Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-12
Hepburn, of Iowa, Opens De-
bate on House Currency Bill.
MIR. OVERsTREET ARGUES
Declares the Bill Is Not Partisan
Measure But is Favored by PromI-
nent Democrats Farmers Want
the Gold Standard.

Washington, Dec. 11.-By Associat-
ed Press Only fair attendance in
the galleries of the house witnessed
the opening of the debate on the cur
rency bill. As soon as the journal was
read, the, house went into a committee
of the whole. Hepburn, of Iowa, who
was in the chair, began the considera-
ton of the bill. Overstreet, of Indi-
ana, who is to have charge of the bill,
opened the debate with set speech.
He urged the need for legislation ,abso-
lutely fixing the gold standard. saying
that at present it merely rests on po~
litical promises and could be overturn-
ed by the secretary of the treasury at
any moment by merely stopping the
payment of gold to begin the payment
of silver. The present gold standard,
he said, had been recognized in practice
for over half century. He declared
the proposition to give it statutory
form was not partisan measure, but
had been recommended by democratic
presidents and secretaries of the treas
ury. The speaker dwelt on the value
of such an enactment in the fiscal af-
fairs of the country enabling it to re-
fund its debts at lower interest and
putting it in the best attitude for the
Development of the world trade which
is opening to it. He declared the sup
porters of the proposition are not con-
fined to the republican party or to mo-
ney centers; but that the farmers of
/ q L. M r,lx,
Gratis who defied the party lash, also
favor the proposed measure.
In the Senate.
Washington, Dec. 11.-(By Associated
Press. }-The announcement of the in
tention of Mason of Illinois to address
the senate on his resolution expressing
sympathy with the South African Re-
public in the war with Great Britain,
drew a large audience5o the galleries.
Hoar presented the resolution of the
Massachusetts legislature in favor OF
the constitutional amendment in favor
of uniform hours of labor in manufac-
tories in the United States.
Cocllrell, of Missouri, called the at
tention of the pension committee to a
bill for the payment of pensions to
freedmen. Gallinger, the chairman, OF
the committee, said such bill should
not have been presented and believed
the committee would not endorse it.
Its promoters had deluded thousands
Iof poor people and We're trying to keep
agitation alive for their own benefit.
iPettigrew, of South Dakota, offered q
resolution calling on the secretary OF
war for all orders relating to General
Meriam's action toward the Coeur
ID Allen miners. 1t went over.
Mason on the Boer Wsr.
Mason. of Illinois, then addressed
the senate on his pro-Boer resolution.
His speech was long. 1t was charac-
terized by his usual vehemence. He
maintained that under the Monroe doc,
trine and It's precedents the United
States had the same right to extend
sympathy to the Boer as it had to in.
tsrfere with Spain in the conduct OF
affairs in Cuba. He declared the Boer
war APPEALED to us because it was a
struggle between the divine right OF
kings and the divine right of men.
Mason denounced the British authori-
Ties for bringing on the war and dwell,
DIN POI qo!qM sssneo aql no q,SusI ~
20 IL -