The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-08-12
OPENED BY BLAND.
Debate on the Silver Question
Has Commenced in the
House.
u C"'''e> fp by Agreement on "A iiII for
Coinage Amendment will ,,c Added.


ent arrangement is that the repeal bill
win be INTRODUCED in the House to day:
that an accompanying resolution shall
prescribe the method Of proceeding and
general debate to begin at once. II car
rled out this programme will bring the
House to vote on the bill and amend
ments on August %.
The silver mems part Of the programme
is to offer first substitute looking To
free coinage at the presen, ratio. If
this is defeated. votes will bef taken on
amendments fixing the ratio at seven
teen. eighteen. nineteen and twenty in
this order. and finally if these fail. upon
the Bland-Allison act.
The conference Of silver and anti
silver men has reached an agreement by
which general debate on the bill for the
repeal OF the purchase clause .of the
Sherman act will be limited to eleven
days. This will be followed by debate
of three days under the five minute rule,
when voting will begin on the bill and
the various silver amendments.
On the assembling Of the House. i'm.
nediately after the reading of the jour
nal, Wilson. Democrat. of West Vir-
glnia. introduced the repeal bill.
Bland offered the agreement. made
tins morning. governing debate. II
limits the talk to IA total of fourteen
al / W, ~
sessions for debate only. if desired.
Bland also presented the bill of the free
coinage caucus and demanded the pre-
vious question on his order. but il was
antaeonized by the Republicans under
the leadership of Cannon. who wanted
To debate the question. Finally vote
was taken. resulting. yeas III. nays 100
So the previous question was ordered.
The Republicans generally voted with
the Democrats in support of the motion
The resolution was then adopted.
Al p. IN. Raynor Democrat of Mary
land. began the debate in support of the
Wilson bill for unconditional repeal Of
the silver purchase clause OF the Sher-
man act. Raynor said the advocates Of
free silver coinage would tie the United
States to the tail Of any bankrupt nation
OF the world. The opening Of the mints
to silver might. for time. maintain
fictitious value Of the coin. but the value
of bullion would always be regulated by
the market price. As long as the Sher.
man. silver act remains on the statute
books. SO long will it be impossible to
effect international arrangements: So
long will monetary conferences result in
failure
Brown. Democrat. of Indiana. fol
lowed Raynor. He would favor the
coinage of silver. but in view of the
havoe wrought by the Sherman law. and
demands of the Democratic platform. he
would vote for repeal with or without
conditions
Bland. rising to open for free coinage
expressed regret that number of
gentlemen, whom the speaker who just
sat down was one of the most capable.
had seen tit to change position upon the
question: to abandon large portion of
voters who aided in giving them the
seats they occupy; to turn their faces to
the east and their backs to the west.
As to the declarations in the democratic
platform. Bland asserted it was the un-
derstanding that free coinage of silver
was necessarily meant by the repeal of
the Sherman law: the two are SO antag-
onistic that they cannot exist at the
the same time.
but We are met now with the sur-
gestion that we legislate piece meal:
repeal the Sherman law and take our
chances on securing anything in its
place. which shall meet the pledge Of
the platform to coin both silver and
gold. This is because panic is upop
us. The voting masses Of the country
may become panic stricken on election
day. II they do. I'm afraid those like
the gentlemen from Indiana will feel the
force of that panic.
Bland sketched briefly the history of
financial Legislation OF recent years. and
asserted that the same cry of going to
silver basis" had been raised against
the bill of 1878. with which his name
had been connected.
He sent to the clerks desk and had
read an extract from the report of the
British parliamentary committee on In
dian currency. to the effect that in its
opinion the repeal Of the Sherman pur-
chasing act would be followed by fur.
ther depreciation IN the price of silver.
And We are deliberateI, asked here"