Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-29
A G AIMS 7 REPEAL.
Senator Harris Addresses the Senate
on That Subject.
MR.. SHERMAN MAKES CORRECTIONS,
The Federal Elections Repeal Bill
Up in the House.
NJ r. LA CEY AGAINST IT.
MR.. LACEY AGAINST IT,
THE SENATE.

THE SENATE.
Inc DUTY Of having a quorum present
this morning before the reading of yester-
days journal began was undertaken by
MT. Dolph Oreg). When the roll call
closed there were still six Senators lacking,
but after fifteen minutes waiting ii was
announced by the Vice President that
there were forty-three Senators-an exact
ouorum-present. Then the journal was
read. and the routine morning business
proceeded. Mr.. Cameron Pa1 presented a.
petition signed by Mr.. Wharton Barker of
Philadelphia and many business firms of
that city asking Senators to legislate SO
as to preserve the protective character of
the tarlf and the integrity of silver a
money metal, and he asked that it be read
and printed in the Record. Objection was
made to that request, and then it was
ordered that the petition be printed as a
document.
Mr.. Harris Against Repeal.
The silver purchase repeal bill was taken
up at II :25, and Mr.. Harris (Tenn.), a MEM
ber Of the finance committe. made an argu-
ment against the bill-Mr. PETER having
yielded the floor to Mr.. Morgan and Mr..
Morgan having yielded to Mr.. Harris. He
asserted that the Sherman act had no more
to do with the business troubles of the
country than the lighting of a friction
match had to do with a cyclone. No one
doubted that the government would pay
all just demands against it according to its
contract; in proof of which Gf proof We're
necessary he needed only to refer to the
fact that during the panic all kinds of money
were hoarded-silver certificates and silver
dollars, as well as gold certificates, green
backs and gold. The great the real ques-
ton was whether gold alone Will be the basis
of circulation and silver be totally abandon
ed as money except as subsidiary coin. The
passage of the pending bill meant and
In his opinion was intended to mean that
the American people should have no more
legal tender silver dollars. and that here
after silver shall be used only as fractional
currency. 1t meant practical demonetiza-
ton of silver, monometallism. gold stand
ard. In his opinion the passage OF the re-
lowed by proposition to strike down the
legal tender quality of the existing silver
dollars than by one to coin more silver.
The Chicago platform had denounced the
Sherman act as a ''cowardly makeshift
$50 do l." said Mr.. Harris. 1T also de-
clarded for the use of both sold and silver
as standard money. and for the e0inase aiase
either. Can it be-" said he. that the
proper effect of the pending bill would be
to secure parity between the two metalS,
when it's only object is to degrade, more
and more. the one metal while 1t booms
the other?
Home Policy.
He deprecated the idea of asking foreign
governments to give their consent to an in
ternational financial policy. Let u.s., he
said, formulate and establish our own
home policy and maintain it, We are, In
my opinion, able to do so. and 1t Is our high
and solemn duty to our own people to es-
tablish and maintain a himeta!lic standard.
We legislate for the people CT the United
States. not for the people of other coun-
tries. Let us coin all our silver INTO legal
tender money, at some fxe'l reasonable
rate. So far as am concer led. ! Am lultc
satisfied with the ratio of i6 to j.
Mr.. sherman Sets Him Right.
In the course of his discussion Mr. Har-
ris referred to a statement u: MIR. sherman
when he was Secretary of the Treasury as
to what would be the effect Of the Bland
bill
The Senator (Mr. Sherman interrupted)
has referred to statement made by me
that the Bland bill ouid, IN my judgment.
tend to make silver the sole standard. 1
have no doubt of ii at all. I;ut the reriark
which the Senator has quoted must apply
to what was called the Dlanl Allison act,
which was entirely different. he Bland
bill did provide for the zee c1tuage of sill
yer. 1 do not see how any one can differ
with me- in thinking that the free coinage
Of silver would make silver tthe cheaper
metaD the only standard. But the remark
could not be applied TO the Bland-Allison
act; and never so applied 1t. On the con-
trary. l was very glad to escape from the
free coinage Of silver by the BlandAl,iSon
act.
Does the Senator?" Mr. Harris inquired,
mean to be understood as saying that the
limited coinage provided for by the Bland
Allison act would bring US to the silver
standard?"
Il said." was Mr.. Sherman's answer,
that; If continued too long. it probably
would"
Il have always" said Mr.. Harris, under
stood the Senator from Ohio as believing,
and SO stating. AS / find that I am mis-
taken about that, 1 indulge the hope that
the Senator will Join us to the extent at
least Of restoring the Bland-Allison act