The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-09
BLAND'S BILL REPORTED
oroEru ofDkM0CRATs FINALLY
HysYIRED ~ THE HOUsE.
qhe silver seIgnioraae Bin at Last Under
way-rhe Sensie Agsin Discussed
the Bond fssne.

WASHINGTON. u. c., Feb. S.-The res
oluuon presented by Mr.. Bland Just be-
fore adjournment last evening, directing
the sergeant-at-Arms 20 take into Gus
tody the absent members, did not bear
fruit Immediately. FOR there did not ap-
pear TO be a quorum Of Democrats pres
ent when the House met this morning.
Afser the reading Of the Journal Mr.
Reed sought 20 have It corrected, and
moved TO insert In the Journal the an
nounccmcnt Of the Speaker pro tenn
hat lis members answered TO their
names on last roll-call-n0 quorunl-but
his motion was voted down, q to III
AS soon as IL was decided not 20 correct
the Journal. Mr.. Bland moved 70 so ihto
Committee OF the Whole TO consider MS
silver seigniorage bill. MT. Reed now
ever. made the point Of order, when ne
Das fakcn advantage of before, that the
Sergeant-at-Arms had been ordered 10
arrest the absent members, about l6),
and the presumption was that many OF
these members were present and would
vote on the question. lie asserted that
n member could not vote while under ar
rest but the Speaker replied That the
Sergeant-at-Arms had made no report to
the House. and the House, therefore,
had no knowledge that any members
were under arrest
MIR. Reed thereupon. as question OF
privilege. desired that the Sergeant-at-
Arms be required 10 appear before the
bar OF The House and report what he had
done under the special order. but the
Speaker ruled that this was not a ques-
ton Of privilege.
Ar. Reed moved 10 reconsider the vote
by which the resolution ordering arrests
was adopted last night. and after consid-
ering the matter for some time, ana read
ing the authority which MIR. Reed sent up
10 the desk. the Speaker ruled that such
q motion was In order and could be made.
Mr.. Bland moved 20 lay this motion on
The table. and on this the House divided
I1i 10 IS.
SIR. Reed demanded the yeas and nays,
and the roll was called.
Ou the rOll-call Mr. Reeds motion was
tahlcd-yeas. lt2; nays, 80.
Tho Tight for Quorum.
At1.20 o'clock Mr.. Bland moved that the
House go into Committee OF the Whole
90 consider the silver seigniOrage bill, and
sir Tracey Dem. n. " asked for q
division. which resulted as follows: Yeas,
JIG. nays 3.
Mr. Tracey made the point OF no quo
yum. Whereupon Mr.. Bland called for the
yeas and nays. and the roll was called.
The Republicans generally refrdined
from voting, and the vote was as follows;
lsI TO 6-no quorum and Mr.. Bland moved
g. call Of the House on the yeas and
nays Several eastern and northern Demo-
Gratis remained dumb or voted in the mega
tive. while all the POpulists and many or
the western and northwestern Republic
cans voted I'm the affirmative.
on tho second ron-call. when excuses
we're I'm order, Mr.. Shaw Rep.. Nis.)'
when the name of his colleague, Mr.. Bah
cock. was reached, asked that he be ex-
cused.
ION what excuse?" asked Mr.. Living
rion. Of Georgia.
"On none at all" replied Mr.. Shaw,
denantly, except that he Is absent, and
] desire 10 have him excused
some Of the Democrats showed signs
of fighting. but finally concluded that It
would be wiser not TO press the matter TO
the point OF a division and yeas and
nays: and all objection was Withdrawn.
Before the completion OF the second roll
CALL SIR. Bland having learned that 2ls
members had answered TO their names
moved 10 dispense with further proceed
ings under the call This was agreed to
and the question recurred on taking up
The consideration OF the SeigniOrage bill.
and the roll was called. This disclosed
the absence Of a voting quorum, the
vote as announced being l65 TO g. Mr..
Hland moved a call OF the House, which
was ordered The call showing the
presence OF 80 members, Mr. Bland
moved 10 dispense with further proceed
inss under IL, but Mr.. Tracy continued
lihusteriug. and called Tor "a division,
and then for the yeas and nays on this
motion. The demand not being seconded
boy a sufficient number. was refused, and
Air. Cochran asked for telers. suifi-
cient number not having seconded this
request. II was also refused. and the
Speaker announced the motion TO dis
pense with further proceedings under the
cal 20 have been carried. The question
recurring on Mr.. Bland's motion TO go
into Committe of the Whole the yeas
and nays were demanded and the roll
Was called. On the last roll call the
vote was:
Yeas. 176; nays. 4; and amid applause
from the Democrats the House went into
Committee Of the Whole 10 consider the
Bland silver seigniorage bill with Mr..
Hatch Dem, MOI In the chair
Nc. Band Explains the BiIl.
Alr. Bland, in opening the debate, ex-
planned the provisions OF the bill. The
first section provided for the coinage OF
the seigniorage Of gain on the coinage
OF silver which had accrued to the Gov
eminent under the silver purchase act
Of July H. 1890. As bullion will coin more
dollars than Il costs. there Is a gain go
ing on consequently while silver Is benl
coined. Some men asserted that there
could be no seigniOrage until the whole
amount OF the bullion was coined; Du'
neither the Secretary of the Treasury
uor he BLAND held this view. The bill
provides for the issuance Of silver Ger
tihcates and silver notes on the seignior'
age aud the remaining silver bullion II
tho Treasury. and that when these are
redeemed by the silver dollars so coined
they shall not be rcisaued.
The bullion was 10 be coined only fol
the redemption OF the certificates ane
notes The proposed bill was not for ihs
purpose Of reGeemlng the notes issued
under the Sherman law, nor would II
interfere with the redemption OF those
notes lie thought all the silver bullion
I'm The Treasury should be coined, ano
as soon as the certificates issued on
them had been redeemed they should
not be reissued, when the silver dollars
we're once paid out that ought to be the
last OF them.
MIR. Bland was surrounded by most o
the members on the floor. and was tn'
HI. ..l.. 80