The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-12-12

the public treasury alone. They have 1
direct relation to home production. tt
work, to wages, and to the commercial
independence of our country, and the
wise and patriotic legislator should en-
large the field of his vision to include al
Of these.
i The necessary reduction in our public
4 revenues can, an sure, be made with
out making the smaller burden, more
onerous than the larger by reason of the
disabilities and limitations which the
process of reduction puts upon both
capital and labor. The free list can very
safely be extended by placing thereon
articles that do not offer injurious com
petion to such domestic products as ou1
home labor can supply. The removal Of
the internal tax upon tobacco would re-
lieve an important agricultural product
from burden which was imposed only
because our revenue from customs duties
was insufficient for the public needs. II
safe provision against fraud can be de-
vised the removal of the tax upon spirits
used in the arts and in manufactures
would also offer an unobjectionable
method of reducing the surplus.
TEE COINAGE OF SILVER DOLLARS.
The total coinage of silver dollars was,
on Nov. 1, 1889, $343, 638, 001, of which
and $50, 098, 4S0 were in circulation. OF
the amount in the vaults, $277, 319, 944
were represented by outstanding silver
certificates, leaving $6,219,577 not in cir
culatiOn and not represented by certifi-
Gates.
The law requiring the purchase by the
Treasury of 100000 worth of silver
bullion each month to be coined into sill
yer dollars of 1924 grains, has been OBJ
served by the department, but neither
the present secretary nor any of his pre-
decessors has deemed it safe to exercise
the discretion given by law to increase
the monthly purchase to $4,000,O00.
| have always been an advocate of the
use of silver in our currency. We are
large producers of that metal, and should
not discredit it. To the plan which will
be presented by the Secretary of the
Treasury for the issuance of notes or
certificates upon the deposit of silver
bullion at its market value | have been
able to give only a hastv examination
owing to the press of other matters and
to the fact that it has been so recently
formulated. The details of such law
require careful consideration, but the
general plan suggested by him seems to
satisfy the purpOSe-tO continue the use
of silver in connection with our currency,
and at the same time to obviate the dan
ger of which | have spoken. At later
day | may communicate further with
Congress upon this subject
PROTECTION FOR RAILROAD MEN
The attention of the Interstate Com
lmerce Commission has been called to the
urgent need of Congressional legislation
for the better protection of the lives and
limbs of those engaged in operating the
great interstate freight lines of the
country, and especially of the yardmen
and brakemen. A petition signed by
nearly ten thousand railway brakemen
was presented to the commission. asking
that steps might be taken to bring about
the use of automatic brakes and couplers
on freight cars. /
During the year ending on June Both, |
1883, over 1000 railroad employees were
killed in service, and more than 10000
injured. 1t is competent. l think, for
Congress to require uniformity in the
construction of cars used in interstate
commerce. and the use of improved safe
ty appliances upon such trains. Time
will be necessary to make the needed
changes, but an earnest and intel t
ligent beginning should be made
at once. 1t is a reproach to our
civilization that any class of Ameri-
can wOrkmen should, in the pursuit of a
ana useful VOcaU1OQ, D0 SUD-
jected to peril of life and limb as great /
as that of a soldier in time of war.
THE EDUCATION OF OUR PEOPLE.
National aid to education has hereto |
fore taken the form of land grants, and
in that form the constitutional power of
Congress to promote the education of
the people is not seriously questioned l |
do not think it can be successfully ques- |
toned when the form is changed to that |
of a direct grant Of money from the
public treasury.
Such aid should be, as it always has
been, suggested by some exceptional
conditions The sudden emancipation
of the slaves of the South, the bestowal
of the suffrage, which soon followed, and
the Impairment of the ability of the
States where these new citizens were
chiefly found to adequately provide edu-
cational facilities, presented not only ex-
ceptional but unexampled conditions
That the situation has been much amel-
iorated there is no doubt The ability
and interest of the States have happily
increased.
But great work remains to be done, and
think the general government should
lend its aid. AS the suggestion of a ma
tional grant in aid of education grows
chiefly out of the condition and needs of