Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-09
Chr freeman.
MONTPELIER VT.
WEDNESDAY. JAN. Q, 1878.
CONGRESS.

The foriy-fifth Congress having accom-
plished its special session, and having
made in its regular session the beginnings
of several good and bad things, assemblies
again tomorrow and will doubtless 90 to
work in earnest.
The action that may be taken will large
ly affect the business interests of the coun-
try and there is every prospect that there
will be some very interesting things in
matters ordinarily called political.
The talk of the repeal # the resumption
bill has come To Il great silence, and its
advocates have devoted their energies
the silver flank movement. The Blaine
silver bill, modified, has good chances of
success, and if the notifications are i'm
portant it is quite likely to receive the
presidents signature.
There is Il deal of cheap talk on both
sides of the silver question, and the truth
lies somewhere between the statements
of those partisans who are on the one
hand endeavoring to make political capt.
tai by being demagogues and pleasing the
fancy Of debtors VIII, want their debts di-
minishcd in some other way than by out
and out payments, and of those whose
talk is very much as if their whole aim was
to get the favor of men who have plenty
of money.
So far rs the payment of certain bonds
of the United States goes there is about rs
much clap-trap on the one side as the 9TH
er. There is nothing dishonest in paying
q bond according to its terms-what is de-
nominated in the bond is the very thing
called for in payment. So far then as
bonds were issued before the " demoneti-
zaton of silver in 1878 there is no lust
complaint that II bondholder can make,
who holds bond payable in coin, if the
government pays him what was coin
when he took his bond in such amounts as
that sort of coin was then legal tender for.
He may get coin that circumstances
have made of less value than he supposed
he would get; he cannot say the bar
gain has not been kept But we understand
that the Blaine bill advocates 60 far be-
You'd this in their demands. And even if
they did not it is a serious question wheth-
er the government can afford 10 take ad-
vantage of the letter of its bond.
The nation is in debt and has to pay in
terest money. If it is going to stand on
lis technical right every time a question of
payment comes up and shows itself a
sharp driver of bargains with its creditors
the result will be larger rates of interest
for money borrowed. Then again with
two kinds of dollar, one worth more than
the other, there will get to be confusion
of prices worse than that of tongues ever
was; and the &" almighty dollar will have
II strange indefniteness. 1t will be lust as
easy toreckon values by bushels ofpotatoes
and dozens of hens eggs, as by the now
known terms for currency and coin. In
fact if we are to have the gold and silver
dollar rs proposed, the minis Should scrape
of the present inscriptions and put on
each the semhlance of an egg AS illustrat.
ing the extreme variety and beauty of the
new coinage-thcre being yellow egg
and white eggs, and innumerable othel
likenesses. BY all means let the GOODIES:
and the wreath and the eagle yield to tn,
egg-a return to tirsl prin iplcs.
Be idcS the financial question there vii
be the two Texas mutters-hrr Pacific rna,
and her troubles with Mrxico-to be drall
with; the southern policy and perhaps al
investigation into the president title; AN,
the various things that have come near
being an issue between the president an,
the Senate. Altogether there is likely i,
be what Horace Greeley used to cal
mighty interesti 8 reading" in tn,
record of Washington doings for the mex
few weeks.