The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-11-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our own correspondent

ity by which it vas passed, however,
is somewhat beyondit its real strength,
as the vote was taken in a thin
House, and many ofthose who voted
for it did so for "bumkum," and with
the expectation that the Senate
would reject the measure. This lat
ter expectation is by no means so
certain of being realized. At This
writing, the senatorial friends of the
bill are emphatic in their assertions
that it will pass through that body
as easy as linseed oil through an I'M
loosed faucet. Senator Jones, of
Nevada, who has always taken a deep
interest in silver matters generally,
speaks of this bill in particular as a
highly favored enactment, which, if
adopted, will not fail to do good SER
vice in the financial struggles of the
nation. Doubtless your readers are
familiar with the provisions of the
bill and its object. II provides for
the coinage of the silver dollar of
1887, and makes this coin a legal
tender for all debts and dues, public
and private, except where otherwise
provided by contract. Should this
bill become a law, silver can be used
in the payment of all United States
bonds and other securities which de-
clare upon their face that they are
to be paid in ecoin." Opponents of
the measure claim that this would
have a most depressing influence up
on the value o public securities, and
would at once raise the cry in Eu-
rope, where the securities are largely
held, that the United States had re-
pudiated its debt. The argument
made by the silver men is that the
silver dollar was a legal-tender at
the time the greater part of the pub
lie debt was contracted-that silver
was not demonetized until 1873, and
consequently that the payment of
the debt in silver will be a compli-
ance with the terms of the contract.
On the other hand it is pointed out
that the silver dollar was really out
of circulation, and was not looked
upon either by Congress or the pur-
chasers of the bonds as the "coin"
in which the debt was agreed to be
paid. Friends of the bill had intend
ed to make ar effort to pass it
through the Senate just as it came
from the House, without permitting
its reference to the Finance Commit
tee, hut this purpose has been aban-
doned. The supposed reason for it
is that information came, said to be
from persons closely allied to the
Administration, that if the Senate
passed the bill as it came from the
House, that the President would We
to it. The feelings of the Admins
tration, if voiced by Secretary Sher-
man, are quite emphatic against the
bill, and the finance officer of the
Government denounces it in lang
uage more forcible than elegant.
While on the finance subject, l
may add that the publishers of a
St. Louis agricultural paper have
forwarded to Congress a"farmers'
petition" measuring 127 feet in
length, ard containing 1913 names
asking for ga financial system indie
pendent of a metallic basis" They
insist that the whole theory ofspeeie
resumption is unphilosophical and
unsound; that values being relative,
: the only thing which can be said tc
t be q standard of value is necessity,
the mean relation of all commodities
, that money is simply a creature o.
law, an instrument of commerce, s
standard of payment
l Vice President Wheeler, now o
. course the presiding officer of the
Senate, fills that position with dig
nifty and judgment. Since his in
! auguration, Mr.. Wheeler has not in
/, dulged in a great deal Of "talke'
i talkee chin chin" as the ChinamaI
says, but has spent most of the tim
at his home an inactive factor in tn,
political Vaccinations of the day
So very quiet and non-commit.et
. has lie remained, that his name ha
not been much mentioned and Iii
e views upon the questions of polio,
that have been discussed are no
publicly known. A good story i
d told illustrative of this condition Q
S things. 1t is said, that while tn
: President was on his recent trip t
e Virginia, somewhere on the route a
enthusiast called for three cheers
n for Hayes and Wheeler. The Pres
IT dent and his travelling companion
looked at each other somewhat sui
l. prised and finally burst into laugh
ter, as another individual in tn
k crowd inquired, "Who the
Wheeler" Probably this yarn j
Al not true. Vice president Wheele
re is pretty well known everywhere an
N very generally liked for his honor:
Of BILE record in Congress. 1t is claim
IS ed by some, that he is dissatisfie
S, with the Presidents Southern Polio,
but l doubt it. 1t scarcely seem
Iy probable that the author of the orig
nal louisiana Compromise in 1877.
which reversed the action ofthe the
TT returning board and created a col
at sentative Legislature, woul be out
accord with President Hayes in h
. concilatory efforts.
&c Though this is only a special sc
ne sion, an immense number ofbills an
be measures have already been intr
C. duced in Congress. One 'bill day
in the House, over nine hundrt
were brought forward and the boo
III had to take a recess the next day
he enable the clerks to make up the
an records and the journal. OF cour,
n many of these are not ofmuch gene
zoo al interest, but there is a vast nur
Der of very important measures
do receive attention, among which is
he proposition to repeal the bankru
he laws and substitute q new act, mo
,re liberal in its terms; to enable fema
LAWYERS TO practice in the SuDrer