Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-11-21
The Extra Session.

not yet resulted IN very thorough IL
quaintance and what Congress will final
conclude to do in regard to several impor
ant subjects of legislation is very problem
atical.
During the last week Mr.. Atkins who HI
charge of the army bill for the democrat
committee that was determined to cut
down, has come to grief. The democrat
of the Senate did not all believe in cuttin
the force down to 10000 men, and the b
went back to the House with the numbt
fixed at 25,000. On the final struggle til
Texas members and Gen. Williams
Michigan voted with the republicans an
the Senate amendments were sustained b
n vote of 1874 to 1870. The President i
also left without restrictions as to the lis
of the army.
The appropriation and deficiency bill
have either passed or are Just ready to d
so without friction, though an alliance be
tween Gen. Butler and Proctor Knott ha
caused the withdrawal of the item c
$4,000 from the latter bill for payment {
the Louisiana Commission.
In the Senate the contested election
from Louisiana and South Carolina III
yet undsposed Of but the committee,
work must be well along for Senate
Wadeigh, yesterday, said the Kellogg
Spoflord case would be decided by til
committee in Il day or two. The Ncy
York nominations have not yet been actc,
on and it is expected that Conkling vii
make u strong fight against them whcl
they do come up.
The caucus of republican senators las
week pcrpetuates ITSELF and Nh Hayes i
very probably in for Il large quantity 0
that senatorial advice which the constitu
ton provides for, however little of con
sent he may be able to get with it, Mr.
Edmunds and his committee went to SCI
the president one evening, and had u lons
talk with him about appointing democrats
and such things. In which talk us report
ed at u late session of the caucus there
was II good deal said on both sides tina
was very sensible and that may lead tc
more near agreement between the presi
dent and his republican advisers.
Mr.. Hayes will get finally to fully UNI
derstand the feelings Of the I>racite,
when they were between the Egyptian,
and the Red Sea. Here he has sent in the
name of II democrat Ftzsimmons, rol
confirmation us marshal of Georgia, AND
that is IL grievous thing to be borne by the
strict republicans there; and then he has
rc-appointed Fillcy postmaster at St.Louis
whose great fault is that he is so much OF
republican rs to be thorn in the side OF
Secretary Schurz. When tea kettle boils
it creates quite a pother if one is in the
same room but the weather out Of doors
is not much affected by the performance.
And out of doors the people think Mr..
Hayes is trying to do the best he can, and
that he knows how to do very well, and
that the Was hinglon tea-kcttle is nearly as
noisy but not quite as powerful us steam
engine.
The most important matters of legisa
ton are the proposed repeal of the rcsump
ton act and the Bland silver bill. The
anti-resumptionists, under the lead of Mr..
Ewing, do not appear to be us strong as at
the beginning OF the session, and their bin
is far from sure of going through the
House even. The silver bill has gone to
the Senate and is to be favorabIy reported
from the committee to which it was
referred.
As things now are in the markets n
greenback dollar brings o. cents in cold
while the silver that goes into silver
dollar is worth but % cents. How the
coinage Of silver can result in anylhipr
but miserable uncertainty Of values that
will create more friction and bother than
even the issue Of more greenbacks we
cannot see. A Creenbacks value every
body knows is merely in the " say so " of
the government about it. If the govern
ment says it is worth a dollar its market
value in purchasing power differs from
that of gold only by such percentage as
sellers may refuse to believe the word of
government.
The greenback is Il representative Of
value, and what it shall be taken for de-
ponds on the faith offolks in the statement
OF the issuing government. Whereas sil.
yer has value itself, not merely repre-.
sentative value, and the statement of the
government that 81 cents worth of sjl vcr
is dollar, is about twelve per cent lie
pure and simple, and so plain tlat nobody
will believe it.
But, after all, that percentage Of false
hood is one that will not ruin the country
and even if the patent medicine of both
Ewing and Bland shall have to be swallow !
ed the body polite will manage to endure
hem in some way, and there viii! lie
sort of satisfaction in having new set of
srumblers and new cau,e Of complaint
% which to attribute our trials and tribu-
alions.
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