Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-11-24

coinage fight will be renewed with in
creased vigor at the opening of the reg
ular session of congress. The men who
waged such a stubborn warfare for sill.
Yer during the extra session have
gathered confidence and an organiza-
tion of their forces is now being Der
fectod.
For the past two or three weeks the
silver men have been Singularly quiet.
The reason for this has now become
apparent. The silver men were
waiting for L sufficient period to elapse
after the repeal of the Sherman act
in order to demonstrate to the people
that the silver purchase law was not
the cause Of the great financial de-
preston and that its repeal would not
prove Il panecea for all the commercial
evils which have accompanied the
times.
They think the demOnstra ton of this
fact is apparent to the American PEG
pie now, so the silver men are pre-
pairing to say to the two houses of
congress next month that the legisla-
ton demanded by the administration
has been a failure in restoring COM
mercial prosperity, that the position
of the silver men in urging free coinage
at the last session has been indicated
and that now the democratic party in
congress should devote itself to re-
dceming the remaining pledges of the
last democratic national convention on
the subject Of silver and financial legiS-
lation.
With this object i'll view. Chairman
Bland, Of the committee on coinage
weights and measures is preparing a
bill which he as the leader of free coin
age men will introduce at the opening
of the next session.
1t is further declared by Mr. Bland
to be his intention to afford no loop
hole Of escape for those democratic con-
sressmen who have talked for free
coinage to their constituents ut home
but voted against it on PLAUSIBLE pre-
texts when the matter come UP for con-
Sideration in the house.
Scores of democratic congressman,
he says. declared themselves devotedly
attached to the free coinage cause dur
ing the recent session. but explained
that they thought the wisei. course at
that time was to repeal the silver prl
chase act and then to take UP the free
coinage question, pure and simple and
consider it at the regular session.
By reference to Il carefully prepared
list Mr.. Bland declares that there is a
clear majority for free coinage IN the
house of representatives if their pri-
vate declarations to him during the
extra session are to be- relied upon,
and he purposes now to bring these
gentlemen to the crucial test.
The measure which Chairman Bland
will introduce at the opening of the
session is substantially Il e-enactment
of the law of January Is, 1887. 1t is
the belief of the silver men that a bill
re- enacting this law will command
greater strength and afford less oppor-
tunity for evasion than any other
measure which could possibly be pre-
scented. The act of 1887 is simple and
brief.
Tt provides for the silver dollars Of
Alp IL gains and declares that "the
dollars, half dollars, quarter dollars
dimes and half dimes, shall be legal
tenders according to their nominal val
ue for any sum whatever"
1--WE expect to undertake to pass a
free coinage bill before congress adj
iourns," said Chairman Bland today
decisivelv What success we Will
have is uncertain. / shall introduce a
bill reviving the act of 1887 and thus
providing again for the free coinage Of
standard dollars. My position is that
we shall repeal now all of the Sherman
on it.
laws on silver and have the law Of 1887
re- enacted and thus put silver back to
where it was before he put his hand
'Sfnce we have repealed one of his
laws let us repeal all of them. I think
that majority of the committee on
coinage, weights and measures will
favor such a bill as I am preparing. I
think the late election will stimulate
some of them to a belief in the wis
dom of such policy. The last election
seemed to be a general want of conf
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