INDEX OF CONTENTS. 



839 



gold, 151 ; silver alone will be the measure of value, 152 ; 

 the legal tenders will occupy the same relation to the sil- 

 ver dollar as they do to the gold now, 152 ; is there not 

 something beyond this measure ? 152 ; this measure may 

 lead to an irredeemable currency, 152. 



Never was there half so much currency lying idle as at 

 present, 152 ; the present state of things, 152 ; what were 

 the real causes that produced this state of things in the 

 money market ? 153 ; the destruction of war, 158 ; an im- 

 mense debt, 158 ; a period of revulsion could not be 

 avoided, 153 ; the case of the nation like the case of the 

 farmer, 153 ; the unnatural stimulus of such an inflation 

 of the currency, 154 ; all kinds of business were buoyant, 

 brisk, and lively, 154 ; the sudden collapse, 154 ; the abor- 

 tive railroad projects that went down, 154 ; all other great 

 business enterprises took a similar course, 154 ; confi- 

 dence has long since been restored, 155. 



Gold and silver coin are the money of the Constitution' 

 155 ; what power, then, has Congress over gold and silver? 

 155 : if Germany would remonetize silver, and the states 

 of the Latin Union open their mints, it would at once re- 

 sume its former relation with gold, 155 ; is it now safe 

 and expedient to offer free coinage to silver ? 156 ; what 

 injustice would be done to every holder of legal-tender or 

 national-bank notes ? 156 ; the responsibility of reestab- 

 lishing silver in its ancient and honorable place devolves 

 on the Congress of the United States, 156; the struggle 

 for a single gold standard, if successful, would produce 

 widespread disaster in the commercial world, 156 ; the 

 question of beginning anew the recoinage of silver dollars 

 has aroused much discussion as to its effect, 157 ; value 

 of silver when we gave our pledge to the public creditor, 

 157 ; we have been running our mints to coin the silver 

 dollar for the Chinese cooly and the Indian pariah, 157 ; 

 the bill assailed on two grounds, 157 ; the legality and the 

 expediency of the proposed measure, 157; the power to 

 coin money is given to Congress in explicit terms, 157; 

 under the Constitution the whole question of what shall 

 be legal tender rests with the States, 158; it is said the 

 holder of the bonds had the right to expect gold, because 

 silver was demonetized when they were issued, 158 ; the 

 expediency of remonetizing silver and making it a legal 

 tender, 158; bow is it possible for the stamp of the Gov- 

 ernment to give a piece of silver worth ninety cents r value 

 as a hundred cents? 158; amendments adopted and the 

 bill passed, 159. 



In the House the amendments of the Senate considered^ 

 159 ; the amendments. 159 ; it is not well to concur in 

 the amendments, 160 ; this measure should be discussed, 

 160 ; we are in a two-thirds majority in both Houses, and 

 can amend it as we please, 160; it has been debated in 

 the Senate three months, 160 ; this bill is not what the 

 country expects, 160 ; nine tenths of the people demand 

 unlimited coinage, 160 ; the amendments have perverted 

 the bill, 160 ; their repulsive features, 161 ; if this is ac- 

 cepted as a triumph, a long truce on this question will fol- 

 low, 161 ; the great object of a majority of the House is 

 accomplished by this bill, 161 ; amendments concurred 

 in, 161, 162 ; veto of the President, 162 ; bill passed in the 

 Senate, 163 ; do. in the House, 163. 



In the House, a motion to suspend the rules and pass a 

 bill to forbid the further retirement of legal-tender notes, 

 164; the bill, 164; rules suspended and the bill passed, 

 164. 



In the Senate, an amendment offered to the above-men- 

 tioned bill, 164; that said notes shall be a legal tender 

 for all dues to the United States except duties, and not 

 otherwise, 164; now is a time of profound peace, 164; 

 the law that was enacted when the notes were issued, 

 165; for what purpose is it proposed to receive the Trea- 



sury notes instead of coin ? 165; if the noto In at par with 

 coin, what further credit do you desiro? 16A; I do not 

 believe the power exists under the Constitution to make 

 legal-tender paper money, 165; in the present condition 

 of the country, gold and silver alone arc not sufficient to 

 constitute its currency, 166; moved to strike out "ex- 

 cept duties on imports," 166; the original proposition 

 would work an extraordinary change in the country, 166; 

 the proposition is, that the note shall not be reissued 

 with the legal-tender clause, 166; that muddles the cur- 

 rency, 166; resumption by the Treasury will be resump- 

 tion by the national banks, 106; that may be, 166; the 

 plan of the banks, 166; the other amendment shuts out 

 coin from the treasury, 167; the entire financial situation 

 of the country has been changed by the introduction of 

 the silver dollar, 167 ; amendment rejected and the bill 

 passed, 167. 



In the House, a resolution relating to the President's 

 title offered, 167 ; the resolution, 167 ; resolution adopt- 

 ed, 168. 



In the House, a bill to provide for trying the President's 

 title, and resolution of the Legislature of Maryland, report 

 on, 168 ; the report, 168 ; resolution reported and adopted, 

 169. 



In the House, a resolution offered for the investigation 

 of alleged fraud in the late Presidential election in the 

 States of Louisiana and Florida, 169 ; the resolution, 169; 

 not a question of privilege, 170 ; it is introduced because 

 of the memorial of a sovereign State, 170 ; surely a sub- 

 iect of this nature should have preference over the ordi- 

 nary business, 170 ; the right of petition is admitted, but 

 the right of action here is a different thing. 170; it would 

 be a question of privilege if the resolution alleged a pur- 

 pose to institute proceedings of impeachment, 170 ; fur- 

 ther objections, 171; what the member held as one of 

 the Electoral Commission, 171; these questions not out- 

 side the record, 171 ; a question of the highest privilege, 

 171 ; the very memorial upon which this matter is based 

 is not before the House, 171 ; if it is decided a question 

 of privilege, it will be independent of the fact that the 

 memorial comes from a State, 172; the question of privi- 

 lege raised is only in the order of business, 172; the priv- 

 ilege arises from the fact that it is set in motion by a 

 sovereign State, and from the nature of the subject matter? 

 172; the purpose is only to inquire, 172 ; if a fraud should 

 be inquired into it is when it is successfully accomplished, 

 172 ; basis upon which the preamble and resolution are in- 

 troduced, 172 ; ruled to be a question of privilege of the 

 highest order,173; appeal from the decision of the Chair, 

 173 ; appeal laid on the table, 178 ; reasons for voting for the 

 adoption of the resolution, 173; reason for introducing the 

 resolution, 174; it contemplates nothing but an inquiry, 

 174 ; adoption of the preamble and resolution, 174 ; anoth- 

 er resolution, to extend the investigation to any State, of- 

 fered and lost, 175. 



In the House, a bill reported to repeal the third section 

 of the act to provide for the resumption of specie pay- 

 ments, 175; the bill, 175; the features of the third sec- 

 tion, 176; explanations of its author, 176; the theory of 

 the section, 176; under its operation a reduction of the 

 currency made, 176 ; brought about by an adroit process, 

 176; the treatment of the fractional currency, 176; aeon- 

 traction has been made, 177; gross misstatements resort- 

 ed to in order to prevent the remonetization of silver, 

 177; the national-bank notes can not do without the le- 

 gal-tender notes, 177 ; this is said to be a revolutionary 

 measure, 178; no legislation can bring the country to 

 resumption unless it has the necessary resources, 178; 

 when you contract the currency the first thing you touch 

 is investments in real estate and improvement*, 178; why 



