CONGRESS UNITED STATES. 



145 



In the House, on November 5th, Mr. Bland, 

 of Missouri, moved to suspend the rules so as to 

 enable him to introduce and the House to pass 

 a bill to authorize the free coinage of the stand- 

 ard silver dollar and to restore its legal-tender 

 character. 



The first section provides that there shall be 

 coined at the several mints of the United States 

 the silver dollar of the weight of 41 2 grains 

 troy of standard silver, as provided in the act 

 of January 18, 1837, on which shall be the de- 

 vices and superscriptions provided by said act ; 

 which coins, together with all silver dollars 

 heretofore coined by the United States of like 

 weight and fineness, shall be a legal tender at 

 their nominal value for all debts and dues, pub- 

 lic and private, except where otherwise pro- 

 vided by contract ; and any owner of silver 

 bullion may deposit the same in any United 

 States coinage mint or assay office to be coined 

 into such dollars for his benefit upon the same 

 terms and conditions as gold bullion is deposit- 

 ed for coinage under existing law. 



Section 2 provides for repealing all acts 

 and parts of acts inconsistent with the provi- 

 sions of the act. 



Mr. Bland: "This is the bill which passed 

 the House last winter " 



The Speaker : u Neither debate nor amend- 

 ment is in order. The Clerk will proceed to 

 call the roll." 



The question was taken ; and there were 

 yeas 163, nays 34, not voting 93 ; as fol- 

 lows : 



YEAS Messrs. Aldrich, Atkins, John H. Baker, 

 Banning, Bell, Bieknell, Bland, Blount, Boone, 

 Bouck, Brentano, Bridges, Brogden, Browne, Buck- 

 ner, Bundy, Burdick, Cabell, Cain, John W. Cald- 

 well, W. P. Caldwell, Calkins, Candler, Cannon, 

 Carlisle, Caswell, Chalmers, John B. Clarke of Ken- 

 tucky, John B. Clark, Jr., of Missouri, Rush Clark, 

 Conger, Cook, Jacob D. Cox, Samuel S. Cox, Cra- 

 vens, Crittenden, Culberson, Cummings, Cutler, 

 Danford, Darrall, Joseph J. Davis, Deering, Dibrell, 

 Dickey, Dunnell, Eden, Elam, Ellis, Ellsworth, 

 John H. Evins, Ewing, Felton, Finley, Forney, Fos- 

 ter, Franklin, Fuller, Gardner, Garth, Giddings, 

 Glover, Goode, Hamilton, Henry R. Harris, Harri- 

 son, Hartridge, Hartzell, Haskell, Hatcher, Hayes, 

 Hazel ton, Henderson, Herbert, Goldsmith W. Hew- 

 itfc, Hooker, House, Hubbell, Humphrey, Hunter, 

 Hunton, Ittner, James Taylor Jones, John S. Jones, 

 Keifer, Keightley, Kelley, Kenna, Knapp, Knptt, 

 Lathrop, Ligon, Luttrell, Lynde, Mackey, Maish, 

 Manning, Marsh, Martin, McKenzie, McKmley, Mc- 

 Mahon, Mills, Money, Monroe, Morgan, Morrison, 

 Muldrow, Neal, Oliver, Pacheco, Page, Patterson, 

 Phillips, Pollard, Pound, Price, Pridemore, Rainey, 

 Randolph, Rea, Reagan, AmericusV. Rice, Riddle, 

 Robbins, Robertson, Milton S. Robinson, Sampson, 

 Sapp, Sayler, Scales, Sexton, Shelley, Singleton, 

 Slemons, William E. Smith, Sparks, Springer, Steele, 

 Stewart, John W. Stone, Joseph C. Stone, Strait, 

 Thornburgh, Throckmorton, Tipton, Amos Town- 

 send, Richard W. Townshend, Turner, Vance, Van 

 Vorhes, Waddell, Welch. Michael D. White, Willets, 

 Charles G. Williams. Jere N. Williams, Richard 

 Williams, Albert S. Willis, Wren, Wright, Yeates, 

 and Young 163. 



