The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-08-12
time allowed for debated The Speaker re-
piled that IN the absence of rules there
would not be-


REED AGAINST THE GAG LAW.
Mr. Reed said that q proposition had
been presented which had been agreed
upon by q committee of some sort or other
OF the constitution of which this House
knew nothing officially. and it was pro-
posed to adopt that proposition without
the slightest debate. He recognized the
Importance of the situation. and had the
proposition been simply to repeal the pur-
chasing clause of the Sherman law. he
could see the wisdom of the House coming
to vote at once. Mr.. Bland SAID that he
had no objection to debate after the
previous question was ordered. Here Mr..
Bland and Mr.. Cannon entered into con-
troversy which was so animated and
withai so unintelligible that both gentle
men were called to order by the Speaker
and. without any agreement. Mr.. Bland
again demanded the previous question.
Mr.. Cannon had some difficulty In secur-
ing the yeas and nays. but was finally sue
cessful and the previous question was or
dered-yeas. 2l7; nays 100. MIR. Bland then
men. which provides for free coinage and
repeals the silyer.purChasing law:
Be it enacted, etc. that from and after the
passage OF this act all holders OF silver bullion
weight aud fneness shall be entitled to have the
same coined at the mints of the United States in
silver dollars of the weight and ffneness pro-
vfded for in Section of this act.
Section 2. That the silver;dollar provided for
In this act shall consist of 412l2 erains of stand
ard silver. said dollar to be legal tender for a
debts, dues aud demands both public and
priv yate
Section 3. The holder Of the silver dollars
herein provided tor shall be entitled to deposit
the same and receive silver certificates in the
manner provided by law for the standard silver
dollar.
Section 4. So much OF the act OF July ID, 1890.
as requires the monthly purchase OF 4.5Oo,000
ounces OF silver bullion be- and the same is here
by repealed.
Mr.. Raynor. tDem.. Marylapd), was the
first speaker. and he was an Impassioned
qualified repeal of the purchasing
clause of the Sherman bill. without any
condition or proviso whatsoever. He was
not IN favor OF purchasing another Onnce
OF silver or the coinage of it at the present
ratio cr any other ratio. He desired to say
that be had no hostility whatever to the
use Cf silver on q proper basis as clrcu-
lating medium, but after earnest consider
alton he was convinced hey ond all doubt
and question that its recognition as q cir-
culating Medium without international
agreement was q financial undertaking ut
terly impossible of accomplishment, except
at the risk OF Yuin and disaster. In his
opinion the present ratio was unjust and
arbitrary. 1t lay not in the power of this
government to purchase the silver product
OF the mines. to impress upon 1t fictitious
value. and, by legislative decree.
compel the people TO take it at a price in
utter disproportion to the price which 1t
commanded In every commercial center OF
the world. The Treasury Department was
acting as pawnbroker for the silver
miners. This system of finance. bnilt up
by political tricks and maneuvers. must be
swept from the statute book. Every dol.
lar of the Nations coin must be dollar
every where and in every commonwealth.
He wanted the law repealed because 1t
law had brought about distress. and suffer.
.ng, and stagnation, which called in the
lOudest tones for it's repeal. He wanted II
repealed because 1t protected owners of
mines TO the ruin of the farmer and the dis
aster of the people. Let not the United
States stamp lie upon its coin." he said.
I'm order to gratlfy the greed or avaIice of
any section of the country"
JASON BROWN Is FOR ANYTHING.
Jason b. Brown. the HoosIer Democrat.
who followed Mr.. RaynOr. expressed him.
self as in favor of the free coinage of silver;
but, In view of the havoc TO business
brought about by the Sherman law. and in
view of the declarations of the
Democratic platform at Chicago. he
would vote for the feDesl of the
Sherman law in any event. ON any condi-
tions or no conditions. He would not
the coinage of silver money. He knew no
one but the President himself who was
ready to express the opinion of the Presi-
dent on this subject. If he ventured
opinion at all az to what the Presidents
views were, it would be that the President
was in favor of the coinage of both gold
and silver, without discriminating against
either metal and that the President would
redeem every pledge and promise he
had made in accepting the Democratic
nomination.
Mr.. Bland. the great silver advocate, was
then recognized by the Speaker. He ex-
pressed his regret that a number of gentle
men had changed their opinion on the
silver question. The gentleman who had
just taken his seat Mr.. Brown. had been
regarded as one of the most ardent ana
able advocates of bimetallisIn. He had
retreated from O part of the Chicago plat
form. from that part of all others that had
contributed TO give him seat in the
House. He had turned his face towards
the East and his back towards the West.
The sherman law was the only law on the
statute books that looked to the of
silver as a money OF the country. He knew
at the time of its passage that the element
that was striving to secure Its passage
was the element opposed to free coin.
age. He knew at the time that element
would demand it's repeal at the first mo-
ment it SAW its opportunity. The repeal
of the Sherman act had been a part of the
Chicago platform. Another part had been
Il Uoci6TAblOu Oh tu6 use OF DOtn ROlu ana
silver as the money of che country. Speak
ing Tor the people be represented. he under
stood that the free coinage of silver, In Rc-
cordanoe with the platform. necessarily re-
peaied the Sherman law. The two laws
could not exist together. They were in
consistent. Mr.. Bland then reviewed re-
cert silver and financial legislation, aud
conteDded that 1t was An apprehension
that the United States would re-
peel the Sherman law that induced
the British government to recommend
to the Government of India the suspension
of silver coinage. Why was there being
rushed in now, he asked. q proposition to
repeal the only law which sustained, for
the moment. at least the value OF Silverf
Mr. Bland appealed to members to stand
by bimetalllsm and not obey the commands
of the ShylOcks. France. he went on to
say, had offered medium OF exchange for
all the world during seventy years at q
ratio OF 15t7 OF silver to ! of gold. At that
ratio France had been able to maintain the
parity of the two metals all over the world.
That was q proof that the government of
the United States could do so at the ratio
of 16 To l. If Europe refused to accept that
ratio the effect would be to divert fr ON
Europe all the trade of every silver TO-
duclDg cOnn try in the world.
BLAND GROWS EXCITED.
Gould England, he asked. withstand this
withdrawal of trade. Certainly not. Il
was bImetallism that made the manu-
facturers of England so strong and pros
porous Western Europe would have to