The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-16
THE SILVER MEN
VIII Vote for Repeal If Coupled with
Free Coinage.


Free Coinage.
The caucus of members of the house
Of representatives who favor the free
coinage of silver, which was called yester-
day by Representative Bland was held
today in the hall of the house, lasting
from II noon to 2:45 p. m. At the close
it was officially announced that the
following resolution. offered by Mr.
Boatner of Louisiana, had been adopted
by a unanimous vote:
Resolved, That we will support a bill
repeating the purchasing clause of the
Sherman act and concurrently provid-
ing for the free and untrammeled coin
age of silver, with full legal tender quail
ity, on such a ratio as will provide and
maintain the parity between gold and
silver. Be it further
Resolved, That a committee of seven
be appointed by the chairman of this
conference to draft and introduce such
a bill and take proper steps to secure
the free and full discussion and consid-
Grafton thereof, and a vote Of the house
upon the bill and proper amendments"
The committee provided was COM
posed as follows; Messrs. Bland, Sib
ley. Boatner. Lane, Bankhead, Bryan
and Bailey. By a vote of the caucus,
Judge Culbertson was added TO the COM
mittee
When the caucus met it was estimated
that there were about forty members
Of the house in the hail. but during the
time the caucus was in session about
one hundred members were admitted.
Estimates of the number in attendance
ranged from sixty to l25, the clerk OF
the caucus fixing the number at ninety
three, and Mr.. Bland saying he counted
over a hundred
I'D Cr,1nar-tSov, ~ elected
chairman of the caucus and Representa-
tive Sibley of Pennsylvania, the only
democrat present from the eastern
states. secretary. The republican present
was Representative Bowers of Califor-
mia. The populists were represented by
braska. The attendance upon the eau
Gus can hardly be regarded as test OF
the strength of the silver forces in the
house for the reason given by Mr.. Enloe
of Tennessee. That reason was that the
democratic party was charged by the
people with the duty of legislating so as
to remedy the present depression in all
branches of business. y democratic
caucus, and not a mixed conference,
should have been called to talk over
the situation and TO formulate a plan
of relief. OF the entire Tennessee dele
CATION. many Of which are in favor of
free coinage, all but one, Mr.. Cox, were
present at the conference. This same
thing was true of a number of free sill
yer men from other states, who did not
desire to seem to separate themselves
from their respective party organiza-
lions, even on this question.
Reports from the members after the
caucus agreed that no differences Of opin-
ion were disclosed in the progress of the
discussion. The question of the ratio for
the coinage of silver was not discussed
except incidentally, and, as will be no.
ticed no specific figure was named in the
resolution.
Speeches were made by Judge GILBERT
son. Messrs. Bland, Hatch and Heard Of
Missouri, Grain and Bailey of Texas
Simpson Of Kansas Oates and Bank
head of Alabama, Bryan of Nebraska
Sibley of Pennsylvania, Boatner and
Blanchard of Iowa and others, all in
support of the subject for which the
caucus had been called.
Beside the action reported a resolution
by Mr.. Bland was adopted authorizing
the appointment of a committee of
whips" one from each state, whose
duty il shall be TO canvass the house,
discover each members standing upon
the proposed bill and see that every
friend of the measure is in his seat and
ready to vote when the time comes. This
| committee has not been named.
Mr.. Bland stated after the caucus that
| it had been in every respect satisfactory