The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-13

jackson Day''-CapitaI Gossip.
Washington, February 12.-Mr. Canon.
Republican of Illinois. reported from the
committee on appropriations with unani
nous approval, the Senate joint resolu-
tion appropriating SIS, 600 for the Joint
expenses OF the survey of the line be-
tween Alaska andsthe British possessions.
Mr.. Pltney, Republican of New Jersey.
explained that the survey was necessary
as preliminary to the convention to be
entered into by the United States and
Great Britain for the purpose of deter
mining the boundary line.
Recurring then to the bond silver coin
age bill, the House in committee of the
whole, Mr.. Payne, Republican of New
York in the chair, heard Mr.. Dolliyer.
Republican of Iowa, member Of the
loommittee on ways and means resume
the discussion.
Mr.. Dolllver said, of all the PROPOSE
tions relating to the money question he
had separated two, he thought the Ameri-
can people were solidly in favor of. These
were: First, that every dollar circulated
in the country should bear a national
stamp and not be left to the varying in
fiuences of state legislation: second, that
every dollar thus stamped, should be
equal in purchasing power to every other
dollar.
Mr.. Dolliver branched out into q GEN
eral discussion of the reasons for and the
effect OF legislation upon the money use
and value of silver, making the points
that the act of 1878 had absolutely no
effect upon the circulation of silver; that
since that year. the prices of farm pro-
ducts had risen to a point far above those
then prevailing, with "a consequent i'm
pruyemenE in the farmers condition that
the free coinage OF silver would lead to
change of standards for which the coun-
try is not prepared, and that no country
which opens its nlints TO free and un-
limited coinage of silver and gold enjoys
the circulation of both; that France, af-
ter seventy years of free coinage of silver
with no hostility to the metal, was COM
PEELED to abandon it, because it found
burden too great to bear. II France had
been able to maintain the concurrent use
of the two metals, as was claimed, why
did she abandon that uso? In conclusion,
Mr.. Dolliver said: Beginning with the
issue of greenbacks. and going on to the
establishment of national banks, to the
payment to the public debt in coin. to
the demonstration of silver, to the resunp-
tion to specie payments, every one of
those acts, every act complained of as
part OF the conspiracy against the people of
the United States has upon it the singna-
ture and approval of either Abraham
Lincoln or Ulysses S. Grant-eyery one.
(Applause.) II that is not an accurate
historical statement desire somebody to
correct it.
Mr.. Kem-But is it not also true that
President Grant made statement that
when he signed the bill demonetizing
silver, he did not know the effect OF it?
Mr.. Dolliyer-I don't know whether it
is true; but If he made that statement,
after his Secretary of the Treasury had
twice recommended the measure to Con-
gress, and after Congress debated it
through 1877 columns of the Congressional
Globe. II, after all that he made such
statement, then he was wanting in that
consent has attributed to Ulysses S.
Grant. (Applause.) I want to put this
question: 1t Abraham Lincoln and
Ulysses ). Grant were wanting in wis
dom SO they didn't know and could not
see the welfare Of the struggling mil
lions OF their oountrymen-if those men
called in the providence of God, to de-
fend the life of the republic in the hour
of peril, were wanting in either wisdom
or patriotism, what in Gods name is
likely to happen to us when the Augean
craftsmanship of South Carolina gets
hold of us in the near futurep (Laugh-
ter.) Oh, my fellow oountrymen, let us
talk sense and drop folly. There never
was an hour in The history of the world
when man, taken by himself, stood for as
muoh rs he does today and when dollar
taken by itself has stood for as little as
it does today.
I used to spend a good deal Of time
worrying over plutocracy, but have made
up my mind, that the Lord in his own
good time, has ways OF scattering the
wealth of the world and no mere combi-
nation of money will ever drive the man
hood out of the American people, either
N American politics or American busi-
ness. tApplause.)
Mr.. McMiilin, Democrat of Tennessee,
argued that no necessity existed now,
whatever may have been the case at any
previous time, for the passage of the
bond bill. No exigency could arise. he
asserted, for the use of half of the money
in the treasury over and above the gold
reserve. He favored the Senate substi-
tute, and read statistics to prove that the
United States possessed ample power to
maintain alone, far easier than the
France and the Latin Union ever did the
free coinage of silver.