The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-03-05
OF PUBLIC INTEREST.
LEGAL TENDERS PRONOUNCED GOOD.
TeSt ~ tho Supreme Courts Recent De-
clslnn-The Flye.Per' Cent. Land Cases
aois About snit--Mexloan Vetor-
IN Pension Blll Passed.
AN IMPORTANT pnoIsloN.

hnu WIS UlousHl nclu on u WITH W error
from the Circuit Court OF the United States
from the Southern District OF New York
The question presented by the case Isl
"Whclher the notes Of the United States,
Issued IN u tmr OF war uudnr IN not OF Con.
HreHs declaring them 10 he legal tender IN
payment or pi1Nnic debts, ANA hfierWnrd In
peace rpdoomod und pad Tor IN gold coin NJ
The Treasury, aud then roiaHlicd undor the aul
OF 1875, onn, under the Constitution Of tho
United States, bo u loanl tonder In payment OF
such debts"
The court IN unanimously Of the opinion
that The present case can not DO distinguished
IN principle nom the cases heretofore decided
ana reported undor the names of "Legal'
tender Cnaea' ~ Walt iNi "DOOly Va
Smith" u1 Wall, COOS "liallr0ad Com
paly IS, lohnaon" l0 Wall NO.,
Wall, lO6 ana nll the lusticoa except Justice
Field who adhereR TO the views expressed In
the dissenting opinions IN those cases, are Of
the opinion mat lhoy were rightly decided,
Tho court hOldA, therefore that Congress had
power 10 Issue obligations OF tho United
states In auoli form nnd 10 Impress upon lhon
such qualities a. currency Tor tho purchase Of
morohnndlso ana the payment Of debts In no.
cord WIN lhn ushgo7 ol sovereign Govern.
ment, Tho power ulH Incident 10 the power Ot
bOrruWing money nnd Issuing bills and notes
OF the Government for MOI cy borrowed Of
imprcaslnp upon those bills or notes the
quality Oi being legal tender for the payment
VI private debts, was u power universally
understood 10 belong 10 sovereignty In
Europe ana America NJ the time OF the framing
ana the adoption OF the constitution OF the
United states THIS power Of making notes
OF the United States egn,tondor In payment
Of private debts, being Included In the power
~ borrow money ana tOproylde National our
rcnCy, u not defeated Unrestricted 10y the in0t
that III cNnrciHc may nlfcot tho Nlluo OF prl-
vA,o contracts II, upon Just nnd iuir lntor'
t.ua linn "A lsn "A nus
toulnr power or authority appears 10 DO
vested IN Congress, II IN no constitutional OBJ
jc0ton 10 the existence or 10 It's exercise that
the property or contracts OF individuals may
DO incidentally Affected,
"Conaroas,' tho court says IN conclusion
ms tho Legislature OF sovereign Nation, bo'
lnI expressly empowered by the Constitution
10 lhy hul collect taxes 10 pay debts nnd 10
provide for tho common dcfonAO and general
welfare OF the United Stnt0a, aud 10 borrow
money on the credit OF tho United stntoa, aud
20 coin money aud regulate tho value thereof,
ana OF foreign coin, and being clearly author
ned, ~ incidental 20 the exercise OF those great
powers, 10 issue bills of credit 20 ohurtor
National banks aud 70 provide u Mt
tOnnl currency for the whole peO.
pie IN the form of coin Treasury notes
nnl NnilOnnlhnnk bills ANA tho power 70
mako tho notes Of the Government N legal
tond0r In payment Of private debts being one
Of the powers belonging % the auVorolgna IN
other civilized Nntl0na und not expressly
withheld from Congress hY the Constitution,
wo nrQ lrroHstibly lmpolod 10 the conclusion
that the lmprosAlng upon tho Treasury notoa
OF the unllod states the quality OF being u
lognl tender IN payment OF private debts "
~ appropriate means, conducive and
pninly adapted TO the execution OF undoubt
ed powers OF Congress, nnd ConHlslOnt with
tho l0ttcr ana spirit of the Constitution,
aud, therefore, within the meaning OF thnt In
ntfumrnl, necessary ana proper fOrthe carry
Ing INTO execution of the powers vested by
h.s NINA l.ga la l4nNAUtaEnauV "a ar IA
unli0d Stntoa such being our conclusion In
tho mnitOrof the law question, whether NJ any
particular tlinu IN war or ponce the cNiRonCy
IN such by rOuAOn OF unusual nnl prcsHing do
mnnds on tho resources OF tho HOyornm0nt,
or of the lnudoquUcy of the supply OF gold und
silver coin 20 furnish the currency needed for
uscn oi the Government nud OF the people, that
II N ~ u matter of tuet wise nnd oNpcdiont 10
resort 10 this means, isu political question u
ho determined by Congress, whom the quoa'
ton ot oylgOnoy shall nrlau, nnd not u Judi
olnl question, 10 ho altcrwnfd pnss0d upon by
the courts, ~ Follows that tho act OF May VI,
1873, IN constitutional and valid, nnd that tho
circuit Court rightly held that the toudor In
Treasury notes ioluauod and kept In crcula.
ton under that uOt,wn n tOndor OF lawful
money, ~ payment OF dcfondents debt 70 tho
plnlnilit" The Judgment OF tho Circuit Court
" affirmed, Opinion by Justice Gray, Justice
Field dissenting,
SOME FACTS ABOUT SALT
The Committee on Ways and Means list
enod 10 u very effective argument by tho
Hon, r. q, lIorr OF Michigan, against put
ting salt and lumber on the free list, Mon
day. lle said no knew there was great
olun0r against the duty on salt, but II did
not c0me from the consumers but from tho
Importers "ln 1907 continued Mr.. llorr,
"salt was put on tho FREQ list Al thai
time very little sOlt was made In this c0un'
try, Soon after this the price began 10 nd
vance aud kept going up until In 1918 II
had reached twenty dollars per barrel.
Aftcrward II was put among the dutlNbC
articles NJ eight cents pOr bushol, but In
iSi0 the Tarii bill reduced the rate TO two
aud one. half cents per bushol. Soon aft0r
this reduction tho works In New York were
crippled, and thoy failed TO produce one.
half their former amount In 1880 wo used
4, 400, 900 bushels OF domestic salt, and Tho
pamo year b,270, 900 bushels OF foreign salt,
The effect Of the reduction OF tho tariff In
1879 was TO again cripple the Now
York works For olght years pro.
900 bushels OF salt, but for The
eight years following 1873 they only made
80, 900 900 bushels, falling Oft OF l,d0O,
900 por year. Michigan more than made
up for this loss. In 1871 she producet
$500, 900 bushcls; IN 1870 her product wen
up 10 10, 900, 900 bushels, In 1889 TO 10000
900, nm wo made last year over 10000, 600
Tho prlca Oh foreign salt since 1880, fol
nifty years, hns been reduced but very little
III llfty years foreign salt has
bron choaponod about y cents per bushel
while tho domestic article has do