CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



163 



bonds, being the coin exacted by the Government 

 in exchange for the same." 



In view of these facts it will be justly regarded as 

 a grave breach of the public faith to undertake to 

 pay these bonds, principal or interest, in silver coin 

 worth in the market less than the coin received for 

 them. It is said that the silver dollar made a legal 

 tender by this bill will under its operation be equiv- 

 alent in value to the gold dollar. Many supporters 

 of the bill believe this, and would not justify an at- 

 tempt to pay debts, either public or private, in coin 

 of inferior value to the money of the w^orld. The 

 capital defect of the bill is that it contains no pro- 

 vision protecting from its operation preexisting debts 

 in case the coinage which it creates shall continue to 

 be of less value than that which was the sole legal 

 tender when they were contracted. If it is now 

 proposed for the purpose of taking advantage of the 

 depreciation of silver in the payment of debts to 

 coin and make a legal tenier a silver dollar of less 

 commercial value than any dollar, whether of gold 

 or paper, which is now lawful money in this coun- 

 try, such measure, it will hardly be questioned, will, 

 in the judgment of mankind, be an act of bad faith. 

 As to all debts heretofore contracted, the silver dol- 

 lar should be made a legal tender only at its market 

 value. The standard of value should not be changed 

 without the consent of both parties to the contract. 

 National promises should be kept with unflinching 

 fidelity. There is no power to compel a nation to 

 pay its just debts. Its credit depends on its honor. 

 Tne nation owes what it has led or allowed its credi- 

 tors to expect. I cannot approve a bill which in my 

 judgment authorizes the violation of sacred obliga- 

 tions. The obligation of the public faith transcends 

 all questions of profit or public advantage. Its un- 

 questionable maintenance is the dictate as well of 

 the highest expediency as of the most necessary 

 duty, and should ever be carefully guarded by the 

 Executive, by Congress, and by the people. 



It is my firm conviction that if the country is to 

 be benefited by a silver coinage, it can be done only 

 by the issue of silver dollars of full value, which will 

 defraud no man. A currency worth less than it pur- 

 ports to be worth will in the end defraud not only 

 creditors, but all who are engaged in legitimate 

 business, and none more surely than those who are 

 dependent on their daily labor for their daily 

 bread. R. B. HAYES. 



EXECUTIVE MANSION, February 28, 1878. 



The President pro tempore : " The question 

 is upon a reconsideration. Shall the bill pass ? 

 The Secretary will call the roll." 



The Secretary proceeded to call the roll. 



The result was announced as follows : 



YEAS Messrs. Allison, Bailey, Beck. Bruce, Chaf- 

 fee, Cockrell, Coke, Conover, Davis of Illinois. Da- 

 vis of West Virginia, Dennis, Dorsey, Eustis, Ferry, 

 Garland, Gordon, Grover, Harris, Hereford, Hill, 

 Howe, Ingalls, Johnston, Jones of Florida, Jones of 

 Nevada, Kellogg, Kirkwood, McCreery, McDonald, 

 McMillan, Matthews, Maxey, Merrimon, Morgan, 

 Paddock, Patterson, Plumb, Saulsbury, Saunders, 

 Spencer, Teller, Thurman, Voorhees, Wallace, Win- 

 dom, and Withers 46. 



NAYS Messrs. Barnum, Bayard, Blaine, Butler, 

 Conkling, Dawes, Eaton, Hamlin, Hoar, Kernan, 

 Lamar, McPherson, Mitchell, Morrill, Eandolph, 

 Rollins, Sargent, Wadleigh, and Whyte 19. 



ABSENT Messrs. Anthony, Armstrong, Booth, 

 Burnside, Cameron of Pennsylvania, Cameron of 

 "Wisconsin, Christiancy, Edmunds, Oglesby, Ran- 

 som, and Sharon 11. 



The President pro tempore : "On the pas- 

 sage of the bill the yeas are 46 and the nays 

 i are 19. Two thirds of the Senate having 



voted in its favor, the bill has passed and be- 

 come a law." 



On the same day in the House, after reading 

 the message, the Speaker said : " The question 

 before the House is, ' Will the House on re- 

 consideration agree to pass the bill ? ' ' 



Mr. Stephens, of Georgia: "Upon that I 

 move the previous question." 



The previous question was seconded and thej 

 main question ordered. 



