The Portland daily press., 1896-02-01
A Vote TODAY.
The Senate Will Pass Upon the
Bond Bill.
THAT AGREEMENT WAS REACHED
YESTERDAY.

vilas's Picturesque speech-A Senator
Predicts Defeat of Free Coinage
Others Claim Majority for 1t of From
Three to Five-The House Does Little
-Washington Gleanings.
Washington, January 31.-At today's
session, through the parliamentary de-
vice Of taking recess instead OF an adj
journment yesterday, was but oontlnu-
alton of yesterdays, the uusual formal
tiles of prayer, reading Of the journal,
presenting memorials, introducing bills
and all the other morning business was
dispensed with and the Senate continued
the consideration of the House bond bill
with the finance committees free COIN
age substitute. Mr.. Villas, Democrat of
Wisconsin. addressed the Senate in op-
position both to the bill and to the sub
stitute.
MR.. VILAS'S SPEECH
..The House bill, Mr.. kVilas said, had
been strangled by silver and deserved it's
tate. Partisanship or imbeojlity, or both
had again, as year ago, stricken Con
gress with paralysis. The bond bill, as
it came from the House, was a mere
sham and fraud, and deserved to be con-
signed to the. .hecatombs of folly's pro-
geny, where the financial deeds of Com
gress for many years seemed to belong
He turned from it to the graft which
the finance committee had placede on
it. 1t was bad stock, budded with d
worse scion. The best hope was that both
would shrivel and die in the desert air
of the Senate. There stood now, and had
stood for many years, solid body in the
United States, with great strength Of
numbers and riches, powerful in intelli-
gence, learning and skill, keenly percep-
tive of it's special interest, hardy and res
olute to seek it. That solidarity was
not only of class Of people, but of a sec
tion of the country. 1t embraced the
states of Nevada, Colorado, Ctah, Wyo-
ming, Idaho, Montana and the Western
but one political community. The
veriest despot of story, the Grand Khan
of Tartary, the great Mogul, had never
had more submissive subjects than the
silver king of the Rockies; had ever tyr
ant been more pitilessly exactingp No
independence of thought or speech was
tolerated there.
Who're, he asked, was that sturdy Sena-
tor, the brave. unbending Cary, and
indefatigable. They had fallen before the
bloody Molooh of silver. The silver agi-
ta5ion had begun with and had oontin-
ned to find peculiar conditions favorable
to it's promotions. On the one hand q
closely united, intelligent, aggressive,
vigorous class, whose prime interest was
unmistakable TO themselves, and on the
,Ah h,,ra tcF I~,,r
Dnvid's recults, distressed, discomfort.
ed and in doubt" readily receptive TO
alluring promises of relief, easily captured
by arguments SO pleasing to their neoessi-
ties and desires.
Was it possible, he asked, for fair
man to deny that, in point of fact, all the
legislation be gotten, SO far. of the silver
agitation, took shape conformable to
the interests of silver producers and that
whatever Of benefits ensued, if any, was
theirs alone? They had been the only
winners. Gould any man point out bene-
fits to the people of the United States at
large by the purchase of the enormous
mass of silver now buried in the treas
ury vaults?
Such another heap of silver metal such
another monument of folly, the world
could not show. The people did not
want it. They would not use it for
money. Who that lived could tell when
or how thar immense and useless pile,
which had COST SO much debt and trouble
would come out of its burial place to be
put to any use in the world He had not
the least shade of belief that free coinage
by the United States would sensibly ap-
preciate the value of silver, but he de-
olared as utterly unsound, if no worse
the argument which maintained that two
faced appeal to discontended debtor and
to sanguine metallists
There could, however, be no question
as to one result of it. 1t would be an act
of national dishonor, the reproach OF
which would leave the sting of shame for
ever on the heart of every man who loved
his country. The spirit of anarchy reign
ed dominant in every material feature of
the free coinage project That project
meant to give outright TO the owners OF
silver bullion, substantially twice it's
present value. 1t was proposed to enact
that those silver coins should he a legal
tender for that double value. Therefore.
unless the parity were maintained they
would be available TO pay old debts for
nearly twice what they would serve to
pay new ones, or to buying commodity.
For such an object the power of the
United States was to be applied to de-
spoil some of it's citizens. He could IN
derstand how that could be demanded by
the populists or socialists, but never as
coDsonant with democratic PRINCIPLES.
The democratic party still stood, the
OLD party Of the people, humanity infirm,
sometimes wandering fir ON it's faith and
duty. but with all its failings and all it's
errors, still bearing the ark of the coven-
ant of liberty, the tablets of the law of
Justice, peace, good government for men.
Often had it been borne down in unequal
strife, but never conquered. 1t would
continue on its great career, neither
Yielding to the reaching forces of old
Hbsolution nor to the lurid fires of
anarchy"
When Mr.. Villas finished his speech On
the bond bill, notice was given by Mr.
Chandler, Republican Of New Hamp-
shire, that at 4 p m. he would move the
Senate take a recess till 7.30 pm. This
notice was followed by colloquy and
all agreement was reached that the SEN
ate tonight would take recess till II a..
IN. tomorrow, aud tomorrow, after
speech by Mr. Morrill,, Republican OF
Vermont, the debate shall go on under
the five minute rule until two O'Clock,
when final vote will be taken:
The agreement is not to exclude the