Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1894-03-07
TARIFF BILL NOT READY
SENATOR Hill. OPPOSED TO
THE WILSON BILL.
He Wants Protection, Apparently
After The Mckinley Kind-At
te mpt 10 Call Up BIaud's seiyn-
forage Bill.

WASHINGTON, March 1.-The tariff bill
will not be reported to the full finance
committee today.
In the Senate yesterday Hill offered a
resolution that "whereas the Secretary
of the Treasury has announced deficit o
SIS, 100000 Tor the current fiscal year
and whereas the Wilson bill proposes tc
discard the $70,000,OOO revenue from
the.prescnt taxes aud meet the double
deficiency by new internal and direct
taxes; resolved, that the finance commit
tee frame an amendment to said bill,
omtting the internal md dire. taxes
newly proposed and instead thcrco
make provisions for sufficient revenu,
by taxing other foreign imports and
otherwis make revisions of the taritl
without creating deficiency"
Mr.. Hill asked that the resolution be
laid on the table for the present.
Harris moved the second reading Of
the seigniorage bill, and said there was
no more earnest advocate OF silver coin.
age than him self but he believed that
there was at least one question that
should take precedence of its considera-
tion. Without anv breach of confidence
he was able to state that the committee
on finance was on the very eve of report.
ing the tariff bill. lie therefore objected
to further proceedings on the seignior.
age bill. Under that objection he claimed
that the bill would 90 to the calendar.
Mr.. Harris said today, after con-
ference with his colleagues, he believed
the majority of them are in favor'of i'm
mediate consideration and disposal OF
Islands seigniorage bill. and he asked
unanimous consent that it be taken up
for consideration. He did not propose
to limit debate, but would leave that to
the majority of the Senate. He knew
the Republicans were in favor of putting
this bill before the Senate.
Sherman objected to unanimous con
sent; said he was opposed to the bill and
would move to refer it to the finance com.
mittee. The two propositions were
found in the bill, Sherman said: One,
whether we had the legal right to coin
the seisniorage. the other whether, to
pay the current deficiencies in times OF
profound peace, we shal! issue irrsdccm-
able paper money
Hale said he probably would bc found
agreeing with Sherman, but he thought
nothing was to be gained ny sending the
bill to the committee. The country
ought to know what the views OF the
Senate were.
Sherman said that all bills should he
sent to the committee for report prior to
action by the Senate. Cockcrell said lie
was contoundcd and amazed at the at
titudc OF Sherman. lie came here with
moved 10 take up this bill, they would
have the united support of the Republl.
cans, who yesterday could scarcely con-
tain themselves when unanimous consent
was refused. Aldrch was by this referred
to specifically. to which he retorted that
be wanted to call up the bill, not to pass,
but to defeat it,
An excited colloquy followed between
COckrcll and Sherman over the question
to what the seigniorage really is. Cock
rell contendcd that it belonged to the
public funds. Sherman that no seignior.
age can acrte until the bullion is coined
Cockrell characterized Shcrman'S dis
tinction as the difference between
t weede dun and tweedle-dee. The
seigniorage ought, he said, to be
coined and paid out. Sherman, lie
said, wanted to hold the silver in the
treasury as commodity, like hemp. |
iron or cotton, to be subsequently sold
for gold. All the Bland bill did was to
make that silver money to meet the cX
penses Of the government instead OF
issuing intcrcst.bcaring ,nds. Could
any honest man say this was not good
law: