New-York tribune., 1878-02-16

all the States Rights doctrines, II Is seen that
Mr. Lamar has done courageous and noble
thing in refusing TO comply with the iormal
instructions of the Legislature OF Mlssis-
sippi. that he should vote for the Silver
bill. Mr.. Lamar has everything to lose
by this act, if the vote of his Legislature
reflects the sentiment of his State; he has
nothing to gain by it politically, except the
respect of his cOuntrymen at large. The
progress of the silver controversy has revealed
so much cowardice on the part of men intelli-
gent enough to form honest opinions but with
out sufficient strength of character to adhere
TO them, that we can afford to give
much credit to a man who does merely what
is night, but does it at the possible sacrifice
of his political future. If few more of Mr.
Lamar's colleagues had been endowed with
equal moral courage, the country might have
seen ere this the end of u disgraceful
agitation.
Senator Ingalls, has made some remarkable
discoveries respecting the moral qualities oi
the precious metals, which will be received
with profound interest by economists all over
the world. Gold, he finds, is the most
"cowardly and treacherous of ali metals. Ii
"has no friend or ally that it Goes not sooner
"or later betray." An arrogant and untruthful
metal, toe, it seems, for though "no nation
"ever fought a great war by the aid OF
gold" yet when the battle has been
secured, " gold swaggers to the front again, and
"claims the fruits of victory" which is about
as ill-bred thing as gold can do. We are
not surprised, after this, to hear Senator
ingalls, say that the American people are
not particularly welded to coin as money"
We should say not. If we understand
the American people at all, they insist upon
good manners in their currency. and we nope
none of Senator Ingalls's debtors will ever
shock the fine feelings of his sensitive nature
by Offering to bring him III contact with a
shameless coin, which is cowardly and treach-
erous. and swaggers and tells lies.
The fondness of the Senate for late sitting
has prolonged the vote on the Silver Bill to
most untimely hours, and at the time mt which
we 90 to press a. m.-the Senate Is still III
session, with the prospect OF continuing
all night long. The first votes reached,
after the few Senators who had not
spoken had closed the debate, are more
encouraging than there seemed to be any rca-
son to expect. The proposal of the committee
to substitute for the free coinage clause a
provsion that the maximum amount Of
monthly coinage should be four million dol
lars, and the minimum two millions, and
that this coinage should be on Govern
ment account, was carried by 40 to %, show
ing less than One-thrd of the Senate for the
Bland bill, pure and simple, if those terms
can be applied to it, even in that way. The
proposltion-fOr conference with the Latin
Union to fix the relative values OF
gold and silver, was also carried by a
vote of 40 to 80. This is another
point gained by the moderate bimetallists
and lost by the radical silver inflatOnists. In
the first passages of the conflict, therefore,
the men whose great aim is to initiate and
depreciate the currency have suffered serious
defeat. The indications are that the bill Will
pass in substantially the shape in which it was
reported from the committee, including the
proposition for an international conference.
The Country has to thank the President and
the Secretary of State for an appointment
of almost ideal fitness. to the only first
class mission they had left to fill. No
other American could be sent to Ber-
I'm, whose mere name would so well
introduce him. German men OF letters have
long since adopted Mr.. Bayard Taylor as one
of themselves and among all classes his ser
vices to German Literature, bis intimate per
sona associations with so many OF their best
men, his thorough familiarity with the
language, country and people, his long resi-
dence and his connection by marriage, COM
bine to insure him such welcome as no
other representative of our Government could
expect Years ago Mr. Taylor served with
credit as Secretary of Legation, and after
wards as Charge dAflaires at ST. Petersburg; ;
and 1t is now an open secret that the Admin
istration once thought of returning him as full
Minister to that court. The cOrdiality
of his reception in Berlin will not be less
ened when the fact becomes known that
he at once said he could not consent,
even for so tempting prize as the Russian
Mission, to abandon his studies for Life OF
Goethe, in which he has been for some years
engaged. and which require his residence
again. for time, in Germany. As
other plans were then supposed to be
made for the German Mission, this
was equivalent to sacrificing brilliant
appointment to a purely literary ambition.
Nor will it be less gratifying to our own men
of letters to know that the appointment is
made Oh the motion of the President and Sec
retary of State themselves, without any ap-
plicatiOn from Mr.. Taylor, or his associates OF