import to the one under
consideration in the Senate, differing therefrom mainly in that it
made the notes to be issued a full legal tender, and authorized
the Secretary of the Treasury to redeem them in gold coin or silver
bullion at current market rate. When this bill reached the Senate
it was, by unanimous consent, accepted as a substitute for the
Senate bill, and the discussion of the measure continued, occupying
much of the time and attention of the Senate until June 17, 1890,
when a vote was taken on an amendment proposed by Senator Plumb to
strike out the first section authorizing the issue of notes and
inserting the following:

"That from and after the date of the passage of this act, the unit
of value in the United States shall be the dollar, and the same may
be coined of 4121/2 grains of standard silver, or of 25.8 grains of
standard gold, and the said coins shall be legal tender for all
debts, public and private.

"That hereafter any owner of silver or gold bullion may deposit
the same in any mint of the United States, to be formed into standard
dollars, or bars, for his benefit, and without charge, but it shall
be lawful to refuse any deposit of less value than $100, or any
bullion so base as to be unsuitable for the operations of the mint."

This amendment was adopted by a vote of 43 to 24, the yeas being
made up of Democrats and the Republicans from the silver producing
states.

The adoption of this free silver amendment clearly indicated that
a large majority of the Senate favored the free coinage of silver
at the ratio of sixteen to one.

The other sections of the bill were then made to harmonize with
this new provision, and the bill was passed and returned to the
House, where the amendments were nonconcurred in, and a conference
asked for.

The Senate granted this request, and Senators Sherman, Jones, of
Nevada, and Harris were appointed to meet Representatives Conger,
Walker, and Bland, of the House, in conference, to adjust the wide
disagreements. On July 7 a bill agreed upon in conference was
reported to the Senate, Messrs. Harris and Bland not joining in
the report. The bill agreed to became a law July 12, 1890, and
was as follows:

"That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby directed to purchase,
from time to time, silver bullion to the aggregate amount of
4,500,000 ounces, or as much thereof as may be offered in each
month, at the market price thereof, not exceeding one dollar for