The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-11-23
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.



posed action in refusing to discrimi-
nate in favor of gold after the re-
sumption of specie payment at the
beginning of the year, the recon-
mendation of the Clearing House
Committee sent to confer with Sec
rotary Sherman, looking to the prac-
teal notification of the remOnetiza-
ton legislation of the last session, is
very severely criticised. It can only
provoke retaliation on the part of
Congress, and ignores anything the
President might recommend or the
Secretary of the Treasury do, to
avert anticipated evils that they
deem only themselves competent to
deal with. 1t is an assumption that
few will quietly acquie5ce in. The
large majority Of the voters of the
country who were behind members
of Congress urging them last winter
to vote for the reconciliation of
silver, will resent it as another of the
encrOachments of wealth concentrate
ed in the hands of a few men acting
in a corporate capacity that haYe be-
come altogether too frequent. Public
sentiment has been running counter
to corporations of all descriptions for
the past few years, as the source of
greatest danger to our institutions
and as inherently antagonistic to the
real interests of labor and that feel
ing can but receive decided impetus
from this movement of the banks to
make themselves superior to Con-
gress. 1t can but operate to check
the return of confidence which must
underlie amy general business revival
and return of prosperity. And it
offers precisely the preteXt desired
by Congressional demagogues and
the financial eXDerimenters to Il re.
sumption of the financial tinkering
Of the last two sessions at the com
ing one. Not few go 50 far as 10
predict that it will have the effect to
revitalize the rag baby which has
been counted dead since the elections
of the 9TH inst. On the whole it is
regarded here as a movement calcu-
lated to react injuriously upon about
all of our great interests, politically
and otherwise. 1t is hoped that the
banks may be moved by the storm
already aroused, to relinquish all
idea of a conflict in which, if provok-
ed, they must ultimately 90 to the
wall.
The valuable Senator Of the Wa
bash furnishes another indication of
the grade of his craftsmanship, by a
declaration of his purpose to make
that outlaw Of Commemorative Trade
Dollar-a legal tender.
The full text of Lord SalisJury's
reply to Secretary Evart's note, pro
testing against the position virtually
taken by the British Foreign Office
that it is competent for Il mob Of
New FoundlanderS to bass upon and
settle international disputes, has
been published. 1t must be regarded
as very diplomatic inasmuch as it
takes several columns for the
noble Lord to express what the
average educated business man could
express quite as well, much more
clearly, indeed, in one fourth the
space consumed. AS Mr.. Evart's
note was regarded as a notification
that the Halifax award would not be
paid till England should have rece-
ded from the offensive position to
which Lord Salisbury committed
her, and las we have made arrange
mentS to pay the award on or before
the day stipulated, it is presumed
that our Scc'y Of state construes
Salisbury's reply rs a concession of
the point in dispute. But very few
i''' us Guy buoiiItSo vi lilCli ON III ~
attend to will undertake to wade
through the mass Of verbiage and the
lahyrinths Of accommodation of the
letter, to get ut the few points in con-
tains. They will prefer to take the
Secretary's word for it, hoping that
his ingenuity can suggest some way
by which we may be partially COM
pensated for the payment ofan award
that had no equitable foundation,
but which we could hardly avoid
and retain our self-respect. However
the matter promises a tedious cores
pOndence in order to harmonic the
wide divergence Of views entertained
here and in England as to privileges
immunities conferred by the Wash
ington Treaty.
/. Official communications only con-
firm the farcical character of the late
election in many portions Of the
South. There has never beena greater
burIesquo on free suffrage; and Re
publicans everywhere will approve
the following from the National Re
publican of this morning:
l..