following article on "The Fifty-fourth Congress.") And very shortly afterward Mr. Wharton Barker, editor of the Philadelphia American, published the following declaration in favor of such a policy, over the signatures of sixteen republican senators:

“WHEREAS, The difference of exchange between silver-standard countries and gold-standard countries is equivalent to a bounty of 100 percent on the products of the silver-standard countries; and

"WHEREAS, The cost of production in the Old World, and particularly in China and Japan, is less than products can be produced or manufactured in this country by American labor, without reducing our farmers, miners, mechanics, manufacturers, and industrial workers to the level of Chinese coolies; therefore, be it

"Resolved, That we are in favor of rescuing the people of the United States from such impending danger by removing the differ ence of exchange between gold-standard countries and silver-standard countries by the only method possible, which is the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1 by the independent action of the United States; and we are in favor of a tariff which shall be sufficient to equalize the cost of production in the United States and in European and Asiatic countries, and that the protection incident to such tariff shall be equally distributed in every section of the United States and between the various products and industries of each state."

Senators J. C. Pritchard (N. C.) and J. D. Cameron (Penn.) were among those who signed the declaration. The others were from the West.

A secret conference of republican silver senators with a number of large Eastern manufacturers, chiefly from Philadelphia, was held in Washington, March 19, in the interest of demands for protection combined with free-silver legislation. And there are some who regard this conference as a note of warning to Eastern protectionists, that they can look for the co-operation of their Western brethren only on condition of granting some concessions to the demands of silver.

THE FIFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS.

The first quarter of the year in congress was given largely to the discussion of foreign affairs, tariff, and finance. The action taken regarding the Venezuelan controversy, the Cuban revolt, and the Armenian question is elsewhere reviewed (Venezuela, p. 28; Cuba, p. 45; Armenia, p. 78).

Free-Silver Debate.-The Bond Bill Substitute.- It was on January 7 that the senate finance committee, of which Senator Morrill of Vermont is chairman, presented to the upper house of congress its report on the bond bill which had been passed by the house of representatives

December 28 in response to an appeal from the president for legislation in relief of the treasury. All the house provisions, except the enacting clause, were recommended to be struck out, and a free-silver substitute inserted. The text of this substitute was given in full in the preceding number of this quarterly (Vol. 5, p. 843).

The senate substitute is entitled "An Act to Restore the Coinage

of Silver Dollars and for Other Purposes." In a word, it provides for the coinage of dollars of the weight of 412 grains of standard silver upon the terms of law regulating the coinage and legal-tender quality of gold, and the issuance of treasury certificates therefor. The second section directs the coinage of the seigniorage on silver bullion purchased under the act of 1890, and the immediate issue of silver certificates against it. The third section provides for the retirement of national bank notes of a denomination less than ten dollars; and the last section demands that green backs and treasury notes of 1890 shall be redeemed in "gold or silver coins, or both, not at the option of the holder, but exclusively at the option of the treasury depart ment," the greenbacks to be reissued as under the

CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON BANK- present law..

ING AND CURRENCY.

One sensational incident of the debate which followed was a bitter attack made by Senator Tillman of South Carolina, January 29, against President Cleveland as the wrecker of the policy and fortunes of the democratic party. The debate in the senate ended February 1 in the passage of the freesilver substitute by a vote of 42 yeas (21 democrats, 6 populists, 15 republicans) to 35 nays (22 republicans, 13 democrats). There were five pairs.

The struggle being thus transferred to the house, the ways and means committee of that body, on February 4, decided to recommend non-concurrence in the substitute

which had come from the senate; and on February 13 a committee of the whole house voted non-concurrence by 190 to 80. On the following day this rejection of the substitute bill was confirmed in the house by a vote of 215 to 90. The house majority against the substitute would have been increased by a full attendance of members. The majority comprised 184 republicans and 31 democrats; while those who voted for the substitute included 65 democrats and populists, 1 silver member, and 24 republicans.

This vote is generally considered as having practically decided the question of the possibility of free-silver legislation during the present congress. That a free-silver bill could be passed through the present overwhelmingly republican house, or that, if passed, it would escape the veto of President Cleveland, was an opinion entertained by few if any. The results aimed at in the agitation in congress were ulterior, not immediate. They concerned the approaching presidential contest, in which the effect of a demonstration of free-coinage strength might be to secure a candidate favorable to silver.

