The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-03-09
NOTES AND OPINIONS.

throughout the United States, the Demo
Gratis championing the cause of low tariff
and deficit, and the Republicans stand
ing for sufficiently high duties to give the
country needed revenue and protection, it
would be foregone conclusion that the
Republicans would win. The Democratic
party, indeed, did not dare to take up
such an issue in 1896, and even preferred
to indorse the free silver folly than to go
into national campaign on the simple
issue of protection VS. tariff reform-Bos-
ton Advertiser.
japan has adopted the gold standard of
value. 1t has done so because Japan has
made rapid advancement in civilization
during the last score of years, and, since
her successful war with China, aims to
rank among the respectable nations of
the world
The change from the silver to the gold
standard ofva1ue that has just been adopt
ed by the japanese government was
reached after great deliberation. A COM
mission of intelligence and ripe expe-
rience in monetary affairs has had the
and the result was the quite recent deci-
sion to adopt the gold standard of cur
rency and to fix the ratio between gold
and silver at 32T to 1. While Japan will
thus use silver along with gold, the silver
coin must be as near as possible of the
same intrinsic value as the gold coin.
This is honest money, and the use of sill
yer on such basis can be extended in
definitely in any country with entire safe
ty.
| Russia moves more slowly than Japan,
although generation ago Japan was re-
garded as vastly behind Russia in civili-
Ization. The Russian government has
been preparing to adopt the gold standard
for years past, and to-day holds the largest
gold reserve in proportion to her currency
of any government on the earth. This
gold reserve means that as soon as it can
be adopted without inconvenience the
gold standard will be proclaimed by Rus
STA, and it will be done to make Russia's
credit equal to the credit of the other
great powers of Europe.
Thus as nations advance to the high
standard of civilization sound money be-
comes one of the jewels of government
faith, and it is worthy of consideration
that while demagogues in this country
are clamoring for cheap money and repu-
diation, although enjoying the highest
civilization of any country in the world,
the nations which are advancing from the
mists OF barbarism regard the gold stand
ard and sound money as an essential at
tribute of national dignity and credit.
Civilization and sound money go hand in
hand, and any departure from an honest
financial basis would be a retrograde
movement in the enlightened civilization
of this evening of the nineteenth century
-Phila. Times
Vice-President Hobart's opening adj
dress to the Senate deserves a hearty ex-
preston of approval. While graceful in
form, and appropriately modest and dig
nihed, it contained statement of opin-
ion, and perhaps of purpose, which the
country will be glad to read and which
the Senate has no reason to resent. Mr..
Hobart said
1t will be my constant effort to aid you,
so far as l may, in all reasonable expedi-
ton of the business of the Senate, and l
may be permitted to express the belief
that such expedition is the hope of the
country. All the interests of good gov
eminent and the advancement toward a
higher and better condition of things call
for prompt and positive legislation at your
hands. To obstTuct the regular course of
wise and prudent legislative action after
the fullest and freest discussion is neither
consistent with true Senatorial courtesy,
conducive to the welfare of the people,
nor in compliance with their just expecta-
tons
No member of ''the deliberative branch"
who is not suffering from an extreme case
of Representatives, will discover in or
between the lines of this paragraph any,
thing more than a reasonable and becom-
ing wish that the Senate shall perform its
duty, and that its presiding officer may
prove equal to the obligations and OPP
portunities of his position. 1t does, in
deed, suggest the need of reversion from
the recent disposition of the Senate to
that which long prevailed but for this no
radical change of rules is necessarily re-
quired. The old forms of procedure do
not impede patriotic action unless they
are unemployed by members who are
less intent on serving the country than
they ought to be. The new Vice-Presi-
dent judged nobody. He simply set up
true standard, which it was not only his
privilege, but his duty, to do.-Mew York
Tribune