The morning times., 1896-02-07
BOND BILL IN The HOUSE
Day and Night Session of Argu-
rlentS Pro and Con.
TWO JoHNsONS ON THE FLOOR
One of California and One of Indiana
and Both Furnished Some Amuse-
vored All Speeches, and Warm
Words Were Exchanged.

The debate on the senate substitute for
the bond bill occupied the entire time or
the House yesterday afternoon.
Among the out-oI-town auditors on the
floor was John Dewitt, Warner OF New
York, a member OF the last Congress,
who is now engaged in tue '.souEd money
propaganda.
Mr. Johnson, Rep, North Dakota, lent
an unusual interest to the debate by re-
sorting to his old classroom methods to
demonstrate the truth of his assertions.
He had an easel set up in front of the re-
porters' desk, upon which he presented in
tabular and diagram form the variation in
prices and amount OF production OF the
several articles upon which he diseoGrsed.
IF the fallacies of these silver men
were sound,'' said Mr.. johnson. 1.-The red
line on the diagram marking the flGctua-
ton in prices should have been practically
a straight one. 1t is as crooked as a snake,
and l tell you" addressing Mr.. Shafroth
of Colorado directly. "uniess you repent
the error of your ways and flee from evil,
you'll see some worse financial snakes than
that" tLauehter.)
Mr.. sEafroth reiorted that he had voted
every Republican ticket so far.
DEFEAT OF NOVEMBER, 1892.
Mr. Johnson said the Republican party
was defeated in November, 1882, where
we were harvesting and marketing the
crop OF that year, and the shadow OF free
trade settled down on the country
Measured by any standard, l assert
he said, that never since Moses slew the
Egyptian and buried his body IN the sand
has there been a time when the farmer
| could have paid his debts 30 easily and
cheaply as in 1891, the elimination OF
thirty years OF Republican rule and policy
in controlling the administration of the
| government" (Applause.b
| Mr.. Johnson related two incidents from
his own observation illustrative Of this
| assertion The last was somewhat per-
sonal, and the narration was received with
laughter and applause
/ He said a neighbor sold his crop in 1892
| and had So 600 surplus when he had wound
| up the transaction. New" he asked,
what would you have done? Wouldn't you
have put that money in the bank, gone home
and in your closet and on your knees thanked
God for the Prosperity with which he lad
| visited you?
| TO WHOM THANKS WERE DUE
"And then, wouldn't you have written a
letter to President Harrison and others to
Mr.. Reed and the Republican leaders, re
joicing over the administration and the
enactment of wise laws that had made
| poSs,h.e his enjoyment of such prosperity
But what did this mau do with his money:
whv he spent it in paying railroad fares
andhoteIbils trying to beatmefor Congress
Mr.. johnson said in concluding his speech
that he wanted to show something of The
effect of free coinage of silver upon deb
paying.
Official statistics show that insurance
com panies, savings and national banks
have over ten thousand millions of doliar
on deposit, for which they are debtor
to the people. Free coinage OF silye
would enable them to share this indebted
ness in two, and by paying it in deprecated
silver dollars.
This would make, were the money equal!
divided, 5000 milllonaires. At preSen
there are but 1000 in the country. "An'
to do this you would rob the widow and th'
orphan of one-half OF their living
HAD USE FOR HIS TIME.
In the course of his remarks, severa
gentlemen endeavored to interrupt Mr.. DIN
son with questions, to al of whom he sai'
that he would take them in turn when h
had concluded.
Mr.. Shafroth was the first to enter tn
arena, and the scene in the pit becam
exciting and somewhat tumultuous, a
the colloquy between the gentleman from
4
Mr.. Shafroth asked, referring to one o
the diagrams:
You say the greatest price for whea
from 1900 down was obtained in 1881?
MIR. Johnson-No, sir; that is not the pric
OF wheat. Can't you read? That figur
shows the value per acre, not the price. Yo
hold that in accordance with the law {
supply and demand, on account of tn
enormous yield in 1891, the price shoul
have been reduced in that year, but in spit
of the enormous yield we still realized tn
greatest amount OF gold per acre that "
ever had. The price kept up under Repul
lican rule. My friends, when you come I
study what has caused the depreciation
| the price of wheat just commence at II
fall OF s9a You need not go back to ST;
(Applause.)
SOME LEADING QUESTIONS.
Mr.. Shafroth-Is it not a fact that the be
price obtained for wheat was when silyt
by reason OF thea OF 1890 was appreciate
to very great extent.
Mr.. Johnson-No, sir; the best price "
ever gotfur wheat wasin 1881. tAppiause
NJ. Mondeli, Rep, WyomingI w0u
like to ask the gentleman if tue map or tahl
which he has before him doesn't mdiell
the price of wheat in India-the silver prie
t -as the silver was measured In gold?
e Mr.. Johnson-Not at all. This IS Il
!. rupees the farmers got as their pay in Il
: primary market.
: Mr.. MondeII-Does the gentleman meaa
j. stand there and say that tae tanners
3 India last year lost un their wheat. Il,
. vast sum, receiving only 81 cents a bush
for it in place of the market price, whe
: the gold price of wheat in Loadon marise
at The same time was something like
cents q bushel, and the pricc OF transpa
tation less than 10 ctnts Il bushei: "a
piause.l
= The next speaker was Mr.. Johnso
Rep. California. whose speech on q
, bond bill when it was before the Eoa