The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-06-19
OVR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASUJNGTON. d. c. Jun

Mr.. EDIToR:-Speaker Reed would not
remain in Washington to get the returns
from the st. Louis Convention. He has
started for home but will probably make
several stops on the way. 1t is n" cNag-
geration to say that IA more thoroughly
Disguised man than he is has never de-
clined to be interviewed He wasn't half
as much surprised ut the trcachery of Joe
Manley at st. Louis rs he was at the earl
Ter treachery of Senator Proctor at the
Vermont State Convention. He has nev-
er had any confidence in Manlcy and once
said that he would not trust him with the
cOppers on IA dead mans eyes, and only
two or three weeks ago, having received Il
hint that Manley was dickering with Han
ma he is said to have spoken his mind SO
freely that Manley strai yhtway left Wash
in ytOn and did not return; he went from
Maine direct to st. Louis. 1t isn't olly in
New England that Mr.. Reed has been be
trayed, but he feels the effect from that
section more because he felt that he had
right to expect that local pride if nothing
to him.
Among the other useless things which
Congress did ut the session lust closed,
was to give the Dawes Indian commission,
which has been such aconspicuous failure,
Il new lease of life, by authorizing it To
resume negotiations with the five civilized
tribes of Indians, for reorganization OF
their government. The members of the
commission had a conference with Sccrc-
tary lioke Smith and will leave in Il few
days for Indian territory to remain there
all summer 1t is predicted that they will
accomplish Just what they did in their
previous negotiations-nothin
Secretary Olnev gave Il hearing to DR..
Delgado and his father. naturaliZcd Amer
lean citizens. on their claim against Spain
for property destroyed on their Cuban
plantation and for personal maltrcatmcnt
of themselves by Spanish soldiers and
promised to do what he could for them.
Vice President Stevenson has this sea
son broken the record in the making of
addresses at College commcncrmentS, and
he is still at it He left Washington yes
ter,iay for Tuscaloosa, Ala. where he will
tomorrow address the students of the | nj
versity of Alabama. Representative Bank
head went with him.
EXCongreSSman Bvnum. of Indiana,
who has been actively aiding the admins
tratiOn in lighting the silver sentiment i'll
that state and elsewhere, threw up the
sponge as far as Indiana is concerned, on
his last visit t" Washington, several DAYS
ago. He said that the silver sentiment in
the state had reached the proportion "f
tidal wave. and that Indiana would Ger
tainly be carried by the democrats if the
Chicago convention adopted IL silver plat
form.
Secretary Carlisle was the first witness
in the bond investigation which was held
today begun by Il subcommittee of the
Senate committee on Finance. 1t is I'M
certain at this time how long it will take
to complete the investigation. Senator
Harris preSideS over the committee meet
ings, which are public.
1t would seem in view of the extent of
the silver discussion that about everybody
would know exactly the status of silver
money under our present laws. but in a
discussion by group of public men, 1t
was quickly shown that ma GRITTY of them
didn't know. \ majority of the group
contended that silver was not Il legal ten
der in sums exceeding $40 and it required
the production of a copy of the Revised
Statues of the United States to convince
them to the contrary. The act of 1873,
generally spoken of as the demonstration
of silver. dropped the silver dollar entire
ly from our coins and provided that THE
silver coins of the United States shall be "A
legal tender at their nominal value for any
amount not exceeding s. in any one pay
ment," but this part of the act was super
coded five years later February %, 1873,
by the Bland act, which provided for the
coinage of our present silver dollars. and
provided further that they together with
all silver dollars heretofore coined by the
United States. of like weight and finencsS,
shall be legal tender at their nominal
value for all debts and dues, public and
private. except where otherwise expressly
stipulated in the contract" This is the
law Silver dollars are today legal ten
der in any amount for any Indebtedness,
not stipulated to be paid in some other
particular kind of money, and if this fact
were unknown to four gentlemen in pub
lie life it IS not unreasonable to suppose
that 1t is unknown to thousands of private
citizens. The Act of 1890 which provides
that silver coins of less than 81 shall be Il
legal tender i'm all sums not exceeding $40,
is probably responsible for the prevalence
of the idea that the silver dollars are only
legal tender to that amount. As a matter
of fact the silver coins of less than one
dollar are full legal tender in amounts up
to ten dollars no matter what sort of
contract may have been made as to pay
ment in other money.