Newspapers / The Democratic Banner (Dunn, … / Dec. 24, 1891, edition 1 / Page 1
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'i ; f ENTR V. C. IVY, Editor and Publisher. Render Unto Caesar the Things that are Caesar's, Unto God, God's $1.00 Per Annum, in Advance Vol. I. DUNN, HARNETT CO., N. C, THURSDAY, 'DECEMBER 24, 1891. No. 44, Ho The OFFICIAL DIRECTORY OF THE NvrI0NAL FARMERS ALLIANCE AND INDUSTIAL UNION. . , i- Pr.-M ir"t. North Carolina. L. 1 '. " ! ,. .i-ridcnt. Kansas. r T. M. f. r c v ! -r t- r s'.: '-" ' W rdrj -Treasurer, Georgia. -. I.-.- tiJtcf, Kansas. . . :c. W. MaCune, Chairman; A. T. i'. I i..:Jan. . , H. C. Hemming, Chairman; ;v:-':i. A. K. Cole. . .. , (..if-Scrrttion of N. F. A. and I. '' "cliaiiman, 2j North Capitol " . i , , l C.: K. F. Livingston, of ',".: "is. uf Florida; W. J. Talbert, VTJ il. L Lom-ks. of South Dakota. -jKC-ARATION OF PURPOSES. Y, hrea.s the general condition of our ,0...... , imperatively demands unity of7-:i 1 ou tke Part f the laborinS rrTT-ntimi in economy, and ..ti.'.icati'ju of principles best to encourage and foster ag- and mechanical pursuits, en . . me toiling masses leading road to prosperity, and : just and fair remuneration u u:sl txcuaat; for our coni I the bcist means of secur ,;,;,(!rinf; classes the greatest ,.,r , ,1, we hoM to the princi '. rv.-r:opoli.cs are dangerous i.iurots of our country, , , r, "riv-e a free people and : 1 lly ovei throw the great -.u.i chased by the fathers of '. : tv. We therefore adopt - ; . as our declaration of prin- the ( cal-'- r: Cui-: r- r I to S-l An. a; , -r fjr the education of the a! elates in the science of g , erraneiitiu a strictly non- 1 ! h. it. A ji sc the motto: "In things unitv; and in all things, Cvtj 2. 1 O e---' - T)U ve'.op a better state, ment al. , nurully, socially, and financially. 4. To create a better understanding for .staining civil officers in maintain ing lave and older. 5 To constant".-strive to secure en tire harmor.y and good will among and biotherly love among ourselves. 6. To suppress personal, local, sec tional and national prejudices, all un hea'.ihfiil riv .dry aad selfish ambition. 7; The brightest jewels which it gar nets. are the tears of widows and or ;!::'. r,", and its imperative commands ate to i isit the homes where lacerated hca: L- ate Weeding; to assuage the suf fer!:: of a brother or sister; bury the d-a'.I; care for the widows and educate the oiphaus; to exercise charity toward oiTen-iers; to construe words and deeds In their most favorable light, granting honesty of purpose and good inten tions to others; aud to protect the priu-cip'.cs-of the Alliance unto death. Its laws a.e reason and efiuitj-, its cardinal dcv triues inspire purity of thought and life; its iuteutiou is "on earth peace and good will toward men." OCA LA DEMANDS. : . We demand the abolition of na tional banks; we demand that the gov ernment shall establish sub-treasuries or depositories in the several States v-hick shall loan money direct to the yrev-leat a low rate of interest, not to ex.: -e i 2 per cent per annum on uou--er -h iYre farm products, and also : real estate, with proper limita ?u us i.pou the quantity of land and amount uf money; we demand that the i.uiiK ut of the circulating medium be ce '- . v increased to not lese thau $50 er e i, -ta. 2. We demand that Congress shall a-.- such laws as shall effectually pre vent the dealing in futures in all agri "uh'.::al and mechanical productions ; preserving a stringent system of j ro- -vV. '.:e in trials such as shall : ecure; the p:o::ipt conviction and imposition of sucn penalties as shall secure the most perfect compliance with the law. 3- We denounce the silver bill re cently passed by Congress, and de mand in lieu thereof the free and un limited coinage of silver. 4. We demand the passage of laws prohibiting alien ownership of land, and that Congress take prompt action to devise some plan to obtain all lands now o ned by liens aud foreign syn dicates, and that all lands now held by railroad and other corporations in ex cess of such 8s is actually used and needee by them, be reclaimed by the government ana held for actual settlers only. 5- Believing in the doctrine of equal eights to all and special privileges to -ion, we demand that our national lest- "uuu sua 1 oe so iramea in uie tuture as not to build up one industry at the expense of another. We further de mand a removal of the existing heavy tariff tax from the necessaries of life hat the poor of our land must have. We further demand a just and equita ble system of graduated tax on incomes. We believe that the money of the country should be kept as much as possible in the hands of the people and hence we demand that all national and State revenues shall be limited to the necessary expenses of the govern ment economically and honestly ad ministered. 