The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-07-31


mercial sentinels-encircling the
globe with watchfulness for their
country's interests. Their intelli-
gence and competency become, there
fore, matters Of great public concern.
No man should be appointed to an
American consulate who is not well
instructed in the history and resources
of his own country, and in the re-
quirements and language of COM
merce in the country to which he IS
sent. The same rule should be ap-
piled even more rigidly to Secretaries
Of Legation in our diplomatic service:
The people have the right to the most
efficient agents in the discharge OF
public business, and the appointing
power should regard this as the prior
and ulterior consideration.
THE MORMON QUESTION.
Religious liberty is the right of
every citizen of the Republic. Con-
gress is forbidden by the Constitution
to make any law respecting the es-
tablishment Of religion, or prohibit
ing the free exercise. thereof" For a
century, under bis guarantee, Protes-
tant and Catholic, Jew and Gentle,
have worshiped God according to the
dictates of conscience. But religious
liberty must not. be perverted to the
justification or offences against the
law. A religious sect. strongly in
trenched in one of the Territories of
the Union, and spreading rapidly in.
to four other Territories, claims the
right to destroy the great safeguard
and muniment of social order, and to
practice as religious privilege that
which is crime punished with severe
penalty in every state Of the Union.
The sacredness and unity Of the fam
lily must be preserved as the founda-
ton Of all civil government, as the
source oforderly administration, and
the surest guarantee Of moral purity.
The claim OF the Mormons that
they are divinely authorized to prac-
tice polygamy, should no more be ad
mitted than the claim Of certain
heather tribes, if they should come
among US, to continue the right of
human sacrifice, The law does not
interfere with what a man believes;
it takes cognizance only OF what he
does. As citizens, the Mormons are
entitled to the same civil rights as
others, and to these they must be con-
fined. Polygamy can never receive
| National sanction or liberation by
admitting the community that up
holds it as a State in the Union. Like
others, the Mormons must learn that
the individual ceases where the rights
of society begin.
OUR CURRENCY.
The people Of the United States,
though often urged and tempted,
have never seriously contemplated the
recognition Of any other money than
gold and silver-and currency directly
Convertible into them. They have
not done SO, they will not do so, under
any necessity less pressing than that
Of desperate war. The one special re-
quiSite for the completion of our
monetary system is the fixing Of the
relative values Of silver and gold.
The large use OF silver as the money
of account among Asaatie nations,
taken iu connection with the incfeas-
ing commerce Of the world, gives the
weightest reasons for an internation-
al agreement in the premises. Our
Government should not cease to urge
this measure until common stand
ard of Valga shall be reached and es-
tablished-a standard that shall en-
able The United States to use the sill
yer from its mines as an auxiliary to
gold in settling the balances Of COM
mercial exchange.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
The strength of the Republic is in
creased by the multiplication of land
holders. Our laws should look to the
judicious encouragement Of actualse
tiers ON the public domain, which
should henceforth be held as a sacred
trust for the benefit of those seeking
homes. The tendency to consolidate
large tracts of land in the ownership
of individuals or corporations should,
with proper regard to vested rights,
be discouraged. One hundred thou
sand acres of land in the hands Of one
man is far less profitable to the Ma
tion in every way than when its own
ership is divided among one thousand
men. The evil of permitting large
tracts Of National dominion to be
consolidated and controlled by the few
against the many is enchanced when
the persons controlling it are aliens.
1t is but fair that the public land
should be disposed of only to actual
settlers, and to those who are citizens
of the Republic, or willing to become
so.
OUR SHIPPING INTERESTS.
Among our National interests one
= the foreign carrying
trade. It was very seriously crippled |
in our civil war, and another blow
was given to it in the general substi-
tuition of steam for sail in ocean traf-
fc. With frontage on the two
great oceans, with freightage larger
than that of any other nation, we
have every inducement to restore our
navigation. Yet the Government has
hitherto refused its help. A small
share Of the encouragement given by
the Government to railways and to
and small share of
the capital and the zeal given by our
citizens to those enterprises, would
have carried our ships to every sea
and every port. A law just enacted
removes some of the burdens upon our
navigation, and inspires hope that this
great interest may at last receive its
due share of attention. All efforts in
this direction should receive encour-
agement.
SACREDNESS OF THE BALLOT.
The survey of our condition as
nation reminds US that material pros
perity is but mockery if it does not
Tend to preserve the liberty of the