Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-02-09
Aanrastsr Es.tei!:gsnrec.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEB. 9, 1881.
For the Next Congress.

unpdTtlSan CONSIDERATION III tOIlSTeSS VI
certain questions of vast importance con-
corning our economic interests. The
questions Immediately growing out of
the war are pretty well settled. Our
finances are on solid footing and not
subject to any likely arrangement. The
House will be Republican, but 10y very
slender majority; the Senate will be
Democratic, but by an equally narrow
margin: even if party ties did not rest
more loosely than for many years pre-
viouS, the even balance of the parties in
Congress, and the nice division of legls-
lative power between them. would dis
courage partisan legislation for partisan
ends. The situation of the party leaders
Just now will render the next two years
a. least comparatively free from disturb
ance by the presiient-lnaking schemes
Which usually begin to operate before a
president is warm in his seat.
Ii: view of these things the country is
hopeful that some Of the larger and
br r,ader questions of national interest
ma receive the attention they merit
from national legislators in the coming
twj years. One, OF lesser Importance, OF
these questions is the incMeSs and legal
tender quality of the silver dollar and
the adjustment of the values of gold and
silver coin. Experience has demonstrated
the practical impossbili'y OF MAIN
tanning the present silver dollar in active
circulation, and we have ;he ridiculous
Spectacle of Il Silver dollar, l,erforce an
bitrary legislatio,,w with 4l2! grains of sill
Yer in it, worth more than one with i2o
grains of the pure metal. The solution
of this question will no doubt be found
double standard, alii a restriction of the
legal lender quality"E silver coin to such
q small amount as can he conveniently
used in Il single transaction. To put the
silver dollar in the Same position :.s sub
sid;ary coins, would Work no great harm
nor loss TO anybody, unless it We're the
silver spectators who were benefited 10y
its advancement. and whose interest are
The inequalities, Hltsur,litips and op-
presSive burdens imposed upon the coun-
try 10y some features Of the present tariff
bill will demand attenli ion and will prob
ably tim! their nest cure in the Eaton
tariff bill which proposes 10 refer a ques-
ti,m involving /, magnitude of details TO
knowing experts, for the framing OF wise,
equitable and conservative legislation on
the subject. The electoral system is
sadly in need o! repairs, and they are
such as can reasonably be made and
ought to be m;,,le without involving any
PARTISAN differences about them. Most
difficult of prevailing public Gues tions to
meet by adequate legislation is civil ser-
vice reform, seeing that it consists, with
one class of GiStur!,ers, mainly in keep
ing i'll Office those who are Eow in, and
with another in getting those in who are
now cut. As General Hancock, in his
letter of acceptance SO admirably said,
:" the basis of Il substantial, practical,
civil service reform inl!st first be estab-
lished by the l|opl,; in filling the elective
offices !; if thy Tx a high standard of
qualifications f'r oili;" and stcrnly reject
the corrupt AMI incompa! ent, the result
will be decisive in governing the action
Of the servants whom they cntrust witt,
appointing power
The condition Of American commerce
is, however, i subject which needs only
to be realized by the American people t.
induce them 10 urge il upon the atten-
tion of their representatives. for such
action as may be necessary in Il matter
that vitality affects our standing as a n:
tion among our contemporaries, the safety
of our ships on the seas and our ports on
the sea coast, and the development of our
material resources. David y. Wells, in
a series Of articles III the New York
World, land Mr.. Henry Hall, iii an article
in the -ItIa,tic -M,ataly on The Future
of American S!iipp;ng." present some
facts and figures which certainly should
be the foundation for very grave popular
concern on the subject thus treated. 1t
seems. from these and other authorities.
no less relative and eminent, that our az
greSate tonnage of every description
registered and enrolled, sail and steam,
employed upon the ocean, upon the |
lakes, upon our rivers AMI lIarbOrs--has |
declined from 5,5SH,Sl3 tens in 1861 to |
4.O6S ,43t in 1SSO-;, reduction of over 2G |
per cent. Our tonnage engaged in for
eign trade has declined during the same !
period from :, 22,!96. S9i tons to 1.3l5,iu2 |
tGns-a reduction Of 81 per cent.
Since 1856 there has beci, Il steady
and almust uninterrupted decline of
our commercial Importance; SO that,
whereas, in 1886, of The exports car
ried from and the imports carried to
American ports, 75.2 per cent were car
ried in American vesselS in 1850 only
ia per cent. We're shipped in vessels
owned 10y American owners, built ut
American yards or manned by Ameri-
can sailors. While the commerce Of
the world has been rapidly developing.
while Great Britain has been whitening
every sea with her sails, Norway, Swe-
itn and even Austria increasing their
commerce, sleepy Portugal and distract
ed Spain largely adding to their tonnage,
the United States have, absolutely, stood
still, or, relatively. gone back. Whcn-
ever opportunity opens to trade English
enterprise establishes li!nS of freighting
steamers, with sailing liljs Il, auXil-
mad - fall Lad /