The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-15
LETTER FROM INDIA.
SOME POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL PROB
LENS.
An Interesting Article which Treats
of Political Economy. the Irish
Question, the Silver Coinage and
other Matters.
ALLAHABAD, India, Stl

A1LAHApAD, India, sth August 1886.
Dear Cousin Robert:
have put Off writing to you from week to
week, in the first place waiting till should
receive the copy Of the Press and Banner con,
tanning Mr.. Benet's article on the negro, ana
afterwards for no good reason Whatever. thnt
a sather liner m es may say that
| liked both your letter aud Mr. Benets ar ticle
very much. The latter struck.me as thor
ouGhly sensible and thoughtful essay on the
subject, as we'll as one displaying great liter
ary ability. hope Bcuet will go on and pros
| per in the political line. Tell him that when
us United States Senator he takes it into his
head to make a tour round the world Shall
| be happy to entertain him here and TO SHOW
him as much as can OF this part of India. l
shall Of course be extremely proud TO be able
to trot out such n distinguished man, for We
are great "Iion" hunters here rs we'll as in
America. r
In this country As s. m rule & nobody remains a ..ns
home" as VIC call 1t. The climate, and the
multitudes OF natives living their own lives
distinct and apart from ours. make the coun-
Try all undesirable one for white folks to set.
tie permanently In, and strange as 1t may
seem, the best hope of the pcrmancncy OF
British rule in this country Is thatwe contin-
ue from generation to generation to be stran-
gers.
have been conquered from time 10 Time by
the energetic nutlons OF Central Asia, The last
Moghul one in the 10th century, The con-
querors when they settled down In India how
| ever always became enervated by the climate,
lost the purity Of their blood through inter, r
! marriage with native women and ended by
/ being almost as feeble race rs the aborigincs
SO that they fell an easy prey TO the next
horde of energetic barbarians from the North
West. Now us long as the English refuse to
settle permanently in the country and are
constantly recruited by new blood from home
| this degeneration cannot take place.
We hope therefore TO do rs other people do
''retlre" when am s. years old. If live SO
! long, and seek out new home where IL VIII
be possible to live respectfully on the small
pension granted by the government supple
mente perhaps by any savings we may be
able to make. The latter are however prob
lenntical, and the value Of the pension is dai.
| ly decreasing owing TO Il cause which SHOWS
how closely The interests Of all parts Of the
world are bound together in the present age.
When CAME out here our standard coin, the
rupee, was worth IS cents, and from the com
men cement OF British rule down to the year
1873 IT had always been worth about 4S cents
or two shilinGs. Since then 1t has iallen
gradually but more and more rapidly Till now
| Il is worth something under 80 cents and
there Is no knowing where II WIZ stop: 6poa,, Inc
zation Of silver by Germany In 1873 and the
refusal to recognise silver dollars as anything
but subsidiary coins when the United States
| resumed specie payments. Thismade France
cease to coin silver on equal terms with gold
as she had done for over 20 years, and though
the Bland silver act did something to stop the
depreciation, the result remains tnNt IN uiis
which our salaries and pensions are paid ana
| In which the taxes are collected has gone on
and is likely to 60 on decreasing. This Is SO
much the better for the native taxpayer Dut
| the worse for government employees.
| We are, therefore, most anxious to hear Oh
you of the South ern and Western states
| breaking the rule Of the "gold bugs OF New
York, and passing Dlands bill for the free
u,
| for this would at once make our salnrics and
| pensions equal to what we expected them 10
| be when we entered government service.
You will see from this excursion into the re-
gions OF political economy that my choice OF
u place TO settle In on retirement Is under
present circumstances limited to one or other
| of two kinds OF localities -0ne where might
earn II salary which would be q respectable
| addition to my otherwise cxiguous income, or
one where by living quietly little income
might go long way: or late q! have often
! thou sht of the possibility Of getting colleSi-
ate appointments Of some sort in one of the
, American States, or one of the Australian col
onies which would serve to eke out my pen
sion, but think my wife Whose name Is Ed
M, short fur Edmonla), after living in this
country where servants are numerous and re-
spectful in their demeanour, would not care
for the alternative OF putting up with nth the :, IN. a.
science OF "snrvant.gar' or "lady-help, or
else doing the house work herself 4 location
in the South among your useful and obedient
negroes would sush-iIer better believe and II
! by the Time come 10 TctlTc tSOiup e"OuS
years hence) you should happen to be at the
! head of the educational department In your
native State, you need not be surprised If ASK
you for professorshp In the south Carolina
i College. 1 am modest enough to say that !
might be prevailed upon even now 70 accept
the presidency Of that Institution II there
were any guarantee OF permancncy attached
to 1t, but this, as Artelnus Ward used To say
Is Il "goak."
Regarding the Irish question you arc wrong
In Two points. The event has proved that
| (iladstoiie's Home Rule bill did not pass. and
| the now House of Commons contains a large
| majority OF Unionlsts, SO that no such Dill is
! likely to pass for long time, though yoni
! United St;ites Senate, In the most friendly q.
manner and dlsregardiDg the lesson OF the
I Chicago riots, has shelved the eXtradit tion
/ treaty and thereby declared for free trade In
dynamite and internal machines until neXl
| December The other mihtake you make Is
in supposing me an anti -EIume-Rulcr. hope
| vet to sec the day when Ireland shall be q Tree
| and equal member OF federal union oil sell!
! governing British States, built up on the mod
Il of your American union-not q tributary
province without part or share III the CROWN
Of the Empire founded in great part by hel
sons, as Gladstone's bill would have made
| her. 1t may require the external pressure OF
| It Is bound To come in time. W neither Il self
governing Ireland would be pleasant place
to live in IL one happened to differ In opinion
I from his ncighborS may be doubted, eut such
unpleusantness Is, l believe, not UNKNOWN
even In free America.
;. S. 4. HILL.