The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-29
An Understanding Reached Before
the Democratic Members
Arrived.
JONES OF NEVADA IS FIRM.
Will Not Give His Vote on the Measure
Until the Silver Substitute Is
Considered.

WASHINGTON, D. c.. Jan. 28.-The
tariff bill will not be reported to the SEN
ate until after the vote has been taken in
the Senate on the free coinage substitute to
the House bond bill. The Finance Com
mittee did not ia Ike the bill up for eonsid-
Grafton this morning, in fact it was not re-
ferred to at the full meeting, but an under
standing was reached before the Demo-
cratic members arrived at the committee
room. 1t is apparent that Jones of Ne
vada notified his Republican associates
that he would not give them the vote nee
essarY to report the bill until the free sill
yer substitute of the Senate had been
clinched. Immediately after this has been
done the Committee on Finance will be able
to report the tariff bill.
A number of matters pending before the
committee were discussed, but no action
was taken. Among the more important
OF these subjects was the House Joint reso-
luton, directing the Secretary of the
Treasury TO cause the immediate destruc-
ton OF all income-tax resolutions and all
records and statements relative thereto
which passed the House January 20.
The committee also considered Dubois
bill to facilitate the collecting of revenue
by providing for the construction and
equipment of sampling works for the sam
pling and assaying of imported silver ores
and other ores containing lead, etc. Both
of these were referred to subcommittee
for further investigation.
Much of the time of the committee was
consumed in an informal discussion of the
compromise suggested by German as a
substitute to be reported from the Commit
tee on Conference after the House bond
bill with the Senate free-silver substitute
gets into conference. This proposition, as
indicated in these dispatches of yesterday,
contemplates the issuance of $500, O0O, GOO of
gold bonds with which to retire the Gov
ernment's present gold obligations green
backs and treasury notes.; the declaration
that all bonds now outstanding, regardless
OF the provisions of these obligations.
shall be made payable in gold, and the
opening of the United States minis to the
free and unlimited coinage OF silver. This
proposition found few friends in the COM
mittee.
Vest was vigorous in his opposition, and
other Democratic Senators opposed it be-
cause it authorized the issue of gold bonds
and provided for the retirement of the
greenbacks. The Republicans were antag-
onistic to man. The argument was made
that this proposition would only work
harm to the country and was intended
more as a political compromise than a
solution of the financial problem. 1t was
pointed out by one of the Sound money
Republicans that it meant simply gold
basis for the bondholders of the country
and silver basis for every other class, and
upon such a groundwork the financial
fabric could not rest securely. OF course
this discussion was entirely informal, BUTT
developed enough to show that such
proposition would find few friends and
many powerful enemies in the committee
of the Senate which dominates its finan-
cial policy.