The herald., 1895-02-20
Hard Fight OF Jones for Free
Coinage of Silver
Villas TALKS ABOUT BONDS
Business Brought to Standstill for
Lack Of Quorum
A Surprise in the Nature of Resolution From
Wolcott-A Significant foreshadowing
Of the Silver Bill

81 the SILVER men, leu ny Johso VI -Nihali
as to pass the bill for the unrestricted
coinage of silver.
Jones himself made the motion to ad-
iourn, after it had been made evident
hat voting quorum of Senators could
not be held in the Senate chamber for an
ll-night struggle.
One of the surprises Immediately pre-
eding the adjournment was resolution
ubmitted by Wolcott, one of the most
active silver leaders, declaring that while
he welfare of the country required the
unlimited coinage of silver at 16 to l,
ct, in view of the near adjournment
If Congress, and the pressing demand of
appropriation bills. it was inexpedient to
nter upon the consideration of the silver
pill at the present session of Congress.
10 action was taken on the resolution,
out it was regarded as significantly fore
shadowing the course of the silver bill
when it comes up tomorrow.
The silver forces asserted their strength
At the outset of the proceedings today
and by vote of 36 to 81 displaced the
morning business and took up the silver
bill before the regular order had been
reached.
Villas of Wisconsin .then took the
floor for four hours, and in carefully
prepared speech defended the administra-
ton for the recent bond contract.
When Villas concluded at 500 p. m.
active steps were taken by the silver men
to force final vote. 1t was evident, how
ever, that the opposition was ready to
talk against time and thus carry the de-
bate through the night if necessary to cut
off vote.
Mr.. Jones appealed to the opposition to
fix time for the vote tomorrow, but no
agreement could be reached At 8 o'clock
the Senate business was brought to COM
plete standstill by a failure to secure a
quorum on Mr.. Aldrich's 5 motion to go
into executive session.
From that time until adjournment vain
efforts were made to secure voting
quorum; although a quorum was present
most of the time, many of the Senators
refused to vote. This was kept up until 8
o'clock, when Mr.. Jones reluctantly yield
ed, and the session closed
The House spent the day in the further
consideration OF the naval appropriation
bill. The points OF order made by Mr..
Ssyres against the items for the increased
enlisted force of the navy were ovewuled,
and his amendments looking to their
elimination were defeated. The Commit
tee on Naval Affairs was victorious on
every test of strength taken today. The
committee is sanguine that the increases
recommended will be authorized despite
the determined opposition of Chairman
Sayres of the Appropriation Committee,
who announced today that he would fight
the authorization of the new ships until
the close of the session. The conference
report ON the bill to extend the time for
making returns under the income tax law
was agreed to- and several bills of minor
importance were passed at the opening of
the session.
Mr.. Call, Democrat, OF Florida. pre-
sented a petition of the Worlds Arbitra-
ton League, signed by 150 members of
the British Parliament, favoring action to-
wards international arbitration.
Mr.. Call offered resolution. which
went over, that the Senate session begin
at II o'clock and continue till 5, with a
night session beginning ats p. m.
Mr.. Jones presented his motion to take
up the silver bill. Great interest was
shown while the yea and nay vote was
being taken. The motion prevailed by
the decisive majority of yeas, 36; nays, n.
On the announcement of the vote Mr..
Jones asked that 4 O'Clock be fixed as the
time for taking the vote on the bill.
Aldrich and Hale objected to such pre-
cipitate action and Jones said:
AS there appears to be no disposition
to agree upon a time for vote, | will ask
that the Senate remain in session tonight
until a vote is taken.'
This closed the efforts for an agreement
on time for vote, and inaugurated
what appeared to be contest of endur-
ance.
Villas then addressed the Senate. He
spoke of the President S several messages
to Congress and his constant appeals
with words solemn and almost pathatic in
their earnestness, to deal with the fnan
cial conditions. But there had been abso-
Lutte impotcncy in Congress to meet the
perils of the country.
Villas then took up the events leading
to the recent bond contract He said ac
tion was necessary to avert calamity or a
gold Suspension.
Few have known he said "the i'm
minence of the disaster to which the
Treasury came before the action was
taken to avert the disaster" He pro-
ceeded to show that the Withdrawals of
gold were SO great in January THAT it be-
came obvious to the Treasury that sys-
tematic run was being made on its gold. +"
After reviewing the run on the Treasury
prior to the execution of the contract for
the sale of bonds and the consequent i'm
portation of gold from Europe, Mr.. Villas
took up the present condition Of the
Treasury and showed how great crisis
had been averted. He said the greater
part,of the gold left in the Treasury when
the run ceased was in bullion and un-
available for redemption purposes and
Il ,ted that if the run had continued the
niutS would have been unable to produce
the coin with sufficient rapidity to meet
the demand.
II the drain had not been checked bv
annornoement OF a contract he said.
we 81 ne h. d. 5-cn thr Nn to "a silver
ais or tp tn, s..spens.u.i of specie pay
nents; anl he declared that the Presi-
dent hAI been doubtful whether he would
he a9le 10 hold on for another day Few
= 'fsni's iad hcen aware of the peril bur
tl"r wcrF some who appreciated it, and
ils rr;td tbe following telegram from Mr.