The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-05-08

strong man 20 voice the spirit OF the
people. Grant. by attending to his bust.
ness was getting ready for the oppor-
tunity TO put down the civil war. He
could do no more than 20 prepare him
self against the day that was hidden In
the future. He could not create his op-
portunity-the generals Of the East. by
their incapacity. were doing that-but the
hour found him ready. There IS a man
for every crisis. and there is no good
reason for any American TO feel gloomy
Done without FURRY.
Meanwhile. we shall hear the usua
number Of Incorporate and ridiculous
| theories. 7 remember that in 1874 a com.
mittee Of nine was appointed by a caucus
OF Republican Senators TO write a bin FOR
the resumption Of specie payments. John
sherman was a member Of the commit
tee, and managed the bill on the floor OF
the Senate during the travail Of IT'S
passage. Six months before January l.
1879. the day fixed for resumption. he
began, as the then Secretary Of the Treas
ury, to amass a stock OF gold As the
stock grew. legal tender notes-green-
backs. as they were caIled-increased IN
purchasing power. on resumption day
Sherman had 100000 OF gold IN the
National Treasury and paper money had
reached par Nobody wanted to exchange
greenbacks for specie. Resumption had
been accomplished. and all was well with
the country
Yet, between 1874 and January. 1873
we were fairly deluged with theories. ]
shall say nothing about the prophecies OF
ruin, OF the red flag OF the sheriff sure
TO hang we were solemnly told. over the
United States Of America. I am talking
about theories-just plain theories. II
sounds strange, but Wisconsin sent Ia
Kansas for an expert to elucidate the
situation. He came, a little rooster with
a long. red beard, and as he stroked the
same. he gave notice that specie pay
ments could not be resumed until IL was
determined whether the work a man did
or the pay he received was the real
standard of value. In the meantime
Horace Greeley had chewed his halter in
two and gone off by himself. saying: The
way to resume Is to resume. We shall
always have theories and gloomy predic-
lions, but we shall always have some
thing to do. and the wise and rational
men among us will see that II is done
properly. A, b, and c will contend among
themselves until the day of judgment"
settlement Is Slow.
rs the tariff question settled?' I asked
1T VIII not be settled, in my opinion.
until we have a tariff commission. not a
self-propelling body. but one following
| the rules established by Congress. The
Interstate Commerce Commission does
not fix the rates of transportation, as Is
popularity supposed, but adjusts disputes
between carriers and shippers There Is
complaint, for example. about the rate
from Chicago to ST Paul. That one par
ticular complaint, however does not stor
the road nor halt all the transportation
business OF the people. 1t Is heard and
decided. and the usual operations Of com.
merce and industry go on without inter
ruption
IT. on the other hand, an attempt is
made in Congress to change the tariff
rate on some product, the friends OF that
product pop up here and there with sug-
gestions that duties on other products no
lowered. a general scrimmage follows
as a matter Of course. Business men. get
frightened. labor is threatened with loss
of wages. and in the end every fellow
in Congress gets what he wants by the
process of trading that Is invariably fol-
lowed in tariff legislation and in the