The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-08-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. August 81, 1898,

Voorhees, bill, which has been reported
to the senate. The bill provides fol
the unconditional repeal of the pur
chasing clause of the Sherman law, and
then in foot note, as it we've, attempts
to console the silver men by stating
that il is the policy of this government
to use both silver and gold as money
and to maintain the parity of one with
the other. Although this bill has
bcon reported to the senate it will not
be taken up except when called up by
some member who wants to make a
speech thereon for some days, probably
not until after the house has voted on
the silver question.
The senate seems disposed to utilize
the bill for the increase of national
bank circulation as lay figure upon
which to try on all sorts of financial
amendments. A number have already
been voted down, and the first Of those
to come up this week will be that Of
fered by Mr.. Butler of S. c., providing
| for the repeal of the ten-percent tax on
state bank currency. This bill has
been three times passed by the senate,
at as many sessions of congress, I'M
amended and without division. The
populists senators are solidly against
la nj LII hot hn
democratic senators who favor the Tree
coinage of silver have agreed to get n
test vote by offering an amendment to
this bill, providing for the free coinage
Of silver 1T d ratio OF 20 to 1, and that
II the amendment be defeated they will
not allow the bill for the unconditional
repeal of the purchasing clause of the
Sherman law to come to vote, being
determined to join with the silver re-
publicans and populists and prevent
any action, unless some concessions be
made to silver.
The silver senators have abandoned
the idea of making fight for free coin
age ut the present ratio and will unite
upon the bill reported by the silver
minority of the finance committee as a
substitute for the Voorhees, uncondition
al repeal bill. This substitute, which
will necessarily have to be voted upon
before the Voorhees, bill, provides for
free coinage of silver at ratio Of 20 to
and rcpeals the purchasing clause of
the Sherman law.
The silver debate in the house, which
winds up this week, has been disap-
pointing to the public, and, / think,
also to the members of the house.
There have been few really good and
carefully prepared speeches, notable
among which was that of Representative
Sibley, of Pa, the only eastern man
who has so far spoken against uncondit-
ional repeal, and that of Representative
McCreary, of Ky, who, although
friend of silver and representating q
silver state, spoke in favor of uncon
ditional repeal. Mr.. McCreary, de-
clared himself willing at any time after
the repeal of the purchasing clause to
support bill extending the use of
silver as money. His strongest argu
ment for repeal was that it would aid in
bringing about an international agree
ment for the free coinage of silver. II
looks now as though the silver amend.
ments will all be defeated and the re-
peal bill passed, unless the republicans
who control the situation, shall, as re-
ports have said they would, vote with
the silver men for the amendment pro-
viding for free coinage at 20 TO
ratio, But the probabilities point to
their voting almost solidly against all
of the amendments and for the repeal
BILL
Representative Jerry Simpson made
a short and very sarcastic speech on
the silver question. Jerry is somewhat
disguised and he jumped into both of
the old parties, the republicans for
past financial legislation, and the dem
ocrats for neglecting their present OPP
portunity. He said there was no long.
er a democratic party, it having become
a Cleveland party. President Cleve-
lands friends in congress would he very
glad if Jerry's charge was literally true.
but it isn't.
1t is expected that the house commit
tees will be announced early this week.
considerable hard feeling is going to
follow the giving out of the big chair
manships no matter who gets them.
There has been lots of talk--probably
more on the outside than among those
directly interested-about bargain
between the free silver men and the re.
publicans in the senate, for the purpose