Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1893 — THE EXTRA SESSION. [ARTICLE]

THE EXTRA SESSION.

The Senate recess expired at 10;30.Tues- • day morning, but a quorum was not secured until 10; 45. Mr. Stewart resumed his speech against the repeal bill. At 1:30, without Concluding his speach, he yielded the floor to Mr. Jones, who resumed his argument agains t the bill. Mr. McPherson interrupted with the remark that he thought if gold had appreciated interest would have gone up and labor have gone down, whereas in the past ten or fifteen years United States bonds had gone down from 5 to 2 per cent, white labor had gone up in Irregular increasing ratios. If gold had gone'up as was alleged Mr. McPherson expressed his inability to understand how a country on a goldrbhsis could - stand’ Jhete. conditlonr.’’ Mr. Jones at 4 o’clock said’there was no desire among those on his side Of the question to consume time unnecessarily, but as he was tired he would yield the floor and allow his colleague, Mr. Stewart, to resume his speech and he would ask the Indulgence of the Senate to proceed at some other tide, Mr. Faulkner, of West Virginia, being satisfied that the remarks of Mr. Jones correctly stated the position of the opponents of the bill, moved that the Senate take a recess until 11 o’clock Wednesday morning. The motion was agreed to. The continuous session .of Tuesday of last week, of the Senate, was resumed, Wednesday, at 11 o’clock, after the customary recess. No quorum was present, but the business proceeded without a roll call. A resolution offered by Mr. Peffer was referred to the judiciary committee. Mr. Sherman reported back from the committee on foreign relations the House joint resolution tendering the acknowledgments of the Government and people of the United States to the various foreign governments for their generous and effective contributions to the Chicago exposition, and that it be put upon Its passage. The joint resolution was read. It declare It to be the sense of Congress that the acknowledgmentof the Government and people of the United States be tendered to the various foreign governments of the world who have so generously and effectively co-operated in the quadro-centen-nial exposition at Chicago in commemoration of the discovery of America by Columbus. The second clause directs that a certified copy of the resolution be prepared in suitable terms by the Secretary of State and shall be forwarded through the customary diplomatic channels to the respective foreign governments. Mr. Hoar disapproved of the form of the resolution. He thought the matter should be conducted with more ceremony. Soon after the resolution was again taken up and passed in an amended form, in accordance with Mr. Hoar’s suggestion. The second part of the joint resolution now reads: “That the President of the United States be requested to communicate to each foreign government which has participated in said exposition the acknowledgments of Congress for its contribution.” When the silver purchase repeal bill was taken up, Mr. Pugh addressed the Senate in opposition to it. He expressed his belief that nine-tenths of the Senators favoring it did not desire either free coinage or any degree of silver coinage; and that President did not desire it. Mr Stewart followed Mr. Pugh, and quoted extensively from the papers on the silver situation. He went on to denounce the gold conspirators as having agents in the Capitol dictating legislation, and as having a President determined to carry out their policy. That President was now in the saddle and Congress was helpless. He would rather sacrifice his life than see the country under the rule of a gold king. Mr. Jones resumed the speech begun by him some weeks ago by a preliminary statement that the speeches that were being made by the opponents of the bill were not made In the hope of changing any vote in the Senate, but they believe in the truth of their cause, and were determined to present before the people hf the United States the basic A| tljoqlfijßg of Mr. Jones’s speech the Senate, at 4:50, bn motion of Mr. Faulkner, proceeded to executive session, and soon afterwards took a recess until Thursday, at 11 o’clock.

At the session of the House, Wednesday, many private pension bills were introduced. The Senate resumed its continuous session, Thursday, at the usual hour. The repeal bill was taken up, and the VicePresident stated the question to be on the amendment ‘offered by Mr. Peffer, of Kansas, reviving the coinage law of 1837. Mr. Teller was recognized and resumed his speech against the bill. At 2:45 p. m. Mr. Teller, without finishing his speech, yielded the floor to Mr. Squire, who addressed the Senate in advocacy of his amendment to the repeal bill, of which he gave notice October 10. Mr. Cockerell reported amendments to the appropriation bill. 1 then resumed hia speech against the repeal bill. When he talked about the act of 1873, which he claimed demonetized silver, Mr. Palmer asked whether he did not vote for It. Mr. Stewart admitted that he did, but said he did so ignorantly. Personal altercation continued for some time between Messrs. Palmer and Stewart. Without concluding his speech Mr. Stewart yielded and at 5:40 p. m. the Senate took a recess until 11 o’clock Friday morning. The consideration of the repeal bill was resumed at the continued session of the Senate, Friday. Mr. Stewart continued his speech. Mr. Carey interrupted, and an exchange of personalities resulted At 1:30 Mr. Stewart yielded the floor to his colleague, Mr. Jones. After reading the letter of the President to Gov. Norths en, Mr. Jones said if he had been as explicit before the election as he was now he would not have been elected. Mr. Teller contended that no'cotton goods wßre exported from India until the cheapened price of silver stimulated exportation. The same was true as to wheat. Mr. McPherson ascribed the production in and the exportation from India of cotton and wheat to nature, there being nothing else that could be grown there. After a short debate, in which a number of Senators joined, the Vice-President stated the question to be on the amendment of the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Peffer). He desired to submit some remarks in advocacy of it. After a little parliamentary sparring as to which of the Senators, whether Mr. Peffer or Voorhees, was entitled to the floor, Mr. Peffer proceeded. He had discovered in the publie print! that he had recommended to his

political associates to surrender. Mr. Peffer denied that the silver men intended to 'surrender, or to interpose factional opposition. They meant determined resistance to the repeal of the Sherman law. The question was then put and the amendment Was rejected—yeas, 28; nays, 39. Mr. Voorhees then moved that the substitute reported by the finance committee for the House bill be aqopted and asked unanimous consent that after its adoption it might be treated as the original bill would be.- To the latter request there’ was no,objection. On his motion the yeas and nays were taken and by a vote of yeas 58, nays $ the substitute reported by the finance committee was agreed to. Mr. Perkins, of California then offered the amendment of which he had given notice on Oct. 14. It provides for the coinage of American silver at the existing ratio with a seignorage charge of :0 per cent No gold pieces of less denomination than $lO are to -be coined and no legal tender, National currency or treasury notes of less denomination than $5 are to be issued Mr; Teller, while not favoring heretofore a proposition to coin only silver of can product as-that savored of islation, said that hd would vote for the Perkins amendment as it was belter than the proposed act. Mr. Teller went on to speak with great bitterness of the desaf' tion of the cause of silver by Republican senators. He said the present controversy ought to have been settled by a concession to the advocates of silver. “To me this is the mostterrible moment of my legislative life,” said Mr. Teller with much feeling. “To me it brings more . fowullWP.. afty...other . since I entered public life. I fear that we are entering upon a financial system from which there is absolutely no escape. I know there will be no favorable legislation for silver until the . American people are heard from at the ballot-box.” (Here Mr. Teller’s voice choked and tears came to his eyes. Ho spoke most impressively and was accorded the undivided attention of every Senator and the large audience in the galleries.) There wa» great seriousness and solemnity inMr. Teller’s manner and words as he addressed the Senate, and he was listened to with the deepest respect and sympathy. Mr. Wolcott rose and addressed the chair, but on Mr. Voorhees question whether ho would not prefer to speak Saturday, he assented, and then, on Voorhees’ motion, the Senate, at 5:45, adjourrf&d till-' 11 s o’clock Saturday.