The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-09-28
SENATOR VANCE TALKS.
SAYS THE UNCONDITIONAL RE-
PEAL BILL CAN'T PASS
The Banks Must Come Down a Peg
An Acceptable Compromise
How the Senate Votes.


| silver Senators yielding one iota to the
| pressure of the administration and
Republicans. He believes the silver
/ men can defeat unconditional repeal
and he believes in preventing the re-
| port until the administration agrees
to compromise continuing the use of
| silver as money metal.
Senator Vance is one of the most
| interesting takers in the Senate. In
discussing the situation today, he
| said:
Il think undoubtedly that this bill
will never pass without amendment.
But the unconditional repeal men
have majoritY-what are you going
to do about that?'
I "a majority in the last Congress
| wanted to pass the force bill. l believe
in the rights of a majority. | can't
say that the minority have determin-
ed to talk Indefinitely, but the more
I they talk theweaker the repeal men are
becoming. The banks are very angry
| and are threatening to give another
little squeeze, because the Senate is
| not in d hurry. The longer we are in
| passing a bill, the less pressure from
the public, because the people cannot
help but see that the Sherman law
| had little or nothing to do with the
hard times we have gone through, and
| that prosperity, Notwithstanding the
| existence of the Sherman law, is re-
! turning and business is resuming all
; over the country. The pressure is
| only kept up by few men. There is
no reality in the pretenses they are
making"
DO you believe the free coinage
Senators can force compromises" L
| asked.
II do most emphatically."
''Have they any idea of yielding to
the pressure of the administrations"
NO sir. We have no idea of yield
| ing to any pressure of the administra-
tion, or to the banks"
The administration will have to
! meet you half way"
''1es sir. Mr.. Cleveland will have
| to meet us half way, or else, we will
all stay at home. lie wants uncondi-
tional repeal or nothing. He calls US
| here in extra session and says, repeal
this bill, pointing US TO the platform
requiring its repeal; and we say will
you put something else on in accord
! ance with the platform No, he says
it must be repeal. Well, we say won't
you permit something to go with the
repeal? He says, nothing. Mr.. NOor-
heeS, when asked, has nothing to say.
L
! this question, the secretary of the
treasury, when asked what will come
| after the repeal is silent. Why, we
would be a pretty set of fools to blind,
~ repeal the Sherman law without
knowing what is to come after. 1t is
unreasonable. Reason will tell in the
| long run and or constituency willisee
that. The President deals in mystery
and rather gives It out to be under
.t, hot H,,,.f Ii
TO say what he is going to do. Weare
not going to allow that repeal bill to
pass without knowing the conSe-
QuenceS.
Are all the other silver Senators as
determined?"
There are number of men who
are as strong against repeal as | am,
still do not care actively to fflibuSter,
but when 1T comes to the pinch, will
vote. Yes, the free coinage Senators
are determined in this fight. They
will not be bull-doZed into passing the
repeal bill without any understand
ing"
AN ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE.
ION what would they compro-
mise?''
amendment with a little trimming
up, extending the amount to be coined
to thousand million and then stop.
/ would be willing to do this because
that would furnish us with enough
coin. Faulkner's amendment pro-
vides for the purchase aud coinage OF
S., 900, 900 OF SILVER monthly until the
total amount of silver shall have
reached $500, 600, 000."
Would you accept a compromise
providing for the coinage of all the
''Now, that would not be accepted
by the silver men. What we want is
the con 5inued coinage of silver. The
silver in the treasury is now repre-
sented by tleSe treasury notes and,
therefore, the coinage of it would on
ly be in compliance with the Sherman
law, which provides for the coinage of
sufficient of it to redeem the notes
when presented. To coin this silver
would not increase the volume of cur
rency. We want to do that. There
fore, we will not accept such an offer.
What we want is either the free coin
age of silver or the continued purchase
and coinage of silver up to $500, 000,-
600 or 81 600, 100000.
What in your opinion will be the
result of this cOnteSt?"
Il think we will win the fight. The
very moment that the President sees
that he cannot pass this bill uncondi-
tionallY. then we will see what he will
do. As long as he thinks he can do
just as he pleases he is going to do
nothing. Some of our men, who want
an amendment, will probably pursue
the same course as members of the
House did. Should all the amend
| ments be voted down, they will vote
| for repeal"
DO you think you will pass some
| amendments"
"Oh, yes. On some one amendment
we will have majority. am sure of
that. The administration Senators
| are weakening"
SENATE ONLY VOTES BY UNANIMOUS
CONSENT.
Inquiry has been made many times
why it is that the Senate cannot
reach vote on the repeal bill. 1t is
! because the Senate acts entirely by
unanimous consent. Under its rules
there can be no vote as long as any
| Senator desires to discuss the pending
| question. These same rules have been
| in force in the Senate for hundred
years and that body has always man
| aged to do business under them. AL
/ though many times attempts have
been made to provide for previous
question in the Senate it has always
/ failed. The presiding officer of the
Senate could exercise extreme power
and cut off debate and dilatory mo-
tions by refusing to recognize Sena-
tors; but no presiding officer has ever
resorted 10 this power. Vice Presi-
dent Stevenson will not do it. There
fore, it can readily be seen that no
vote can ever be reached in the Sen
ate on the repeal bill as long as there
are Senators who are determined to
talk and who will talk indefinitely.