The question was taken, as follows : 



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

 Baker, Banning, Bayne, Bell, Benedict, Bicknell, 

 Blackburn, Bland, Blount, Boone, Bouck, Boyd, 

 Bragg, Brentano, Brewer, Bridges, Bright, Brogden, 

 Browne, Bucknor, Bundy, Burchard, Burdick, But- 

 ler, John W. Caldwell, W. P. Caldwell, Calkins, 

 Gaudier, Cannon, Carlisle, Caswell, Chalmers, Clark 

 of Missouri, Bush Clark, Clarke of Kentucky, Cly- 

 mer, Cobb, Cole, Conger, Cook, Jacob D. Cox, 

 Samuel S. Cox, Cravens, Crittenden, Culberson, 

 Cummings, Cutler, Danford, Davidson, Joseph J. 

 Davis, Deering, Dibrell, Dickey, Dunnell, Durham, 

 Eden, Elam, Ellis, Errett, James L. Evans, John H. 

 Evins, Ewing, Felton, Finley, Forney, Fort, Foster, 

 Franklin, Fuller, Garth, Giddings, Glover, Goode, 

 Gunter, Hamilton, Hanna, Henry -R. Harris, John 

 T. Harris, Harrison, Hartridge, Hartzell, Ilaskell, 

 Hatcher, Hayes, Hazelton, Henderson, Henry, Her- 

 bert, G. W. Hewitt, Hooker, House, Hubbell, Hum- 

 phrey, Hunter, Hunton, Ittner, James T. Jones, 

 John S. Jones, Keightley, Kelley, Kenna, Knapp, 

 Knott, Landers, Lathrop, Ligon, Luttrell, Lynde, 

 Mackey, Manning, Marsh, May ham, McGowan, Mc- 

 Kenzie, McKinley, McMahon, Metcalfe, Mills, Mit- 

 chell, Money, Monroe, Morgan, Muldrow, Neal, 

 Oliver, Page, G. W. Patterson, T. M. Patterson, 

 Phelps, Phillips, Pollard, Pound, Price, Pridemore, 

 Rainey, Randolph, Rea, Reagan, Americus V. Rice, 

 Riddle, Rohbins, Roberts, Robertson, Milton S. 

 Robinson. Ryan, Sampson, Sapp, Sayler, Scales, 

 Sexton, Shallenberger, Shelley, Singleton, Siemens, 

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

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

 Thompson, Thornburgh, Throckmorton, Tipton, 

 Amos Townsend, M. I. Townsend, R. W. Towns- 

 hend, Tucker, Turner, Turney, Vance. Van Vorhes. 

 Waddell, Walker, Walsh, Welch, Harry White, 

 Michael D. White, Whitthorne, Wigginton, C. G. 

 Williams,Jere. N. Williams, Richard Williams, Al- 

 bert S. Willis, Willits, Wilson, Wren, Wright, 

 Yeates, and Young 196. 



NATS Messrs. Bacon, Bagley, William H. Baker, 

 Ballou, Banks, Beebe, Bisbee, Blair, Bliss, Briggsj 

 Cain, Camp, Campbell, Chittenden, Claflin, Covert, 

 Crapo, Horace Davis, Denison, Dwiafht, Eames, 

 Eickhoff, Ellsworth, Field, Freeman, Frye, Gar- 

 field, Gibson, Hale, Hardenbergh, Harmer, Benj. W. 

 Harris, Hart, Hendee, A. S. Hewitt, Hiscock, Hun- 

 gerford, James, Frank Jones, Joyce, Ketcham, Lap- 

 ham, Lindsey, Lo-ckwopd, Loring, McCook, Morse, 

 Muller, Norcross, O'Neill, Overton, Potter, Powers, 

 Pugh, Reed, William W. Rice, George D. Robinson, 

 Ross, Schleicher, Sinnickson, A. Herr Smith, Starin, 

 Stenger, Stewart, Veeder, Ward, Warner, Watson, 

 A. S. Williams, Andrew Williams, James Williams, 

 Benj. A. Willis, and Wood 73. 



NOT VOTING Messrs. Acklen, Cabell, Alvah A. 

 Clark, Collins. Douglas, I. Newton Evans, Gardner, 

 Gause. Henkle, Jorgensen, Keifer, Killinger, Kim- 

 mel, Leonard, Maish, Martin, Morrison, Peddie, 

 Quinn, Reilly, Southard, Swann, and Wait 23. 



The Speaker: "Two thirds having voted 

 for the passage of this bill upon its recon- 

 sideration, the bill is passed, the objections 



