Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-12-12

poorer dollar. The daily wages OF om
workinemen and workingwomen are by far
the largest, the most important, aggregate
of wealth is to be affected by the degrade.
ton Of the dollar or any legal tender equiv.
alent of the dollar. All other aggregates Of
wealth, the accommodations of capitalists,
which can only be obtain profitable use by
being turned over daily in the wages Of
workmen- and the employment of the cap
tains of their industry, all other aggregates
of wealth which remain unemployed in the
payment of wages Of the day, the month,
the year, are not to be compared In their
sum to this gigantic um. It is this
gigantic sum, the wages OF labor,
which is assailed by every policy
that would make the dollar of the fathers
worth less than its worth in gold. The debt
of the United States, large as it is, is a wart
besides that mountain. If by ~defrauding
our fellow citizens who, directly, or indi-
rectly through the savings banks, hold those
promises to pay a dollar on demand or in due
season; if by letting the silver dollar fall be-
low the gold dollar, we could take a third
off the burden of the public debt, much less
than ten dollars apiece pay our working
men and women for the loss of a third of
every dollar of their wagess How long b.
fore they could get their wages raised
enough to buy as much as befores
The range of prices is lower to-day than
since the discovery Of gold in California
The redistribution Of population in the two
hemispheres since then is vastly more as
cribable to legislative contrivancs than
is the low level of prices. Prices
in the United States are the record of the
fluctuations of commodities and currencies
in the markets of the world. They are not
merely domestic fluctuations Odessa and
India appear in the price of wheat at Chi
cage. Our legislation chiefly concerns fifty
five million people, but prices are the out
come of twelve or fifteen hundred million
peoples affairs. Yet we are occasionally
told that the present general fall of prices
has been caused and can be counterpoised
by the variation Of a few hundredths Of
| per cent. in the ratio of our own
silver coin stock to the mass of the none
tary metals of the world, by the transfer of
mora silver from mines in Nevada to vaults
In New York.
House notes.
WASHINGTON, Dec. at is expected
that Speaker Carlisle will, at an early day,
probably to-day, appoint the committee on
rules to whom win b referred the various
propositions which are to be offered looking
to a revision Of the existing rules Of the
house of representatives. Mr.. Morrison has
q plan which it is thought will have moro
friends than that which Mr.. Springer will
present. In brief, Mr.. Morrison will pro-
pose the division of the more important APP
preparation bills among the committees
charged with the duties incident to the re-
spective branches of the government, but
will not disturb any of the staining or or
a.-arY select committees.
Senate.
WASHINGTON, Dec. "a number of bills
were introduced and referred, among them
the following:
By Mr.. voorhees,, a bill to provide for the
admission in the union Of the state of Idaho.
Mr.. Coke introduced a bill to provide for
the allotment of lands in severalty to the In
dians on the various reservations, and to
extend the protection OF the Law of the states
and territories over the Indian.
Mr.. Morrill,, a bill providing for the erec-
ton of a congressional library building at
Washington.
Mr.. Teller, a bill to establish a board of
education and to aid in the support of the
ommon schools in the several states.
By Mr.. Hawley, a bill to establish al in
ternational copyright.
By Mr.. Dolph, to prevent the obstruction
VI hofA6ooO NooOAos dttQ W plOtoCb puOiiC
lands against trespass and injury; also to re.
peal the presumption, timber culture and
desert land laws; also providing for the ad-
mission of Washington Territory into the
union as a state.
Senator Cameron, just prior to adjourn
ment, offered the following resolution,
which was read and referred to the commit
tee on finance:
RESOLVED, That inasmuch as the bust
ness industries of the country at present
seem to be reviving, it is inexpedient, dur
ing this congress, to pass upon any legisla-
ton looking to the reduction of the tariff
duties.
'REsoLvED. That any future reduction Of
the tariff should be based upon information
common to the country, as shown by COM
plete census returns and such definite periods
as can be readily anticipated and met by the
different producing interests of the country"
Mr.. Plumb introduced, by request, a joint
resolution proposing an amendment to the
constitution of thu United States in relation
to the manufacture and sale of Intoxicating
LIQUORS.