6. We demand the most rigid, honest and just State and national govern mental control and supervision of the methods of public communication and transportation, and if this control and supervision do not remove the abuse low existing, we demand the govern ment ownership of such means of com munication and transportation. STATE BANKS. Senators have beaten any former record in the introduction of bills during the first week of Congress, and they are still pouring in. Senator Harris, of Tennessee, has introduced one to abolish the national tax on State banks of issue. This is a sub ject that now demands more than a passing notice. It is one of the most seductive sidetracks yet prepared for the Alliance by the wily politician. The hope is to be able to agitate many Alliance men into the support of that measure by accepting their cry of more money and presenting that as the quickest way. Never was hope more delusive. Wildcat banking is a long step backward in material progress. Money issued by State banks is not a legal tender and can not be mad:; so. It can not, there fore, be made to be of material assist ance in raising general prices in times of depression. It simply adds to the volume of personal paper, such as checks, drafts, bills of exchange, etc. When State bank money passes cur rent it will for all practical purposes increa.se te volume of loc d money, but it is entirely under the control of the capitalists that issue it, and, there fore, instead of being a relief from present conditions, may well be re garded as a potent means of intensi fying them, because the trouble, the curse of the day, is fluctuations in local prices on account of violent contractions and inflations of the loca volume of money. The general prices nor the gross volume of money do not fluctuate near so much. . With a local issue in the control of local banks, local scarcity could be prolonged until local speculators bought all the local products, and local inflation could be vigorously pushed during the season in which local producers were compelled to make purchases of commodities the most freely. Nothing more would be necessary to completely enslave local pro ducers to local capitalists. The peo ple are aroused to a determined op position to banks of issue, national or State, and of the twor State banks of issue are the worst. The issue of the legal money of the country under this system of government is a monopoly per se, and as such is the function of government and should not be dele gated to any citizen or set of citizens, because like all other true monopo lies it carries with it the power to levy tribute at will, and that is incompati ble with liberty. The true position on this question is, that the general government should alone issue the money, and that it should be supplied in necessary volume to do the business of the country, and that the volume be regulated by the amount of busi ness to be transacted at all seasons and at all times. This State bank side-track was pre sented two years ago as a rival of the sub-treasury plan, and it has been vig orously pushed in some of the South ern States by the professional politi cians, not because they believed in it or thought it a good thing for the peo ple, or had any hopes of securing it, but because they believed the argu ments in favor of it could be so plausi bly presented as to catch some Alli ance men who are perhaps not well posted on financial matters, and thereby produce division in the Alli ance ranks. But the Alliance school master has been abroad in the land, and his name is sub-treasury, and pre diction is here freely made that this side-track will grow rusty ere it is marked by a single Alliance shoe. GOVERMENT LOANS IN RUSSIA In obedience to instructions from the department, I have prepared the follow iue report upon the system no v in prac tice in Russia of making advances on farmers' grain stored in warehouses or delivered to ofhcials of the several rail roads of the country. Inasmuch as the rules and regulations touching this im portant question are not published for public distribution, I am indebted to the imperial ministry ot finance for an official copy of the "Laws Governing Advances on Cereals on Account of the Imperial Hank of Russia." from which I have been courteously permitted to make the fol lowing summary for .the use of tne ae partment: 1. Advances on grain may be made by any railway company authorized by the imperial ministry of finance. 