Eureka Daily Sentinel

THE SILVER AGITATION.

Washington, Dec. 28.

One important phase of the silver question, which has hitherto escaped notice, is the abolition of the trade dollar. There are two reasons for this. The thoroughly soft metal man does not want silver coined for export, but for home consumption, and, in case the mints continue to coin trade dollars, the operation will interfere with the rapidity with which they can coin the new dollar. In addition to this, the Secretary of the Treasury is strongly of the opinion that the trade dollar will be remonetized. He recommended this in his report, and will exert his influence with Congress vigorously in this direction. Little has been said in regard to the abolition of the trade dollar, in fear that it would divide the present support accorded to the Bland bill, but plans are laid for the repeal of the act authorizing the coinage of the trade dollar to follow the passage of the Silver bill by the Senate, where an effort will be made to put the Bland bill back into its original shape, and to send it to the President without returning it to the House. The cost to the Government of the free coinage proposed by the bill is stated at the Mint Bureau at about $1,500 a day, or $540,000 a year. Both sides admit that the count of the silver vote in the Senate will be exceedingly close. In case of a Presidential veto, the opponents of the bill claim twenty-six votes, exactly enough to sustain a veto with Sharon away. The full vote is exactly seventy-five. If there are twenty-five Senators to sustain a veto, this would make a tie, and the Vice President could vote, the same as if the Senate was equally divided.