The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-04-11
SOME SILVER HISTORY.
The Congressional Record of the Last
Eighteen Years.

me Congressional Record Of the Last
Eighteen Years.
Richard P. Bland, of Missouri, from
the committee on coinage, moved, on
November s, 1877, in the first extra ses-
sion of congress called by President
Hayes, to suspend the rules in the house
und pass bill directing the unrestrict-
ed coinage, on the same terms as gold,
of dollars of 4121s grains of standard
oliver. The motion was agreed to by a
vote of 1863 to "a. The next day the bill
went to the senate, and on November
Il it was reported to that body by Will
liam b. Allison, from the committee on
finance. The bill was changed, how
ever, in several important particulars.
1t was a free coinage bill when 1t left
the house, but when it was reported to
the senate it provided for the coinage
of not less than 100000 of bullion
each month and not more than $4,000
900, the gain arising from the purchase
to go to the treasury, and not to the
owners of the bullion, as in the Bland
plan. The bill In this form passed the
senate January 20, 1873, by 4s to Il.
was accepted by the house February
Fl by 2O3 to 72, was vetoed by President
Hayes February 20, and was passed
over the veto by vote of more than
the required two-thirds in each branch.
That was the record which congress
made 1s years ago on its first de-
cisive vote on silver since the demoneti-
zation of 1878. Let us compare that
record with the enc just made In
congress on the same issue. We VIII
| take up the senate first, as the Tree
coinage measure originated in the SEN
ate in 1896, taking the form of sub
| stitute for the house bond bill. Eight
cen years ago the limited coinage bill,
the measure which became the Bland
Allison law, passed the senate by a
majority of 81, while this year free
silver obtained only seven majority in
the senate. Eighteen years ago ma
iority of 129 was cast in the house in
| favor of free silver, while this year the
same body rolled up majority OF La
arainst free silver. This change by
congress in the direction of financial
sanity has been accomplished i'll
comparatively few years. Free COIN
age received majority of II in the
senate in 1890, or more than twice as
creat as that obtained recently, while
The division between the sound and un
sound money men was SO close IN tne
house that the bullion deposit law
known as the Sherman act was forced
as compromise to head Off free coin
age
Here are comparisons which ought
give encouragement to the people. Not
withstanding the creation of seven new
states, all in the silver region, since Tn
Bland-Allison act was passed IN lofe
the silver cause is distinctively weake
than it was at that time. The honest
money hosts have gained immensely !
numbers and confidence even since tn
summer of 1890, when a congress !
which the republicans were in sigh
preponderance was stampeded by IN
fear of free coinage and made the COZ
cession to silver which the party too
the leading part in revoking in the Ia
of 1893 in the extra session called o
Cleveland. These comparisons are
the highest significance. In the earl
stages of the dishonest-money craze tn
senate was the conservative branch
congress, but now it is the radical an
destructive body. But even in the sci
ate the days of silverite supremacy al
probably near an end. In the ne,
senate sound-money man will take tt
seat of Cameron, and probably Blacl
burn and Vest will be similarly di
placed. The present house and Il
president will guard the count'
against attack from the infationis
u md fiatists until 1897, and the hou
l. and president which take up the VOL
IA Mt that time are likely to have sena
on their side.-St. Louis Globe-Dem
s crat.