The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-09

Whole and Explains His Measure.
Tie Bill Provides for tho Issuance of
Silver Certificates and Silver Notes.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8.-The resolution
presented by Mr.. Bland just before ad
journment last evening directing the
sergeant-at-arms to take into custody
the absent members did not bear fruit
Immediately, for there did not appear to
be quorum of Democrats present whom
the House met this morning.
After the reading of yesterdays jour
nal Reed sought to have it corrected
and moved to insert in the journal the
announcement OF the Speaker pro tenn.
that 176 members answered to their
names on the last roll call-no quorum
but this motion was voted down, 60 to
121.
As soon as it was decided not to cor
rect the journal, Bland moved to go into
committee of the whole to consider his
silver seignorage bill Reed, however,
made the point OF order, which he has
taken advantage of before, that the
arrest the absent members. about 16O,
and the presumption was that many of
these members wer' present and would
vote on the question.
He asserted that a member could not
vote while under arrest. 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.
Reed thereupon, as a question Of priv
lego, desired that the sergeant-at a ms
be required to 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 question of
privilege.
Reed moved to reconsider the vote by
which the resolution ordering d recess
was adopted last night, and, after con-
sidering the matter for some time and
reading the authority which Reed sent
up to the desk, the Speaker ruled that
such q motion was in order and could
be made.
Bland moved to lay this motion on the
table and on this the House divided, 12l
to Gs. Reed demanded the ayes and
nays and the roll was called. On the
roll call Reeds me tion was tabled, yeas,
1862; nays, 8
<1b A.SO OlOSh 6OfGQ tHdb Vic
House 90 into committee of tho whole
to consider the silver seignorage bill,
and Tracey (Dem., N. " asked for a
division, which resulted as follows:
Yeas, 160; nays. 5. Tracey made the
point of no quorum, whereupon Bland
called for the yeas and nays and the
roll was called.
The Repu blicans generally RETAINED
from voting and the vote was 167 to G.
no guorum-and Bland moved a call of
the House. On the yeas and nays sew
eral Eastern and Northern Democrats
remained NIB or voted in the mega.
tive, while the Populists and many Of
the Western and Northwestern Repuli-
cans voted in the affirmative.
On the second roll call when EXCUSES
were in order, Shaw (Rep., Wis., when
the name of his COLLEAGUE, Babcock,
was reached asked that he be excused.
ION what excuse?" asked Livingston,
OF Georgia.
''Ou none at ALL" replied Shaw, de-
family, Except that he is absent and l
desire to 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 division and yeas and
nays and all objection was Withdrawn.
OSNoT6l OIuor uoVlCeS To ueIeab d vote
wore made by Tracey and Cochran, of
Now York, but on the last call the vote
was yeas 176, nays4, and, amid applause
from the Democrats, the House went
into committee Of the whole to consider
the Bland silver seignorsge bill. with
Hatch dem, Mo- in the chair.
Bland, in opening the debate, ex-
planned the provisions of the bill. The
first section provided for the coinage of
the seignorage or gain on the coinage of
silver which had accrued to the Govern.
nent under tho silver purchase act of
July IA, 1890. AS bullion will coin
more dollars than it costs, there is
gain going on constantly while silver is
being coined. Some men asserted that
there could be no seignorage until tho
whole amount Of the bullion was coined;
but neither the Secretary of the Treas
ury nor he (Blsnd), held this view
The bill provides for tho issuance of
silver certificates and silver notes on
the seignorage and the remaining silver
bullion in the Treasury, and that when
these are redeemed by the silver dollars
so coined they shall not be reissued.
The bullion was to be coined only for
the redemption OF the certificates and
notes. The proposed bill was not for
the purpose of redeeming the notes
issued under the Sherman law, nor
would it interfere with the redemption
of those notes.
Bland was surrounded by most Of the
members on the floor and was the target
at which their shafts were leveled, but
without their taking any effect upon
him. At 4:45 he moved that the com
mittee rise. which was agreed to.
He then offered resolution rescind-
inc On nnuch Of tho Order adoptod uac