Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-07-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON, July II, 1S93-"1t i
Just as WE'LL" remarked naval officer o.
prominence whose name for obvious rea'
sons cannot be mentioned, mo; to be toe
fast in ridIculing the reports that Great
Britain is preparing to resist by force the
decision of the Behring Sea arbitration
tribunal, if it be against her, which now
seems probable. The decision is bound
to DO unsatisfactory, and am sure that
many influential people 10 the United
States would advise the administration
not to give up American rights in Behring
Sea, even if the arbitrators should decide
that there were no such thing as American
rights in that Sea. The presence of a
Russian fleet of war vessel in New York
harbor aud the announcement that the
vessels would remain permanently on the
Atlantic coast furnishes good presumptive
evidence that our Government is taking
precautions to strengthen It's floating
fighting force ; for, even if there were nc
special alliance in existence between the
two governments, Russia would be our
natural ally in case of trouble with Eng
land over Behiing Sea matters, and so fsr
as Great Britain is concerned the Russian
war vessels 10 New York harbor are SO
many additions to the American Navy.
Understand me, l am not predicting
trouble. Still l should not call a man
silly who talked of the probability OF
trouble growing out of tie arbitration"
An attempt is to be made, according to
silver men now in Washington, to unite
the silver Senators for the purpose of
hitting back at President Cleveland by
refusing to confirm every one of the
large number of recess nominations who is
known to be an opponent of silver. Such
a combination might easily be formed il
there was anything to be gained by it,
but there isn't. 1t would probably worry
Mr.. Cleveland little, but he could il SC
disposed keep on nominating the rejected
men, and as they are already holding
their places they would continue to draw
salaries, notwithstanding the rejection OF
their nominations by the Senate. Be-
sides, even if the Senators succeeded in
getting some of them out Of office that
would not be of the slightest benefit to
the silver men. For that reason your cor
respondent does not think such combi-
nation will be made.
How little the general public knows
about government finances was Illus
trated the other day by the experience OF
a member of Congress who rendered a
local bank, in payment of a small note,
silver certificates issued under the Bland
act of 1878 which are 10 general circula-
ton. The bank Official informed him
that those certificates were not legal
tender and that the New York clearing
bouse had refused to accept them. And
the official was right. The silver dollars
coined under the Bland act are legal
tender, but the certificates issued upon
the deposit of those silver dollars are only
receivable for custom. taxes and other
public debts. These certificates are still
issued by the government and on July j.,
there were 1926, 4s9, l65, of them in circu
lation and Si,465,3}9, in the Treasury.
That member of Congress says he viii
Introduce a bill to make these certificates
legal tender. Certainly there should he
no two opinions about that bill. The
silver dollars upon which they are issned
are full legal tender, and the certificates
ought also to be.
Those who hereafter receive seeds from
the Agricultural Department need not be
afraid to plant those labeled cabbage"
for fear OF propigating crop of double
iointed, never get-rid- of-them sunHOwers.
There is to be no more travelling under
false names, unless there is shp-up in
carrying out the Secretary's new order,
which says that every seller OF seeds to
the Department shall guarantee their
growth aud correct labelling, The Secre-
tary was for time inclined to abolish
the entire seed distributing branch OF the
Department, but he learned upon inyestl-
CATION that he lacked the authority to do
so.
1t is stated here that Representative
Bland, of Missouri, father of the Bland
Silver Law of 1879, and chairman of tie
committee on Coinage in the last House,
has almost promised to voluntarily re-
linquish his claim for the chairman ship
of that committee IN the next House.
The reasons are said to be that President
Cleveland has made it plain to Mr.. Bland
that be wished man whose financial
views were nearer his own to be at the
head of that committee, ana Mr.. Crisp
has told him, or caused it to be tod TO
him, that the committee, would be con-
trolled by anti-silver men. Mr.. Bland's
friends say he would not really care to
remain at the head of the committee, II
majority of its members are to be opposed
to him be isn't here himself. His volur-
tary withdrawal would crafty Speaker
Crisp, who having for many years acted
with him on the silver question would
doubtless dislike very much to turn him
down if he insisted upon his right to the
Craftsmanship. In fact, many believe that
be would not do it, and that unless Mr.
Bland wIthdraws his claims he will be the
chairman.
Miss Rives as a Farmer.
The Cobbam correspondent of the
Charlottesville (Ya) Progress writes