Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-06-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON LETTER.
Written and compiled for the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, June 5, 1S93.-The gold
question Is again very much on top, the
of gold having brought the
reserve fund below 100000 and the
prospect being that large amount will
be required to meet the demands for the
next week OF ten days. Great pressure is
still being brought to bear by the New
York bankers to compel an issue of bonds,
but it is having no apparent effect. A
special meeting of the cabinet was held
this morning to consider this question
and it was very lengthy one. No an
nouncement has been made, or is likely
to be made for some time of any change
IN the present policy, although there are
good reasons for believing there will be a
change should the present demand for
gold continue for any length of timo to be
as great as during the past week. While
1t cannot be stated as a certainty it is be-
heyed by some lawyers that Secretary
Carlisle has authority under a section of
the act of March II, 1862, to issue legal
tender notes for the purpose of purchas
ing gold. The cabinet is said to think
that this method, if it be legal, would be
preferable to an issue of bonds. Those
who claim that the authority conferred by
the act mentioned still exists say that
there is no limit other than the Secretary's
discretion to the amount of legal tender
notes that may be issued to purchase
gold. This method would meet the ap-
proYal of those who think an increase In
the amount of money ID circulation would
be advantageous, and it could not be
claimed by those who profess to be in
deadly fear Of a deprecated currency
that there would be the slightest danger
in that direction, as every dollar so issued
would be replaced in the Treasury by a
gold dollar, provided, of course, that the
gold could be obtained at par. Your
CORRESPONDENT doubts the existence Of the
authority for the issue of legal tener notes
by the Secretary of the Treasury.
The annual meeting of the board OF
lady regents of the Mount Vernon AS
ISOLATION, which was unusually interest
ing this year, has just adjourned. Ac-
cordlng to the annual report of the super
lntendent $1,000 people visited the
grounds last year. That number will be
quadrupled this year by reason of the
electric rail way from Alexandria to the
Mount Vernon grounds. From each vlsl-
tor the association exacts twenty-five
cents for admission to the grounds, and in
addition, a steam boat company which
has for many years been monopolizing the
right to land at the Mount Vernon wharf
has paid nine cents for each passenger
This steam boat company has grown rich
cut of visitors to Mount Vernon, and un-
til the electric railway began to cut into
its traffic it charged Sl.OO for round trip
Mount Vernon ticket. while it sold round
trip tickets for a wharf on the Maryland
side of the Potomac, almost directly oppo-
site Mount Vernon, for twenty-five cents.
Now that the exclusive wharf privileges
are not so desirable this steamboat COM
pany bad the cheek to ask the lady re-
gents TO excuse it from paying that adj
ditional nine cents passenger during the
remainder of ITS contract. The agitation
for the purchase of Mount Vernon by the
government, and Its being thrown open
without charge to all corners, seems to
have temporarily died out, but that 1t
will sooner or later be done is the general
belief. Surely it is not just the proper
thing to charge an admission fee to the
home Of George Washington, although
under present conditions it is necessary in
order to raise the money to keep the
grounds IN condition and the house in re-
pair.
Either many Congressman are going to
vote contrary to their talk or the adj
minstration is preparing a great dis
appointment for itself in regard to the
silver question. 1t is stated with the
greatest apparent confidence by members
of the administration that President
Cleveland has assurances which make
him certain that there will be no trouble
in passing a bill for the unconditional re-
peal of the Sherman Silver law through
both the House and Senate, as soon as
Congress gets to work. This is directly
contrary to what Senator Stewart, who
claims to have made a canvas of the
Senate, says. Can it be possible that
some of the Senators have been telling
the President one thing and Senator
Stewart another Perhaps after all it is
merely game Of political brag all around.
Secretary Hoke Smith is now hearing a
land case involving several million dol
lars'wO of land in the state of Wash
ington, upon which are some 1900 settlers.
The land in question is claimed by the
Northern Pacific Railroad Co The record |
of Sec. Smith has been such that it is al
together probable that if there are any
doubts in the case he will give the set
tiers the benefit of them.
The State Department will shortly
make public all of the correspondence
with Mr.. Blount, both ga Commissioner
and Minister to Hawai-,
The Local Paper.