The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-17
PROGRESS OF THE DEBATES
Issues Joined in the House Without
PreliminarieS.

try Believe That Prospective Tariff
Reform Is the Cause of Present Ills.
Drawn Battle in the House.
Washington, Aug. 16.-The Senate
spent only three hours in session to-day,
but that time was well filled up. Mr.
Vests bill appropriating 100000 for a
site and building in Washington to be
known as the "Hal of Records" was
passed. Then the bill to increase the cir
| culatiOn of the national banks was taken
up and postponed till tomorrow, for the
reason that several senator's had inform
ed Mr.. Voorhees, that they desired more
time to discuss it.
MR.. ooCKRELL's AMENDMENT.
| But before it was laid aside, an import
ant amendment was proposed to it by Mr..
| Cockrell, to authorize the redemption (at
par and accrued interest) of such 2 per
cent. bonds, over $25, ,0O0, 900 in all, as may
| be offered, and to authorize the issue of
new treasury legal tender notes in pay
ment therefor. The amendment produced
considerable discussion, Mr.. Sherman
condemning it as an unbusinesslike propo-
sition, and Mr. Cockrell express
! ing his amazement and mortifca-
tion that the friend and patron of
the national banks, egreat gold mono
metallist from Ohio, should object to an
| amendment that would increase the
amonnt of currency in circulation.
Another amendment to the bill was of
| fered later on by Allen, of Nebraska for
the cessation of interest on the bonds on
which the increased national bank cIrcu-
! lation should be based.
MR.. BERRY ON THE DOUBLE STANDARD.
| Mr.. Berry, Arkansas, addressed the
| Senate in favor of the double standard of
gold and silver. It was generally agreed,
he said, that the Sherman act was thor
oughly bad. 1t was a law which never
should have been passed, and he was
particularly gratifled that not single
| democratic vote had been cast for it,
either in the Senate or House of Repre-
! sentatives. In an evil hour for the
country the free silver republicans had
parted company with their friends on
| the democratic side of the chamber
and had consented to the passage of the
| Sherman act and the repeal of the Bland
| act. The repeal of the Sherman act with
out other legislation would, in his opin-
ion, place the country upon a gold
basis and would prevent the future
| coinage of any silver, and forever
practically destroy silver as money.
| He believed in the double standard
| and was not willing to cast his
vote for the gold standard of money.
| Cleveland has often declared in favor of
| bimetallism, and he was cOnfdentuthat
Notwithstanding the Presidents failure
| to discuss bimetallism in his message,
he would approve any bill that repealed
the Sherman law and provided for the
circulation of both gold and silver on such
terms as would give them equal value.
TRICK TO HEAD OFF TARIFF REFORM.
The Lodge resolution was taken up.
with the Gallinger amendment to it, to
the effect that it would be unwise and in
expedient to make aay radical change in
the tariff prior to March, 1897; and Mr.
Gallinger addressed the Senate. He de-
clared himself ready to vote at the ear
liest possible moment for the repeal of the
Sherman act, though he did not believe
that much abused law was largely
responsible for existing financial evils.
His prescription for the evils affecting the
body polite he gave as follows Let the
bill permitting banks to increase their
circulation be enacted into law and let
this resolution and amendment be adopt
ed, and confidence in our finances will be
at once restored both at home and abroad,
trade will brighten, and another area of
perity of the administration of President
Harrison, will speedily come to the people
of the United States.
After a brief executive session. the
Senate, at 3:15 O'Clock adjourned until to-
morrow.
SILVER DEBATE PROMPTLY TO THE FRONT.
The debate in the House to-day on the
Wilson repeal bill began with but little
preliminary. 1t was started by Mr.. Nc
Call. rep, of Massachusetts, in favor of
the repeal of the purchasing clause of the
Sherman bill and was closed by Mr.
Moses, dem, of Georgia, in opposition
thereto.
Sandwiched between these two speeches
were remarks by Messrs. Coombs, dem,
of New York, Bryan, dem, of Nebraska,
and Henderson, rep, of Iowa.
The first named made an address from
a business standpoint in favor of the re-
peal of the Sherman law, and Mr.. Bryan
made the speech of the day and although
he occupied more than two hours in its
delivery, he commanded the earnest at
tention of his colleagues throughout. He
was one of the apostles of bi-metallism,
and his sympathizers regarded his argu-
mentS unanSwerable.
DRAWN BATTLE IN THE HOUSE.
But the same thing was said of the
speech of Mr.. Henderson by the opponents
of free coinage; and, taken altogether,
the days debate might be put down in
the category of a drawn battle.
Mr.. Bryan said that he would fully ac-
complish his purpose if he were able to
imgress upon the members of this House
the Importance of the question which was
now under consideration and to quicken
their appreciation Of the grave response
bility which pressed upon them. Upon
the action of this congress might depend
not only the welfare of the south and
west, not only the welfare of
the United States, but the welfare
of humanity itself for ages to come.
Some outside of this hall had assumed
that the recommendation of the Presi-
dent imposed some obligations upon demo-
cratic members to do as he desired, and
some had even been hardy enough to sug-
gest that a failure to fall in with the
recommendations there made would sub
ject the dissenter to administrative dis
pleasure. But those persons did the
President great injustice.
THE PRESIDENT RESPECTS THEIR INDEPEND-
ENCE.
The President would not for moment
forget the independence of the two
branches of congress. Let the Presi-
4 tas.r