NAYS Messrs. Bacon, Ballou, Blair, Brewer, 

 Brigga, Chittenden, Claflin, Cole, Covert, Horace 

 Davis, Denison, Eames, Field, Frye, Gibson, Har- 

 VOL. xvin. 10 A 



denbergh. Hart, Hendee, Abram S. Hewitt, Joyce, 

 Leonard, Lindsey, McGowan, Morse, Norcross, Ped- 

 die, Powers, Reed, William W. Rice, Schleicher, 

 Stephens, Swann, Ward, and Wood 34. 



NOT VOTING Messrs. Aiken, Bagley, William H. 

 Baker, Banks, Bayne, Beebee, Benedict, Bisbee, 

 Blackburn, Bliss, Boyd, Bragg, Bright, Burchard, 

 Butler, Camp, Campbell, Alvah A. Clack, Clymer, 

 Cobb, Collins, Crapo, Davidson, Douglas, Durham, 

 Dwight, Eickhoff, Errett, I. Newton Evans, James 

 L. Evans, Fort, Freeman, Garfield, Gause, Gunter, 

 Hale, Hanna, Harmer, Benjamin W. Harris, John T. 

 Harris, Henkle, Henry, Hiscock, Hungerford, James, 

 Frank Jones, Jorgensen, Ketcham, Killinger, Kim- 

 mel, Landers, Lapham, Lockwood, Loring, Mayham, 

 McCook, Mitchell, Muller, O'Neill, Overton, Phelps, 

 Potter, Pugh, Quinn, Reilly, Roberts, George D. 

 Robinson, Ross, Ryan, Shallenberger, Siunickson, 

 Smalls, A. Herr Smith, Southard, Starin, Stenger, 

 Thompson, Martin I. Townsend, Tucker, Turney, 

 Veeder, Wait, Walker, Walsh, Warner, Watson, 

 Harry White, Whitthorne, Alpheus S. Williams, 

 Andrew Williams, James Williams, Benjamin A. 

 Willis, and Wilson 93. 



So (two thirds voting in favor thereof) the 

 rules were suspended and the bill was passed. 



On November 6th, this bill was received in 

 the Senate, read twice, and referred to the 

 Finance Committee. On November 21st it was 

 reported back with amendments, and placed 

 on the calendar. 



Subsequently, in the ensuing session, the 

 bill was taken up and discussed. 



On December 13th, Mr. Allison, of Iowa, sub- 

 mitted the following amendment : 



Add to the bill : 



SECTION 2. That immediately after the passage of 

 this act the President shall invite the governments of 

 the countries composing the Latin Union, so called, 

 and of such other European nations as he may deem 

 advisable, to join the United States in a conference to 

 adopt a common ratio of legal tender as between gold 

 and silver for the purpose of establishing, interna- 

 tionally, the use of bimetallic money, and securing 

 fixity of relative value between those metals ; such 

 conference to be held at such place, in Europe or in 

 the United States, at such time within six months, 

 as may be mutually agreed upon by the executives 

 of the governments joining in the same, whenever 

 the governments so invited or any three of them 

 shall have signified their willingness to unite in the 

 same. The President shall, by and with the advice 

 and consent of the Senate, appoint three commis- 

 sioners, who shall attend such conference on behalf 

 of the United States, and shall report the doings 

 thereof to the President, who shall transmit the same 

 to Congress. Said commissioners shall each receive 

 the sum of $2,500 and their reasonable expenses, to 

 be approved by the Secretary of State ; and the 

 amount necessary to pay such compensation and ex- 

 penses is hereby appropriated out of any money in 

 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. 



In the Senate, on January 29th, the bill was 

 considered. Mr. Wallace, of Pennsylvania, said : 

 " The act of 1834 reduced the weight of the gold 

 coins, and the act of 183V reduced the weight 

 of the silver dollar to 41 2|- grains, and the 

 smaller silver coins proportionally. All were 

 made legal tender for all sums. The act of 

 1849 authorized the coinage of a double eagle 

 and, for the first time, of a gold dollar ; which 

 latter was to be of the value of one dollar a 



