The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-01-30
WINDOWS SILVER BILL.


The bill gotten up by Secretary
Window in accordance with his re-
port to congress and which repre-
sents the views of the administration,
is but a very poorly concealed stab at
silver and the interests of the poor.
The leading ideas in the bill are:
First, the Substitution OF paper
currency treasury notes payable on
demand, not below one dollar nor
above one thousand dollars in face
value, for silver.
Second, the stoppage of the coinage
OF silver dollars as follows:
SECTION s. That SO much of the
act of February 90, 1878, entitled
can act to authorize the coinage of
the standard silver dollar and to re-
store its legal tender character" as
requires the monthly purchase and
coinage into silver dollars of not less
than two million nor more than four
million dollars worth of silver bullion
is hereby repealed.
The silver bullion on which the
the treasury notes are based must lay
up on deposit in the treasury, and
upon demand of the holder The notes
are to be redeemed in silver dollars.
No provision is made for keeping
up the supply of subsidiary fractional
silver coin, the half and quarter dollars
and dimes so necessary to the masses
and less opulent classes for the trans
action of business. On the contrary,
the repeal of the act of 1878 looks the
other way. The fact is, while the
country needs more paper currency to
check the disastrous tendency to con-
traction of values, it also wants no
lessening of the supply of silver, especi-
ally small coin, in circulation.
COMPARATIVE AID FOR THE HON f
In the following the San Antonio
Express is more severe than usual in
its structures upon Austin:
"THE STATESMAN has a feeling edi-
torial on the neglected condition Of
Albert Sidney Johnstou's grave, which
is unkempt and overgrown with weeds
N 1,n Of n
moments reflection would teach the
people of Austin that Texas at large
is not going to put up money to build
and maintain a Confederate home in
a community that will not keep in
decent repair the grave of one of the
heroes of the Lost Cause"
The Express argues from two false
premises-frst, THE STATESMAN was
not complaining because of any Gun
kempt" condition of Gen. Johnston's
grave, but because its site has not
been appropriately marked by some
hdllusOlhc ilOhttlIlClI. AS III lS nOWj
so careless has been the work, even his
name is spelt differently on the foot
stone and ON the short column
at the head of the grave.
THE STATESMAN in publishing this
state of affairs did not ask contribu-
tions from Confederates scattered over
the state or from any person outside
our city limits, but simply appealed
to the ladies of Austin to get together
and raise the funds, as only they
know how, to erect such a monumen
to mark the spot of the last resting
place OF Albert Sidney Johnston as
his fame and his services for the State
entitle him to.
Secondly, the Express is very far
from true knowledge of what has
been going on if it thinks Austin has
not done vastly more than her share
of contributing to the Confederate
Home, when what other cities have
given is considered. What, for in
stance, has San Antonio done?
With all her boosted population,
wealth and enterprise San Antonio
has given many times less than Aus
tin to the support of this Home.
What have Galveston, Houston,
Dallas, Fort Worth or any other city
in Texas done in comparison with the
amount Austin has contributed? 1t
would be well for the Express to 90
slow in such sweeping declarations.
The energies of that excellent news
journal could be better employed in
raising such fund in San Antonio
for the Home as the wealth and rep
utation of that town might lead the
State to expect there to be raised.
The Home needs at least $50, 600 more
how much OF that amount will San