Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-02-19
SENATE FOR SILVER
Upper House Once More Puts
Itself on Record.
VOTE ON JONES' FINANCIAL BILL.
"Cnrestricted'' Coinage Favored on n Test
Roll Call 20 to 21-Gray Defends the
Presideots Bond Bargain and Sherman
Says 1t Was y Bad One, but Must Not
be Repudiated- What the Treasury Oni-
eiais Have to Say of the Matter.

Says 1t Was - had One, but Must Not
be Repudiated-whst the Treasury ON
cials Have to Say of the Matter.
WASHINGTON. Feb 10 BY "A bold pa.lia-
nentary move, the silver men oi the sen
ate, under the leadership Of Jones OF
Arkansas, forced aside all other pending
business-including appropriation bills
and by q vote of 30 to "a made the bill for
the unrestricted coinage Of silver un-
finished business before the senate Hav-
ing succeeded in this Jones gave notice
that the silver bill would be kept before
the senate until a final vote was secured
before adjournment today. From the
strength shown by the silver Tnen on the
votes there was little doubt OF Jones abil!-
ty to secure the vote today unless OBJ
structive tactics or a test of physical en-
durance are inaugurated. which is re-
garded as likely. The move Of the silver
men came as the climax Of an exciting
day IN the senate.
Gray Defends the President.
For two hours at the opening Of the
session there was n renewal OF the attack
and defense, the charge and counter
charge concerning the course Of the pres
ident and secretary of the treasury in
negotiating the recent bond contract with
foreign bankers. The two notable
speeches of the day were made by Gray Of
Delaware, whose relations with the ad-
ministration are such that his utterances
in defense Of the president and secretary
were regarded as reflecting the attitude Of
the executive branch; and by Sherman,
whose financial views are always received
with marked attention. Gray's defense
Of the president was in brief that it was
an emergency and that gold was abSo-
lutely necessary; that in the emergency
the president had made the best bargain
he could with congress standing idly by
and an apparent majority thereof ready
to declare for paying the government
obligations in cheap money.
Sherman's Criticism Of the Contract.
Sherman's criticisms of the bond con-
tract were none the less severe because
of the calm and dispassionatc manner in
which no set forth what he termed Its
hard and impolitic" features, and the "ex-
ccssive" rate of interest allowed on thirty
year bonds. Sherman declared that no
bonds should bc issued except to be taken
by the people of the United States, and he
asserted the abundant ability of Amer
leans to furnish all the gold necessary.
The Ohio senator did not, however, ques-
tiOn the presidents position In favor Of
gold payments, but presented the facts
of all bond issues since 1869, showing that
the government had always received gold
for its bonds and was bound in common
honesty to pay in gold for them. Which
statement did not alter the fact that there
is now and has been for some time ma
jority IN the senate that does not believe
common honesty calls for any such thing.
Anti siIvor Vote on the Roll Call.
And this was proved by the vote re.
fcrred to in tho foregoing, when 81 voted
against % for the unrestricted" coinage
of silver-for that was the effect of the
vote. Unrestricted" coinage is not free
coinage. but 1T is closer to it than We have
been for some years. 1t will take all the
silver offered and coin it into 4l2H grain
dollars-worth little over 80 cents in
bullion, and Uncle Sam, while buying
the ounce for between 80 and % cents,
will pocket the seigniorage. The men
who voted against this kind of silver
dollars were: Allison, Bricc, Camden,
Carey. Chandler, Davis, Dixon, Frye,
Gallingcr. George, Gibson, Gray, Hale,
Hawlcy, Hill, Hoar Mcmillan. McPhcr-
son, Mandcrson, Mitchell of Wisconsin,
Palmer, Pasco, Platt, Proctor, Quay,
Ransom. Villas; total, %.
Pairs-First named would have voted
yea: Mitchell of Oregon and Aldrich,
Blan hard and Burrows, Cockrell and
Cullom, Coke and Dolph, Faulkner and
Higgins. Gordon and Wilson Of Iowa,
Roach and German, Irby and Morrill,,
Pritchard and Lindsay, Martin and
Lodge, Mills and Sherman, Wolcott and
Murphy, Power and Gallery, Shoup and
Smith, Vest and WaShburn.