The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-12-10

ternal and foreign. will supply, DARN
the coming year. its own instruction
which may well be awaited befor
attempting further experimental meas
ures with the coinage | would
however, strongly urge upon Cor
gress the Importance of authorizin
the Secretary Of the Treasury to su:
pend the coinage of silver dollars up
or the present legal ratio The mai
ket value of the silver dollar beiDl
uniformly aud largely less than th
market value of the gold dollar, it j
obviously impracticable to maintail
them at par With each other it botl
are coined without limit. If th,
cheaper coin is forced into circulation
it will, if coined without limit, sool
become the sole standard Of value
aud thus defeat the desired object
which is currency of both gold ans
silver, which shall be of equivalen
value, dollar for dollar, with the uni
versally recognized money of the
world
RETIREMENT OF GREENBAcKs.
The retirementfrom circulation o
United States notes, with the capsei
~ of legal tender 10 private contracts
is slep to be taken in our progres:
towards safe and stable currency
which should be accepted as the poll
cy and duty of the Government, and
the Interest and security of the pee.
pile. IL is my firm conviction thai
the issue of legai-tender paper money
based wholly upon the authority aud
credit of the Government, except in
extreme emergency. is without war
rant in the Constitution, and viola
tion Of sound financial principles
The issue o. United States notes dur
ing the late civil wsr with the capsc
ity of legsl-tender between private in.
dividuals was not authorized except
as means Of rescring the country
from imminent peril The circulation
Of these notes as paper money, for
any protrected period Of time after
the accomplishment of this purpose,
was not contemplated by the franaers
OF the lew under which they We're is
sued. They anticipated the redemp
ZION and withdrawal of these notes
at the earliest practicable period con
sisient with the attainment OF the ob
ject for which they were provided,
The policy of the United States,
steadily adhered to from the adoption
Of the Constitution, has been to avoid
the creation of national debt, and
when, from necessity in time of war,
debts have been created, they have
been paid off on the return of peace
as rapidly as possible. With this
view, and Tor this purpose, it is re-
commended that the existing laws for
the accumulation of sinking fund
sufficient to extingaish the public
debt within limited period be main-
tanned. If any change of the objects
or rates of taxation is deemed Deces
sary by Congress, it is suggested that
experience has shown that duty eau
be placed on tea and coffee, which
will not enhance The price of those
articles to the consumer, and which
will add several millions of dollars
annually to the Treasury.
THE PoLYGAMoUs MoRMoNS.
The continued deliberate violation
by a large number of the promiuen'
aud Influential citizens OF the Terri
tory OF Utah of the laws If the Unit
ed States for the prosecution and
punishment of polygamy demands
the attention of every department of
the Government. This Territory has
a population sufficient to entitle it to
admission as State, and the general
interests of the Nation, as well as the
welfare of the citizens of he Terrific
ry, require its advance from the ter
ritorial form Of goyernu ent to the re
sponsibilities aud privileges Of q State
THIS important change will not, how
ever, be approved BY the country
" bile the citizens Of Utah 10 vert
considerable oumber uphold prac
tice which is condemned "a crime
by the laws Of all civilized communi
ties throughout the world
The law for the suppression OF this
oilense was enacted with great unan
unity by Congress more than seven
teen years ago, but has remained uh-
til recently a dead letter 10 the Ter
ritory Of Utah, because OF the peculiar
difficulties attending it's enforcement
The opinion widely prevailed among
the citizens of Utah that the law was
in cont-ayention of the Constitutional
guarantees Of religious freedom
This objection is now removed The
Supreme Court of the United States
has decided The Law 10 be within The
power Of Congress, aud
binding as a rule of action for all
who reside within the Territories
There is no longer any reason for
delay or hesitation in its enforcement
1t should be firmly and effectively
executed. If not sufficiently strin-
gent in it's provisions it should be
amended, and, 10 aid Of the purpose
in view, / recommend that more
comprehensive and more searching
methods for preventing q, well as
furnishing this crime be provided II
necessary to secure obedience to the
law, the enjoyncnts aud exercises Of
the rights and privileges Of citizen
ship in the Territories of the United
SIales may be Withheld or Withdrawn
from those who violate or oppose
the enforcement Of the law on this
subject.
FREEDOM oP THE BALLOT.
The elections of the past year
though occupied only with State OF.
fees, have not failed to elicit in the
political discussions which attended
them all over the country new and
decisive evidence of the deep interes,
which the great body of citizen:
take 10 the progress of the country
towards more general and com.
plete establishment, at whatever
cost, of universal security and free
dom in the exercise of the elective
franchise. While many topics Of po
Iitical concern demand great s:ten
ton from our people, both in the
sphere of National and State author