairman, and over which he
may naturally be assumed to have more
influence than over Chairman Blounts
committee. They cannot understand such
| generous self-abnegation, but they may be
| able to do so il they will study the compo-
sition of the latter committee. Mr.
| Springer's bill, of course, is offered for the
| sole purpose of postponing the coinage
| question until after the Presidential cleo
ton, and to that end he and the Democrat
| ic leaders who have inspired him for this
| occasion are anxious to have il favorably
reported TO the House and passed. They
| believe il would serve as "a good enough
| Morgan until after election and that is
! all they care about it. They also believe
| that the anti-free-coinage men as body
can be persuaded TO support It,. Now, the
committee on foreign affairs happens to
| be the strongest anti-free-colnaBe commit
| tee in the House.
At least four of the Democratic men,
bers of foreign affairs Messrs. Fitch,
| Andrew, Gable and Raner are strongly
| opposed TO free coinage, and two other
| Democratic members, Messrs. McCreary
L., s,,f fat .,Rfly
| question in the background, at least until
next year. All the Republican members
| of the committee Messrs. Hit, Harmer,
! O'Donnell and Sanford, are also opposed
to free coinage. Premier Springer there
! fore hopes to obtain an early and favora-
| BILE report from that committee. But he
may reckon without his host If he expects
to send his bill there without opposition.
| Chairman Bland is a stubborn and relent-
less fighter, and If the premier expects
| that he will meekly submit TO have both
his committee and his pet idea of free
coinage 'sidetracked," he may be greatly
mistaken Chairman Bland is not that
kind of a man.
Mr.. Springer is too good parliamenta-
rian not TO know that when the bill is
offered motion To refer il TO the commit
teee on coinage will he in order, and that
IL will then be for majority of the house
TO decide whether the bill shall be referred
TO the committee on foreign affairs or to
the committee on coinage. In all human
probability that motion will be offered by
Chairman Bland. and the vote upon the
question of reference will decide the fate
OF free coinage in this house of representa-
tives.
Collection Districts.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.-The bill intro
duced In the House yesterday by Mr. IIar-
ter authorizes the secretary OF the treas
ury TO consolidate customs collections
districts so that the number Of such dis
tricts I'm the United States shall he re
duced to 66. The bill provides that i'm the
State OF Maine there shall be four dis
tricts, New Hampshire one district, Yer
mont one district, Massachusetts three