An analysis of the vote of February 14 shows every republican from the states east of Ohio and north of Virginia, besides Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, opposed to free coinage; but a proportion of silver sentiment manifested itself in the votes of the representatives from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio.

Tariff Revision Checked.-The attempt at silver legislation having failed in the house, the further efforts of the advocates of free coinage were confined to the senate, and consisted in presenting an immovable obstruction in the way of the passage of the emergency revenue bill, which had passed the house of representatives just before the New Year (Vol. 5, p. 837).

On February 4 the senate finance committee, on motion of Mr. Vest of Missouri, decided by a vote of 7 (6 democrats and 1 populist) to 6 (all republicans) to recommend that everything in the house tariff revision bill, except the enacting clause, be struck out, and that a freesilver substitute be inserted in the exact terms of the bill which the senate on February 1 had voted to insert in the house bond bill.

The republican managers in the senate, under the lead of Mr. Morrill, subsequently made two ineffectual attempts to have the house revenue bill considered. One attempt was made February 13, when Mr. Carter of Montana,

chairman of the Republican National Committee, and several other republicans who favor "bimetallism," voted against Mr. Morrill's motion to proceed to consideration of the revenue bill. The motion was defeated by 29 to 21 votes. On February 25 Mr. Morrill renewed his motion, but it was again defeated-this time by 33 to 22. Νο further effort was made to press the house bill.

Appropriations.-Aside from the debates on the above important subjects of foreign relations, tariff, and finance, proceedings of congress were largely of a routine and formal character. The house devoted most of its time to shaping the great appropriation bills providing for the various branches of the public service. These were advanced toward completion much earlier than usual; and, before the quarter closed, most of them had either become laws or had advanced to such a stage as to determine their character.

These appropriation bills as passed by the house, aggregate $505,027,410, or slightly over half a billion. With the same allowance for the second session of the 54th congress, the aggregate for the entire congress would be in excess of one billion dollars. The detailed amounts appropriated are as follows:

Aside from carrying these various amounts, several of the appropriation bills embodied interesting features of general legislation, placed upon them as "riders." The Fortifications bill not only appropriates the amount mentioned for actual work on seacoast defenses, but it authorizes contracts covering further work in the development of a general plan of defenses. The aggregate of these contracts is about $11,000,000. The bill has not yet passed the senate, and is still open to further changes.

The Indian Appropriation bill aroused an animated debate in both the house and senate concerning the policy of appropriating government funds for the education of Indian children in sectarian schools. The previous policy had been to do away with these sectarian schools gradually, reducing the appropriations to them one-fifth each year for five years until entirely extinguished. This year, however, after a sharp debate in the house, a provision was inserted that no funds whatever should be appropriated for sectarian schools. In this form the bill passed the house and was pending before the senate when the quarter closed.

The Legislative Appropriation bill contained an important reform in the method of compensating United. States district attorneys and marshals. These officers and their deputies have for years been paid by the fee system. It has been alleged that the fees were an inducement to the officers to stir up as much litigation as possible, and that widespread abuses resulted. The house changed the entire system, giving salaries in place of fees, the salaries ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. This reform was agreed to by the senate, although some of its minor details were open when the quarter closed.

The Naval Appropriation bill is mainly important in providing four new battleships and twelve torpedo boats. The battleships are to be of the largest type of naval vessels. With the six battleships already completed or in process of completion, the bill will give a fleet of ten of these most powerful vessels.

New Laws Enacted.-Although much of the time of congress was given to discussing bills in various stages of advancement, yet a large number of measures passed their final stages and are now enacted as laws on the federal statutes. Those of a general interest are as follows:

Prize Fighting Prohibited.-An act to prohibit prize fighting and pugilism, and fights between men and animals, and to provide penalties therefor, in the territories and the District of Columbia. This measure was made necessary by the preparations for a fight between James J. Corbett and "Bob" Fitzsimmons in the Southwest. The parties to the fight had threatened to enter Oklahoma or some other territory or government reservation. While most of the states had laws against prize fighting, it was found that the federal statutes had no adequate prohibition. As a result the bill was promptly passed in both house and senate, and became a law on February 7. Its provisions are as follows: