The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-02-21
WASHINGTON.
OVER WIIELMING DEFEAT OF
FREE SILVER IN THE HOUSE.
Filbustcrs Against Bond InvcstiE"-
tion--Thc Disputed Seat from Delaware

< tiOu--Thc Disputed Seat from Delnwar
- The House Friday killed the fire.
!. silver substitute for the bond bill b,
- a vote of more than two to one, or 2l'
- to 90. and even this majority, astound
y ing as it is to the free silver men
. would have been increased by abou
+, ID If there had been Il full vote. Tive
- thirds of the 30 absentees are opposed
= to free coinage, but were unable IL
the extreme mcagerncss OF the silvel
vote to arrange pairs. In the commit
, tee of the whole the day before
: where no roll call was required, the
:, silvcrtcs were still weaker, because the
:, free silver Democrats would not helT
! them and the strongest proposition, tc
: restrict free coinage to the American
product, was voted down lis to Al, and
still another. providing that the
scignoragc should 20 to the govern
mcnt. was defeated 50 TO 30 Gov.
Dingley, the Republican leader, how
/, ever. when asked whether the Rerubli.
, can party proposed to do anything at
any time for silver replied that he was
in favor of the United States taking
, primary action to bring about con
ference on the subject. The fina vote
Friday was q Republicans, - Demo
Gratis and siy Populists for free coinage
and Isl Republicans and 81 Democrats
against it, The final vote was proceed
ed by three of the ablest speeches Of
the sessions lEx Speaker Crisp, as the
leader of the free silver forces, bring
ing to bear all his powers Of logic and
persuasion to show that bimctalism
could be restored by law and by the
United States alone. He quoted from
Senator Sherman in 1876 the ayermcnt
that the partial destruction Of silver
as money metal was felt by every
man. woman and child who had any
thing to sell While this was the
condition over which business was
/ conducted. no man could tell where he
Stood and doubt and distrust and dis
! trcss necessarily ensued. The unfOrt-
innate condition of manufacturers and
agriculturists was not confined to the
United States, but was to be found in
! the gold standard countries every
where. He added:
Every obligation OF the Government, bonds
grecnbacks and Treasury notes, was payable in
coin. II that was not true, and they were gold
obligations. why did not those who believed
that have the courage to say 20 and save the
tax ridden people millions in the interest. In
people Sl6OO0,oJ In interest by authorizing gold
bonds. Congress refused said Mr. Crisp,
1--WE paid sixteen million for the privilege of
paying In silver and now you attempt TO deny {
our right to do So" applause
mir speaker" said he, continuing, "a lew
days ago our condition was pitabe. The greet /
est nation in intelligence and trade, wc had .
lust applauded to the echo the President mes. .
sage warning European powers that they
would not be permitted to secure Judgement on
the American continent. The rcycrhcratiUus .
rrp
administration with shaking knee WAS hiStcr
iCaly calling on Congress for help IL Wa-
feared that Great Britain would take all our
gold. We were absolutely helpless III the face
Of the enemy. Yet YOU now want that condition
peructuatcd.
Judge Turner of Georgia, who is a
rival with Speaker Crisp for the seat
of Gen. Gordon in the senate, met Mr.
Crisp's arguments with one Of the
ablest speeches he has ever made in
the House, marshaline the experience
of the world in demonstration of the
fact that blmotalsm could not be
when god and silver dc.
parted widely in commercial value
from the ratio fixed by law. In com =
plement to his obliging handling of
the subject. Dinglcy and the Rcpub,
licans gave him all the time he de !
sired for his argument and the fact
that though Democrat he was given ;
such place of honor in closing the !
debate. was of itself a marked com :
plimcpt And Dalzell of Penn. r
syvania closed the debate with :
with strong speech for sound money. |
)nc of the most courageous things in =
he debate was the declaration Of Hall | +
IF Missouri against free coinage ia y
;pitc of the fact that the sentiment of :,
lis district and state is overwhelming
y in its favor. He truly declared that {
ne of the evils Of the time il the COW Il
Irdicc Of politicians who yield to what u
hey believe to be public sentiment in
rider TO retain their places, when they +
,now that that sentiment. il carried g
nut in legislation, would do harm to y
he country. I.
Mr.. Hall, who has been state lecturer II
nd president of the farmers alliance =
f his state. has spent much time p.
tudying the monetary problem, and +,
ecame convinced, like most unprciu-
iced students, that it would bc su.
rene folly for the United States to p
lunge into free coinage at the ratio Of "
e to ! without the support of other ID "a
ations. -
The Houses action in thus defeating 81
he Senate substitute for the bond VI
i'll. was matched by similar action in =
ne senate against the second great p
leasurc of the Senate, the tariff bill. "
our free silver senators, led by u
Tom" Garter, chairman of the Re p m
ublican national committee, joined !,
le Democrats in refusing to take il ~
p on the ground. frankly though III
lutiously avowed, that they will not "a
ermlt tariff legislation, IN this con =;
ress or the next. unless concessions ~
&c made to silver. Senator Myrril as .il
lairman of the Finance Committee Id I'D
pes not give up hope of final action I'd
ld announces that he will continue gu
call up the bill until some action. az
is idea Of course is to get the ex Ia I'd
emists TO retreat from their position ~ ~
I'd permit the tariff and silver ques. VI
on to be acted on independently. I ~
ch on its merits which is of course IN
&c only honest way to legislate But the ri, ri
liver men hold the balance of power -
I'd they are disposed to push their 10
Vantage to the utmost. With the su
they are able to block the ST.
iy against any tariff legislation and =
ey promise to do it unrelcntingly 20
Hess something is done for silver. SIC
ley take uosition. which has some r.
yic in it that they won't help give VI
election TO manufacturers who deny WI
to silver mine owners. :
The bond bill and its free silver wh
bstitnte do not 90 to conference COM iro
ttec. Reed managed it So that the g l,,
1usc simply rejected the substitute ~ ~
thout asking the Senate for any con- 'oe'
'ence. 1t contemptuous action which NM
slmost unprecedented in legislation 'rS
Il,