The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-01
STORMS AHEAD OF THE SENATE
THE FINANCIAL MIDDLE SURE TO
BRING ON A HOT DEBATE.

Also in the Air-sherman Proposes
That Treasury Notes Shall BE Re
issued Only in Exchange for Gold.
Pettigrew Proposes Cancellation
After Redemption.
Washington, Dec 3f-Though the flnan-
cial question was not directly before ,he
Senate to-day for consideration. all the
points discussed had reference to that
burning subject. In a speech in support
of his resolution looking to an additional
rate of duty on raw wool. Mr.. Mitchell,
rep, of Oregon. drifted into the stormy
waters of finance and argued that if the
Secretary of the Treasury had exercised
the discretion vested in him and redeem
ed greenbacks and treasury notes either in
gold coin or in silver coin as might be
most convenient, that would have put
stop to the redemption of such notes.
When Mr.. Hill asserted, appropos of
that argument. that ever since 1879 it had
been the custom of all TIE Secretaries of
the Treasury to redeem greenbacks in
gold, this statement was contradicted by
Mr.. Cockrell. who stated that such re-
demptOn began in October, 1S91-never
beforehand he added that Senator Sher-
man had offered an amendment in the
Senate to redeem, retire and cancel the
greenbacks with silver dollars, and that
Secretary Carlisle had ST hted before the
House committee on appropriations in jan
uary, 1895, that, if in thd beginning. the
Secretary of the Treasury had exercised
his discretion of paying these notes either
in gold or silver at his convenience, 1t
would have operated we'll and been cf
great benefit Mr.. Cockrell repeated, with
great positiveness. that no Secretary Of
the Treasury had ever until in 1891 yield
ed the opportunity to holders of United
States notes to recover payment in gold,
| regardless of the consequences.
After speeches by Mr. Mitchell and by
| Mr.. Nelson, rep, of MINNESOTA, the res
| olution as to an additional rate of duty
/ on raw wool was Teterreu to the COM
| mittee on finance.
! Mr.. Perkins, rep, of California, offered
| a resolution with long string OF
| 'whereases" instructing tte finance COM
\ mittee to report an Idment to the
House revenue bill providing for an ad-
! ditional duty on raw sugai equal to the
! proposed increase on othet articless and
/ asked for its immediate Consideration.
| Mr.. Berry, dem, of Arkansas, object
| ed, and the resolution Wenl over.
| Mr.. PettigreW, rep, of Bouth Dakota
! introduced a bill which was referred to
| the finance committee, to 1ncel redeem
| ed United States legal tender notes.
Mr.. Morrill,, chairman Il the finance
committee, moved that w1n the Senate
| adjourn to-day it adjournk until Friday
| next, remarking that the Finance com
\ mlttee desired to lhe 20 oGpl Thursday to
/ consider the House bond add tariff bills.
/ The motion was agreed TO. 4
| The resolution heretofOrt offered by
/ Mr.. Chandler rep, of New Hampshire as
/ to the prices paid for armtr for vessels
/ of the navy. whether theytwere higher
| than charged by the same Cbntractors TO
| foreign governments, and 4 to govern
| ment officers being interestH in patents
| used in its manufacture, was taken up;
and Mr.. Chandler modfedil at the sug
| gestiOn of Mr. German, bllbmitting the
| clause as to lower prices cklrged to for
| eign governments Mr.. Gotnan explain
| ing that the facts were made known at
| the last session, and wer4 that il had
| been deemed very desirabt for United
/ States manufactures to 1mpete with
| English and German mant tacturers for
| a single Russian vessel ann that armor
| had been supplied at a loSt
| Mr.. German also expressN his regret
that the resolution suggest6t corrupting
| influences among naval offcCE.
| Mr.. Hale agreed with Mr.. forman and
i favored holding up the hancl of the Of
| hcials of the navy. 'Those Ereat trans
| actions" he said, alluding II the build
| ing of battleships during sevebl adminis-
| trations, have been done openly and
above board. and with ntd#rity trans
! fused through every branchMpf the ser
| vice. / regret that anythin Mhas arisen
| that would in any way distI the conf
| dence which congress has I'D in all the
| branches of the navy depa Hment, and
| which the country has shar If there
is anything, however, to dist } that con-
fidence. it ought to be brough Tut. / hope
that an investigation will monstrate
! that there Is nothing in it.
Mr.. Chandler said that he #ncurred in
every word spoken by the senator's from
| Maryland and Maine includIgI the regret
! expressed by them that therl was any oc-
| casion for the Offering of I'll resolution.
He had taken the responsibs ity of offer
| ing it, Facts had come to ID knowledge
| which required investigation and which
| required publicity, if they " as he un-
| derstood, in order that in fut e contracts
| for armOr for vessels of the avy which
were to be built and which# ught to be
| built in considerable numbe II during the
| next few years, everything ~ might be
! above suspicion and above )roach. He
| did not propose to make no any state
| ment of those facts which WOuld injure
any officer of the navy or thC government.
| But If senators were inclinW to learn a
part of the foundation forH he inquiry
| they could do so by reading n the New
York Times of Nov. 10 and n statements
which justified, and, in his Fdlsment, re-
quired the investigation.
The resolution was agreed TO- as fol-
Resolved, That the commileh on naval
| affairs be directed to inquirdlihether the
| prices paid, or agreed to n paid for
| armor for vessels of the ma have been
fair and reasonable, also ether any
| prices paid have been incrt ed on ac-
/ count of patent processes Id for the
| Introduction of nickel, or for mentation
by the Harvey process; and b, whether
the increase in prices are faiI ld reason
| able; whether the issuance ny of the
| patents was expedited at tn request OF
| the navy department; whett such pat
| ents were properly issued, whether
| for inventions not previous used and
who We're and are the owners such pat
| ents; whether any officers OF he govern
| ment were interested therein " were at
the time when any contracts ere made,
| or have since been interested u the pat
ents or employed by the ow AZ g. thereon,
| and whether any legislation - necessary
to further promote the mani cture and
cheaper the price OF armor f vessels of
the navy.
Mr. Sherman offered the fol wing reso-
luton and asked that it lie IN for the
present stating that he desire 10 present
some remarks upon ii next lay:
Resolved, that by injuriou M egislation
4 by the Hifty-third congress revenues
Of the government were re ed below
ffc 1arnGsa ~ tpondfrffroe. fho fund