The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-02-11
3U mn nUD o. OLIVIA

90 DDl1nGuD OF SILVIA
The debates IN the United States Sen
ate On NJ. Shesman's 3 per cent. Fund
ing bin, have served several desirsble
end. While the bill itself did not de-
termine the functions Of silver or define
it, STATUE - circulating medium, the
great latitude allowed member in de-
bate in that body gave the friends Of
the white metal IN opportunity to place
themselves squarely upon the record In
its favor. Among those who have 80
placed themselves are Messr3 Vest,
Beck, Hill, Teller and Plumb. Al
though silver has its enemies In the
Senate, as elsewhere, not one Of them
had the temerity-unless We may ex-
cek Sherman-to attempt . refutati0n
of the arguments advanced by its cham
pions in favor of the metal assuming its
natural position BY the side Of gold.
In the debates referred to it was openly
charged that among the most powerful
enemies Of silver were the ex-Secretary
of the Treasury, Mr.. John Sherman,
and Mr.. Foiger, the present Secretary.
1t was shown that these gentlemen re-
fused to Jay silver, although the law re-
quires them to pay it, to the persons
who hold the bonds Of the United
States as interest when they collect the
coin at the custom houses. As Mr..
Beck, in hisspeechlagainst permitting =
large reserve fund to lie idle in the
United States Treasury, says: WAR has
been kept up On that coin for the pur-
pess Of getting clear Of it; they \the
treasurers) have refused to utilize it even
for the purposes for which the law said
it should be specially Get apart; and, to-
day, in plain violation Of law, by execu-
tive authority, the greenl'acks Of the
United States were directed to be n
ceived at the custom houses by the Sen
atOr from Ohio while he was Secretary
of the Treasury, and he has resisted from
that day to this Congress nakingit legal
to receive them there. Why: Because
the Secretary Of the Treasury wants to
retain arbitrary authority over this ~
serve fund to do rs he plcases with it in
order to LwN or Tear the markets in
New York and elsewhere, and to refuse
to receive greenbacks whenever it suits
him not to receive them, and thus hold
them, playing tast and loose, receivable
for customs dues Or not at the will Of the
Secretary Of the Treasury.
lin other words, all power 10 to remain
in the hands Of that official; whatever
he says should be reserved il to remain !;
Congress is not to liz allowed to inter.
fere. II he had said 500, OOD, OuD should
bc the reserve, although there are only
s::s4O, OOO, OOO in green0acks outstanding,
Congress must not touch 1t. Congress
was not consulted rs to the amount.
1t must submit now to executive dicta-
ton. Congress it seems is not to be al-
lowed to interfere now, even in the
changed condition Of things. The sill
vcr received ut the custom house is not
paid a interest to the bOndholdcrs,
though the law requires it. GreenLacks
are received rs matter Of xecutive
convenience. and yet these officers deny
the right Of Congress to make them ~
receivable by Law. The Secretary or exec
tive clerks must determine all great
questions Of this sort, and the represent
ativ.> Of the people must submit to their
ORDERS"
AL this clanlOr, says the Kentucky
statesman, is a war Oh the silver coin
of the country and in the in crest Of
men who hold the bonds. They want
t" IL paid in gold and gold alone, and
make it the money Of standard value.
Their struggle haas b&rn to yet clear of
silver. 1t made the grecnls.ck goml the
very moment it was rendered as lsly-
n'cnt in full whenever the redemption
Of the grtrnl,:uk was demanded. Hence
the etli'rt t" stop the coinage and circl-
lation III silver. W. have lxsn told
that silver was accommodating to such an
extent in the vaults Of the United States
Treasury that it has become unnlanage-
blc. The Inter- Mountain harperl upon
this assertion and conceived it had made
a ln'int against silver, when it copied,
with flourish, a dispatch stating that
the sulrTrasurer ut San Francisco
could not find store room for the silver
''n his hands. Anti-~il Ter organs of the
I"hr .MO"MtaiM'* inferior calibrc have
seized upon such bits Of information to
the metal. Mr.. Bcck takes |
even this poor weapon out of the hands |
oftlie>e miserable newspaper ~.avengers.
He says:
1.-THE country has l'ern made to h.
lievc that such was the redundancy of |
bNan..S IL 81, A.