The Portland daily press., 1874-04-08

of gold, the people had to pay $4O0, ,000, 900 and
more to buy gold to pay for our imports and
customs Dues which, he said, was so much extra
added to the price Of the commodities import.
ed, as a tribnte to administrative stupidity and
Congressional selfshness. They paid $3.50 per
capita because we did not make our standard
that OF the world, the constitution and the Al
mighty.
From 1865 to 1869, the average premium was
40 per cent. the imports were, total $1,859,
524, Az; duties in gold, S69O,917, ,484; freight
pa ID in gold, $1,000, 100000, making a grand
total of $2,648, sol ,9O3, oil which the gold pre-
mnm of 40 per cent is 81 ,059, ,400,076. From
1869 to 1873 the premium has only averaged Is
per cent The goods imported, gold duty and
gold freights altogether were 1880 931 ,48l land
the premium was $477, ,139,722 Mechanics,
farmers, consumers, all victims each, have We
no eyes to see the causes of your impoverish-
ment by tariffs and rag money? Is this billion
and half but the idle cloud of statistics above
which your gas distended falsehoOds swells and
foats? Believe not these trimmers who tell
you tney have the wonderful lamp. Their Al
ladin IS liar. There is no magic to make
money moi G honestly except by toll and moil Why
and principles. Cannot we tell compliance
from health, bloat from real flesh. When we
plucked the rose OF paper money did not the
people feel the thorn? Are they crying to get
rid OF the infamous tariffs? What's the mean
ing OF the clamor? Let them cry then for coin
as the universal standard until that is respond
to.
We will have from all quarters the report
which Judge Pierpont makes of his Western
observations, as to the cause of the depression
OF farm products. He lCox) had again and
again urged resumption by gradual method and
had often been asked to present a plan. He
thought it was for the majority in Congress to
present plan for resumption, but suggested
that England after the Napoleonic wars sought
specie by plan we might copy with profit.
1t involved first, that a resumption of spe-
Gle payment mnst be surely Determined; that
the time of resumption must be fixed at day
not unreasonably distant, and third, that the
approach to it should be by regular steps upon
which all the business interests could calculate.
She accomplished it by providing that at the
end OF five years from the date of the act coin
payments should be fully resumed and that, in
the meantime scate of rates should be estab
lished at which currency should be redeemed in
uncoined bullion at prices by weight, which
should distribute the currency valves as nearly
as possible evenly over the intervening time
Mr.. Monroe of Ind, favored free banking be-
cause it wonld abolish an unpopular monopo-
ly, would equalize the currency, would meet
the demands OF the people and would not en-
large the volume of currency to an extent that
would be dangerous or that would increase
prices. He believed gold the proper standard
of value but thought it would be ruinous to at
tempt to return to specie payment at present.
AT the close of the discussion, Mr. Elbridge
OF Wis, brought up again the question which
ne started last week as to the appointment of
two of the Supreme Court Justices in order to
have decision in favor of the const:tiopality
of the legal tender act He strengthened his
position by reference to some of the newspapers
articles of the day and other matters He was
then again replied to by Mr.. E. r. Hoar of
Mass, who stated that the selection Of Justices
Stroug and Bradley had been made without
any reference to their opinion on that subject
and had been made on their character, profes-
sional eminence and fitness for the office, and
that It was slander to impute their appoint
ment to their subserviency for a particular
question or a particular interest.
The House then at $40 adjourned.