The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-19
HOPE O

The New York Herald reluctantly admits,
through it's Washington correspondent,
tina despite the efforts of 1.-THE national bank
magnates, the silver men will have a ma
jority in the next House OF Representatives.
The sil vere votein the House will be 163. MIR.
Nordhoff, an unusually well posted gentle
man. estimates that the silver advocates
| will number nearly 900 members, enough to
defeat any scheme that may be pressed
| through in the Senate. The question is bo-
| coming of such vital Importance that it is
feared it may affect the selection OF a
| speaker, or at least become an issue in the
| selection of that official. The composition
| OF the Committee on Coinage, Weights and
| Measures is a matter OF considerable i'm
portance, as it could readily facilitate or
defeat action by the House.
Happily, too, for the cause Of silver, 1T
has lost nothing in the South, as it was
feared it had. The South proposes to
stand by the West in the matter AZ firmly
and Loyalty in the next Congress as it did
in the last. In a recent interview in the
New York Tribune Senator Pugh, OF Ala
bama, when asked if the South favored sill
yer coinage, replied: "The great and over
whelming sentiment at the South is GER
tainly in favor OF silver. There is sporadic
opposition to it., but when traced to it's
source it is found to emanate from national
bank officials or business men who are Ia
vored by national banks. The Atlanta
Convention, about which so mnch is said,
was made up OF the same interest. have
been reading the Herald interviews on the
question, and nave been interested to know
who the men are that express II OPP
position to silver. They are nearly
all officers or directors in national
banks. You can say, with positiveness,
that the bond between the West and South
on the silver question will never be dls-
turbed. The West ia even more strongly III
favor of silver than the South. There VIII
be no change in the present law regarding
silver coinage that will interfere with silver
as a medium OF exchange. The clearing
houses of New York and London cannot
control and dictate to this country, how
ever much they wish to do So There Is a
ring Of independence about that ak that
goes straight to the Western heart. That's
the kind of missionary work that the silver
men should have been doing for months
past. A few such speeches by such men
will convince the national banks that all
their specious arguments and corruption
fund and Wanted influence will not be b
to control the legislation of the country.
Another hopeful sign, also, is an appar-
emit change OF tone on the part OF the
Administration. 1t is less hostile and ooks|
though it meant honestly to live up to
the coinage act and to give silver a show.
If the experiment to withdraw the 81 and
50 notes should prove a success, the sos
will probably follow. Great Britain has
nothing smaller thar the f5 $3.50 note;
the $40 note should then be small enough
Tor us. If the country should prove willing
to receive coin for the notes OF the demomi-
named, the battle would be prac-
tically won. The following editorial from
the New York Star, the new Administra-
ton organ under the elitorship OF Mr..
has a direct bearing upon this
subject and it is very significant at this
crisis: 'Ihe Treasury Department is with
drawing it's one dollar and two dollar
g%reenbacks in order to make place for the
dollar. This is a most desirable re-
form. The small bills are inconvenient
and easily destroyed, and soon become
very disagreeable. They are often sup |
posed to carry the germs OF disease, We
rags from countries where contag-
ioHs or infectious diseases are raging. Why
notdo away with ournative rags? Its very
to get silver money here. Only
the other day a depositor asked at one OF
the principal banks. of the city that ten
dollars in silver should be given in part
payment OF a check. He was told there
was not that amount OF silver in the bank.
1t is a comfortable thing to have a handful
OF silver money. The amount OF money
now usually carried by people in their
pockets is not large. Specie would be far
more convenient than paper" This is as
significant as it is true.
Altogether, the outlook for silver is per-
ceptibly Frightening, and there does notap-
pear to be any good reason whyit shouldfor
the present make any furtherdecline in price.
A little lard work will beat the gold bugs
and b~ondholders yet.