Rock Island Argus., 1895-07-22

ing that il would only take the time con.
sumed in reading the bill. Harvey
quoted Sherman as follows in answer to
q question by Casserly: IF the senator
will allow me, be will see that the pre-
ceding section provides for coin which is
exactly interchangeable with the English
shilling and the five franc piece of France;
that Is. the I've franc piece of Franco will
be the exact equivalent of a dollar Of the
United States In our silver coinage"
In reply Horr said: THAT is right,
Mr.. Harvey. The bill that was reported
20 the senate and that they were then dis
cussing had in it provision for the coin
Ing Of silver dallars the silver dollars
about which you talked at the last session
Of this debate containing 3Si grains, and
they were made with all the other silver
coins. subsidiary coins. The senate
struck that provision out and substituted
the trade dollar for that 3Si grain dollar"
Harvey-If you will show me from tho
record of the proceedings in the senate on
that day that the senate struck out that
dollar we will stop this debate right here.
Horr replied: Il have not the record.
but can get 1t. The law when it was
passed had the trade dollar in it. Do
you deny thnt?"
Hnrvey-No sir, do not.
Horr-And didn't that take the place
of the other dollarp
Harvey-No SIR
Horr-I defy you to show q word any.
where that substantiates that position.
"The cnly men who opposed that
bill in the house were Clark.
son n. Potter and Mr.. Brooks, both
millionaircs from Wall street, both rep.
rescnting the very men that you say were
trying to impose that bill upon this coun-
try for the purpose of aiding men who
arc rich. Mr.. Potter stated in SO many
words the truth; he thought it was in
opportune, but ne says: I am in favor
OF the gold unit. i am in favor of that
provision OF the bill That bill became a
law by the substitution of the trade dol.
lar. The law IN reference to making the
gold dollar the unit of value was never
changed at any stage in the process Of
the bill 1t is apparent, however that
the bill met with little opposition; not
because its provisions were not under.
stood, but because at that time no one
cared very much about the silver dol.
lar"
Horr quoted a letter from Senator Jus
tin ). Morrill,, of Vermont, to whom no
body, he said, imputed dishonor, in which
Morrill, said: There has been a loud
and delusivc cry about the act of congress
in 1873, which after three years of consid.
Grafton by the treasury department and
congress purposcly omitted to provide
for the further coinage of the silver dol
lar, none having been coined for nearly
forty years and only 100000 having
ever been coined"
To meet Ho-r's argument Harvey quot
ed Sherman in the Forty-second congress,
speaking of the silver dollar: 1--WE are
providing that it shall float all over the
world" Again: "This bill proposes "a
silver coinage exactly the same rs tho
French, and what are called the associated
nations OF Europe [mcaning the Latin
union1 who have adopted the interna-
tional standard of silver coinage; that il,
the dollar provided for By this bill is tho
precise equivalent Of the 5-franc piece"
Hero Harvey reached the passage of the
bill by the senate with slight changes in
a few minor points, when 1T was referred
to n conference committee which could
settle only disputed points and could not
change what had been agreed upon by
both houses, he said, and the silver
dollar clause lmeaaing full legal tender
dollar was not u disputed point. Tho
was composed of Senators
Scott (Pa) Bayard and Sherman, and
Representatives, Hooper (Mass.) Slough.
ton (Mich.) and McNcaly Ulis.)
And here was Harvey's point: He said
that in that committee the 3St grain dol.
lar was stricken out (the dollar that had
been agreed upon, under principles of
free coinage, By both houses). 1t presented
its report and the congressional rec.
ord says of the matter: The report
and no more" Both houses trusted their
the points of disagree ment
Were understood and the committee was
supposed to have performed its duty.
Neither house asked any questions, nor
wGs there any debate. He added: ''If
that dollar was only subsidiary dollar,
limited to the purchase of silver by the
secretary Of tho treasury only and that
was its only virtue in that bill, why did
1t disappear from the bills'
Years aftcrward, he said, the repo rt of
the senate committee turned up SO altered
rs to show an amend ment striking out
the silver dollar.
Horr defied Harvey to prove that the
clause making the gold dollar the unit
Of value was ever erased from the bill,
or that in any draft of the bill was tho
silver dollar made anything but a SUBJ
sidlary coin. He then said Harvey was
wrong as to the procedure in conference.
1t not infrc4ucntly happened in changing
clauses that 1t was necessary to
cnanse clauses not disputed. But in any
event the report had to be made and
every change stated.
He said: No unusual thing was done
with this bill. 1t passed almost precise
~ as the secretary of the treas.
ury had recommended it when he
first sent tho draft to tho American
The only other feature of
any Importance in it was the new
feature of the trade dolla,; otherwise it
was nearly identical with the bill. that
had first been drafted" Horr read let
Ter from Jasper Packard, Of New Al.
bany. lad. in which he, who was q men,
Der of congress during the consideration
Of that bill. says: Il heard it all, Hoop.
er's speech, and Kelley's and ali the
rest. The gold dollar was made the unit
Of value in the bill from its FIRST
printing, and dollar Of 3Si grains was
provided for and put in the list of the sub.
sidiary coins, legal tender to only s.. After
ward that dollar was dropped entirely
ani the trade dollar with more silver in
IL was subS.itute,l Thara r,s nara, M,