Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1882-02-18

clothing prepared for delivery was seized,
and will be thoroughly disinfected. In one
of the houses six hundred pairs of trowsers
were discovered.
Helena. special says: ''The outlook in re-
gard to the overflow is gloomy The river is
still rising at this point, and break in tho
levee near the old fair grounds above the
city, is momentarily expected. A large num-
Der of laborers are at work, divided into re-
lieis. The levee along the entire city front
has been strengthened, and guards are sta
toned at regular intervals"
Ben Gerson & Son, cotton factors ofNew
Orleans, have suspended payment, and at a
meeting OF their creditors made very salts
factory showing of their condition. and pro-
posed to pay in full in one and two years,
with interest from date. All present con-
sented to the extension asked, and the firm
Will probably resume business.
sharp Criticism Of the Government by One
Of It's Officers.
since the statement appeared that the gov
eminent would in future neither take nor
redeem any silver that was in any way mutt
lated or defaced, except at it's bullion value.
merchants and others have become very
careful about taking silver coin that is in the
slightest degree defaced, At the sub-treasury
large sums of this kind of money are being
constantly refused. The action of the gov
eminent in thus repudiating it's own money,
as it were, is universally condemned. The
assistant treasurer at this point, General
Peter Negley, is outspoken against the law.
and characterizes it as a fraud upon the peo
pie. The following is the copy of letter
which General Negley addressed to Hon.
Milton G. Urner, the Representative in Con-
gress from the sixth district, which explains
itself:
OFFICE OF ASSISTANT TREASURER u. s..
"BALTIMoRE, Nd, February 4, 1882,
Dear SIR 81 see it stated by correspon-
dent OF Baltimore paper at Washington that
orders have been issued to the directors nj
the several mints of the United States to re-
deem mutilated and defaced silver coin at its
actual bullion value-that is, fractional silver
at about seventy cents on dollar, and stand
ara dollars at eighty or eighty-fve cents. I
oelleve this is a government by the people
and for the people, and that it is the duty and
prerogative of the government to furnish the
public with money as circulating medium.
1t buys gold bullion and coins 1t, giving to if
on its face its real value, which it puts out in
payment OF its obligations, and which it re-
deems dollar for dollar, less wastage and
artificial abrasion. 1t buys silver bullion at
what it is selling for in the markets OF the
world, puts about eighty-five cents value
into standard dollar and about seventy
hye cents into dollar of fractional
silver. 1t then puts these eighty-ive and
seventy-five cents worth of silver in circula-
ton, each for a dollar. When this coin
becomes mutilated or defaced it proposes to
redeem at eighty or seventy-tive cents, less
the value of any mutilation or DETACHMENT. the
silver it forced upon the people for dollar.
Is this honesty or dishonesty What would
pc thought OF that man who borrowed from
his neighbor hundred dollars and gave
therefor his note, payable on demand, who,
upon such demand being made, would saw:
Yes, owe you the money. received one |
hundred dollars from you for this note, but I |
propose to take it up by only paying you
1t. Yeu have no power to make me pay any |
more for it. and | don't propose to do it? |
Would the man who took such position be an |
upright and honest man, or would he be an |
'unanointed and unaknelled' scoundrel ? |
Most undoubtedly the latter. This is precisely |
the position the government has most unfor- |
tunately placed itself in in the matter of fore
ing on the people silver dollar which is not
dollar, and then proposing to redeem = for |
eighty-fve or seventy-fve cents, as it may be,
either standard or fractional. The executive !
department of the government is not respon.
sible for this state of things. 1t is its duty to
execute laws--not make them or repeal them.
Congress, and Congress alone, is responsible
or the legislation that developed this infa-
nous outrage on the people, and upon every
principle OF honesty it is its duty at once to
BASS q law authorizing the Treasury Depart
nent to redeem all imperfect silver coins at
heir face value less loss by mutilation or
lefacement. Very respectfully,
PETER NEGLEY,
Omitted States Assistant Treasurer"