Bland Silver Bill

one of the most notable measures of American Congre ional history. The original bill, as introduced by Representative Bland and pa ed by the House late in 1877, provided simply for the free and unlimited coinage of silver by all the mints of the United States. This programme represented the full policy of the Silver men. The silver dollar had been demonetized by the act of 1873, and its coinage had been wholly abandoned. The Bimetallists desired to restore it to perfect equality with gold as a standard of value, and the original Bland bill, permitting owners of silver bullion to have their commodity coined into dollars by the mints, was intended as the means to accomplish that object. But the Senate amended the measure materially. The free coinage clause was stricken out, and, as a conce ion to the Silver men, it was directed that the Secretary of the Treasury should purchase monthly not le than $2,000,000 and not more than $4,000,000 worth of silver bullion, at the market price of the metal, and coin it into standard silver dollars, which should be unlimited legal tender for all debts. The amended bill was reported by Senator All is on, Chairman of the Finance Committee, and hence received the name of the Bland-All is on Act. It was vetoed by President Hayes, but pa ed over his veto, Feb. 28, 1878, by 196 to 73 in the House, and 46 to 19 in the Senate. The silver purchase clause in this act was repealed by the Sherman Act of 1890.