Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-23
SENATE AND HOUSE.
Some Sharp Discussion in the Upper
Body Today.
ALL OVER MIR. PEFFER'S RESOLUTION.
The Silver Debate Continues il
the House.
SEVERAL SPEECHES MADE
THE SENATE.

THE SENATE.
Mr.. Pasco F'la.) gave notice of his sub
stitute to Mr. Vests minority bill for sill
yer coinage at the ratio of 20 to /. The sub
stitute proposes commission of three citi-
zens of the United States to be appointed
by the President to ascertain and deter
mine by the 1st of January next a fair and
just ratio between the actual intrinsic value
of silver and gold basis for the free
coinage of silver. After the result is re-
ported to the Secretary of the Treasury the
weight of pure and standard silver to be
contained in dollars. halves. quarters and
dimes is to be fixed and determined by him.
and silver is to be coined.
SIR. PETERS RESOLUTION.
The resolution offered yesterday by Mr..
PETER (Kan.), inquirng of the Secretary of
the Treasury as to the conduct of national
banks on refusing to pay. promptly in cur
rency. the checks of their depositors, was
taken up, and a motion to refer II to the
committee on finance was made by Mr..
Hoar (Mass). who said that in a time of
popular distress and panic the controller
of the currency should not be compelled
to drive the national banks UP to the strict
letter of the law. The President had appoin t
ed as controller of the currency a man be-
lieved by him to be a clear-headed. CAPABLE
man. who had not been banker. or specu-
lator, or dealer in credits. and this officer
had not thought it best whenever anv ma
tlonal banks had failed to comply with the
strict and extreme letter OF the law in
dealing with their customers, to bring them
up to the rack.
He thought It we'll to wait a week or ten
days before ''pokinC into that question too
much" He had once heard Gen. Grant say
that the worst subordinate whom a military
officer could have was the one who always
obeyed orders.
Mr.. Voorhees, Und). chairman of the fl
nance committee. favored the reference of
the resolution. and promised that 1t would
not be buried in the committee.
MIR. Kyle against Reference.
Mr.. Kyle IS. d. argued against the refer
ence. which he said would only mean the
burying of the resolution. In the course of
his remarks he spoke of the Secretary of
the Treasury sending Information ''gratui-
tously'' to Senators-referring to Mr.. Car
isles letter as to the cost of change of
silver coinage.
This insinuation was taken up by Mr..
White Ua). who asked Mr.. Kyle whether
he knew that the Secretary had not been
addressed in writing on the subject. Mr..
Kyle had no knowledge Of the subject. Mr..
Vest. however. quoted from the letter 10
show that 1t was written after a CONVERSE
ton with Mr.. Voorhees,. This Senator ex-
planned that as chairman of the finance
committee. he had called upon the Secre-
tary OF the Treasury to ask him as to the
feasibility of silver coinage at the ratio of
20 to !, and. after conversation, had re-
quested the Secretary to put his objections
in writing.
Mr.. Hill Opposes Reference.
Mr.. Hill CNew York; opposed the refer
ence. and insisted on the adoption Of the
resolution directly by the Senate. He did
not assume that the controller of the cur
rency had violated the law. although the
Senator from Massachusetts Cdr HoaD
had said that it was likely or probable that
that officer had in some slight and trivial
respect. violated the law of the land.
Mr.. Hoar denied having said any thing of
the kind.
Mr.. Henderson CNeb) was not prepared
to say that the technical violation Of law
by the national banks of Boston. New York
and Philadelphia was not perfectly just-
liable in the present deplorable position OF
Ser atUr from Massachusetts that 1t was
well to cover up from the knowledge of the
people exactly what course was being pur-
sued by the banks. He quoted from Mr..
Mathew Narshall's financial article in last
Mondays New York sun giving the facts
as to the course of the banks; and he
favored the adoption of the resolution.
Mr.. Mcpherson On. j favored the ref
erence of the resolution and said that if
there had been a technical violation of law
Investigate and report il. The arraign-
ment Of the controller of the currency at
worse, and he did not think il proper. The
resolution should go the finance committee.
Mr.. Wolcott cob opposed the reference
Of the resolution, because he thought that
the finance committee would report that 1t
of the utmost Importance to have the
information. but that owing to the condi-
ton of affairs and the necessity of inspir-
ing confidence, the Senate should not have
il.
Mr.. Germans Argument.
Mr.. German Md) argued in favor of
the reference of the resolution. For the
third or fourth time, he said. during the
present monetary system point had been
raised where the national banks were a
o..
condition of the country was concerned
1t had been reached In 1873. 1877. 1857. 1891
and now in 1893. At those periods II was
utterly impossible for the banks to comply
II by refusing to pay checks of depositors
and had issued clearing house certificates
They were doing that today. They had
done II. with the eye of the Secretary of the
Treasury and of the controller of the cur
rency upon them, but the enforcement of
the Law on any of those occasions would
have resulted in the destruction, not only
If the financial institutions, but Of every
interest of the country. Never had there
been period half SO threatening as that
which confronted the Senate today.
Mr. Hill Replies.
Mr.. Hill of New York replied to Mr.. Cor
man. The only object of referring th,, re-
solution was, he said not to act upon it.
There never had been SO bad a case in the
history of the country that its advocates
had not always pleaded that the matter
complained of was not in the interests of
the public welfare.
Mr.. Washburn-"Wha does the Senator
from New York propose that the Senate
shall do if the controller of currency re-
ports that there has been a technical vio-
l.itiOn of the law"
Mr.. Hill have made no proposition.
That is matter for the Senator from
Kansas. He must be the judge of what is
his duty under the circumstances
The discussion of the resolution was con-
tinued until the close of the morn 'nl hour.
when Mr. Hcar demanded the regular or
der. The resolution, therefore, goes to the
foot of the calendar.
The Lee Mantle case was then plac ID be-
fore the Senate, and will be debated until
O'Clock, when vote upon the seating of
Mr.. Mantle will be taken
THE HOUSE.
The House met at 10 o'clock, but its pro-
ceedings were not opened with prayer-the
chaplain not having been advised of the
change of the hour of meeting.
Mr.. c. W. Stone Pa) was the first
speaker this morning upon the silver ques-
ton. This question, he said, was too seri-
Gus to justify appeal to prejudice or to