Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-19
THE COINAGE BILL
Prospect of Senate Vote on It To-
day.
ITS CHANCES IN The HOUSE
The House Coinage Committee
Tied on Free Coinage.
THE SITUATION DESCRIBED

The expectation Is. as previously stated
in The Star, that the Jones free silver bill
will pass the, Senate, the anti-silver men
permitting the vote so as to prove to the
country how completely the Senate Is In
the hands of the silverites.
Mr.. Jones expects the vote to occur to-
day, and he may not be disappointed. 1t
is not improbable that the bill. coming
over from the Senate, would have ma
jority vote in the House if it could be
brought to vote there. But in the reg
ular order of procedure the Senate bill
would have to go to the House committee
on coinage, weights and measures to be
reported on. That committee is so con-
stituted as to give majority of one for
silver on a poll of the whole committee.
This would give the silver men just a
quorum If every one of their number were
pr esent. Sickness has, however, always
kept them one OF two short of their full
quota, and as the anti-silver members Will
not attend the meetings, 1t is impossible
for them to make a report. The committee
is certainly very narrowly divided upon the
question of free coinage, with probable
majority of one against the proposition.
With full muster of the seventeen MEM
bers there are eight to be listed on each
side of the question, with Mr.. kilgore Of
Texas holding the balance of power.
hI hHSOIS was lOl accounted u
free silver advocate, but has been recently
thought to hold views antagonistic to free
silver. An additional advantage for the
opponents OF free silver is found In the
absence of MIR. Sweet OF Idaho, who is en-
gagged in a contest for the Senate at home,
SO, at best. the silver men could only hope
for a tie vote in committee. Fearing that
the silver sentiment dominated the COM
mittee, the eastern members have absented
themselves from the meetings throughout
this session, and refused to help to make
quorum Their attendance was only Sc
cured when 1t was desired to report the
Denver mint bill by an explicit promise
that no financial bill would be called UP.
Chairman Bland says hA will exert every
Influence in his power to secure quorum
If the Jones bill is sent to the House, but
he does not entertain strong hopes that he
can secure a report upon the bill. If it
could be reported he could call it up as
privileged business in the House, and the
body would be compelled to place itself
on record on the silver question unen-
numbered by other issues. proposition
that 1t has not yet been called upon to
vote on.
No Help From the Rules Committee.
Moreover, they cannot expect any assist
ance from the committee on rules, as
Speaker Crisp is the only straight silver
man on that committee. Reed and Catch
ings are gold men; Cannon and Outhwaite
term themselves bimetallists, but are not
in favor of free coinage of silver under
pres sent conditions.
The best opinion obtainable about the
Senate when it convened today was that
vote would not be reached upon the
Jones unrestricted silver coinage bill dur
ing the day. and several Senators were
found. including some advocates of the
bill, who expressed the opinion that the
bill would not reach vote at all. They
say it is not their purpose to stand i'm
the way of the proper consideration Of the
appropriation bills and some of them are
willing that after the debate on the Jones
bill shall have progressed for a reasonable
time it shall give way for the consideration
of the Indian appropriation bill, which Is
next on the calendar.
They claim that in consenting to this
course they will lose no advantage for sill
Yer. as they have already demonstrated
that the silver forces are in the ascend
ancy in the Senate.
F1libpstering Likely.
There is no doubt that dilatory tactics
will be resorted to. The republican anti
silver men have not yet had an opportunity
for consultation, and will not decide upon
course until 1t is definitely decided
whether the silver men will consent to al
low the bill to be displaced by the Indian
bill
They are divided as to the best policy,
some of them holding that positive show
financial question would be the best expla-
Ma ton they could make in response to the
demands of their constituents for action in
the interest of a bond issue. and others
holding that any further exploitation of
the silver question will only serve to make
palmer the division in the party and to still
further unsettle the finances. The demo-
cratic friends Of the administration are
known to be disposed to stand off vote as
long as possible. They assert quite posi-
lively that vote cannot be reached today,
and, while they will not push their predic-
tions to more distant time, 1T Is evident
by their manner that they are hopeful Of
securing sufficient republican assistance to
postpone action for some time. The silver
men are confident that if vote can be
reached they will make still better show
ing than they did On the vote for consider