Omaha daily bee., 1893-08-22
FRAUGHT WITH SURPRISES
Members Of the Houss Listen with Interest
to the Naming of Committees.
Mr.. HolM,N OF INDIANA TURNED DOWN
lie Is Dcposed from the Chairmansl,ip oil tho
Appropriations Committee - Re'ump-
tien of the Silver Debate-Yestor-
days Work of the Senators.


announcement of committees. The speaker
had kept his intentions so secret that sur
prises were expected, but no one was pre-
pared for the radical changes made in the
personnel of some of the important COM
mittees.
Springer of Illinois, gives way to Wilson
of West Virginia, on the ways and means
committee, and Springer is now chairman of
the committee on banking and currency.
Holman of Indiana, that venerable
watchdog of the treasury" is deposed from
the committee on appropriations in favor of
Sayers of Texas, and goes into the commit
tee on Indian affairs.
Bland of Missouri is retained at the head
Of the committee on coinage, but the free
coinage people are disappointed at the com
mittee being changed so as to leave much
doubt whether the free coinage people are
not in "a minority and whether the financial
policy of the administration may not find a
majority in the committee
Congressman Tracey of New York, who Is
an administration man and second on the
committee, claims the speaker has deferred
to the repeating element to such an extent
as to make the committee mildly free coinage
and insists on counting Kilgore of Texas
with the free coinage men, and the COM
mittee will only stand nine to eight for free
coinage.
Hard to Tell.
Chairman Bland, when asked tonight for
an opinion as 20 how his committee stands,
very Enthusiastically replied: II don't
know. You can't tell how fellow stands
nowadays. According to the way they
used to stand we would have majority of
one for free coinage. but how they stand
now, God only knows"
The committee on banking and currency is
said to be opposed to free coinage. .r-.-...
The removal of Holman from the appropri-
atious committee is said to mean more lib
eral appropriation list in the F'iftythird con-
gresS. The friends of the Indiana economist
are displeased and say they will take stand
with Holman in forcing the democratic party
to live up to its platform of economy in the
appropriations"
The removal of Springer from the ways
and means committee gives this important
chairmanship to the south. HolmaD's sue
cessor is also southern man. Every other
democratic member of this committee who
is in this congress IS retained The only
new republican member is Gear of Iowa, one
of the staunchest supporters of the McIIin-
ley bill In the last congress.
After the house met this morning, MIR.
Powers of Vermont took the floor in support
of the purchasing clause of the Sherman
act. He referred to the Chicago platform
and to the Interpretation placed on it by var
ious democrats. The gentleman from
Pennsylvania, Mr.. Sibley, had referred to
the Savior of man as the first democrat and
had the utterances of the Savior as his plat
form; the gentleman from Massachuset it's,
Mr. Everett, had taken Grover Clevela and
for his platform and had gone around his
district singing at the top of his voice: 'Oh
isn't he dandy!'
Vicious In Principle.
Mr.. Powers went on to argue that the pur
chasing clause of the Sherman bill was
vicious in principle and dangerous in appli
cation. If free coinage were adopted the
gold bugs could corner the market just as
easily as they could today.
Mlr. Hooker of Mississippi opposed the un
conditional repeal of the purchasing clause
The president spoke about restoring conf
dence Where was confidence lackiuga il
was not in the great mass of the people; il
was in the great money institutions of the
country. If labor was distressed it was at
trlbutable to the act, not the banks. The
repeal of the Sherman law would not re
store trade or commerce, nor would 1T re
lieve the wage Garner Thepresent depres
sion was no, attributable so much to The
Sherman act as TO the Mckinley act. He
would admit that the free coinage of silver
would not give absolute relief, but he con
tended that it would relieve the depression
to a very great extent.
The debate was suspended to allow tht
speaker to announce the standing and selec
committees.
Then, on motion Of MIR. Bland, Saturday
next was set apart for general debate o.
| the Wilson bill. ,.tt-
| Mr.. Cooper of Indiana spoke in opposition
| to the free coinage of silver. He woult
| rather favor a policy which would give tn,
| country safe, recognized stable currenc,
| than enter upon experiments at this time
| If congress repealed the purchasing clause i
would not strike down nor kill silver. Ii
his opinion it would lift up silver and MAKE
| it the equal of gold He suspected that tn,
| arguments that this course would strlk
| down silver meant that it would strike dow
| the silver industry and not the silver money
| He then argued in support OF the PROPOSE
| tion to repeal The tax on state banks.
| Wants a Larger Currency.
Mr.. Alexander Of North Carolina advc
! Gated free coinage and spoke for large
| currency. If some relief were not given t
the country there might be trouble. But h
did not think the repeal of the Sherman &C
nor the abolition Of the tax on state bank
| would give this relief. ra
MIR. Sperry opposed free coinage and advc
| ca ted the Wilson bill.
Mr.. Cox of Tennessee argued against tn
pending bill and recounted the hardships t
which the people Of his district had bee
subjected since the war. Never by hi
voice, nor his vote, would there be anothe
feathers weight placed upon their backs. II
was speaking, he said. in behalf of the poo
coored men of his country. The gentlema
| on the other side might claim to control tn
| Y
the other side.
Mr.. Chickering of New York asked If tina
was the reason the gentleman spoke fo
| them. -'
MIR. Cox replied he had come to the conclr
sion the negroes constituted the best part c
the republican party.
Mr. Settle of North Carolina said in hi
canvass ne had opposed the free coinage {
silver. The farthest that he would go wa
the coinage of the American product II
thought the voice of the laboring class of hi
state is not for free coinage, but simply fo
the increase of the circulation Of the couI
try, but he was not In favor of an increas
of the currency that did not increase it wit
sound and good money. [Applause.l II
vas in favor of bimetallism. He was not
favor of striking down silver, but he stoo
unalterably opposed to the free coinage
silver in the absence of an internationi
agreement. He would record his vo,
against the amendments of the gentlema
from Missouri, Mr. Bland, and would vol
for the Wilson bill.
The house took q recess until o'clock.
Evening Session.
Mcdonald, democrat, from Illinois, sal
he was in favor of free coinage of gold al
silver at any ration that was acceptabl
| He would then remove from both the