2. The amount to be advanced is in direct ratio to the prices current for cereals at the nearest market place, and must not exceed 60 per cent of the value of the grain as thus estimated. In case the loan is granted for a period of six we ks or less, an advance of 80 per cent of the estimated value may be obtained. 3. The rate of interest on these loans is fixed by the Imperial Bank, and i usually 6 pr cent, varying, however, a mue irom mis rate according to the con dition of the grain nd the nature of the security. This interest is pai ( in advance and for the length of time it has been actually granted. 4- In addition to the regular interest. as above stipulated, the borrower is charged: (a) 2 per cent per annum for a sinKing tuna, but the percentage for the sinking fund mut not exceed one-third of 1 per cent of the total loan; (6) a sum not exceeding one-third of 1 per cent as remuneration to the railway company for the trouble of negotiating the loan. 5. Loans are granted -usually for six months, or without fixing the time in advance, but loans may be made for a longer period, as the necessity of the case demands. In the latter case the loan must be settled not later than one year from the date thereof. 6. The owrers of the exain stored in the w arehouses, or their legal represen tatives, are entitled, under the control of the railway company's agent, to inspect the grain from time to time, and to take measures 111 order to protect the same from being damaged or to demand that such measures be taken by the railway company on their account. In case of need, the railway company may take these measures on account of the owner, without being requested by the latter, and charge the expenses thereof to the owner. 7. The natural loss in weight resulting from the above opesation is fixed by the regulations issued by a council of officials appointed by the several railway com panies. 8. The grain is returned by the railway company on repaying the advances mad and other charges, as mentioned above. 9. If the sum advanced is not repaid when due and there is no goo reason to grant an extension, the grain is sold by the railway company at public auction. 10. Such sale may be made imperative under ihe following circums ances and regulations: (a) If the stored grain show's signs of being irreparably damaged; b) if the fear is entertained that the value of the grain stored in warehouses can not cover the charges for storage, the amount advanced, and other e penses. The re ceiver of the loan must, in all cases, be informed at least seven days in advance of the date of sale. 1 1. The railway company, after deduct ing the expenses of the public sale, covers all its own charges i. e , the amount ad vanced, charges for storage, and other charges allowed by the government, be fore all other liabilities of the owner, even if he be bankrupt, can be recognized. 12. Such railroad companies as are authorized to make advances on grain': are entitled (a) to grant loans from their ! own means not being previously advanced by the Imperial Hank; (6) to build or j hire warehouses for storing such grain for a period of six months, charging for storage a certain percentage, which is fixed for each depot by the ministry of ways and communications, not exceeding one-third of 1 copeck per pood per month, and to engage special agents for the pur pose of selling grain on behalf of the owner, charging a commission therefor not exceeding 1 per cent of the tota? amount received. 13. The railway companies must bear the entire responsibility for the advances made on behalf of the Imperial bank. 14. If the amount due to the Imperial bank is not paid in 7 days after the sale of the goods, or within 7 days after the loan expires, the railway company must pay, besides the interest to the day of set tlement, a fine of one-half of 1 per cent a month for the amount overdue. ' 15. The reserve fund mentioned above may be used by permission of the minis tries of ways and communications and of finances, as a gratuity to railway officials and to cover any loss sustained by the railway company in the operation of the loan. 16. The railway company may make advances (a) on grain intended for trans portation and on grain stored in ware houses at the starting poim, charging for storage not more than one-third of 1 co peck per pood per month; (b) on grain received by the railway company for transport, whether stored or loaded upon the cars at once or not; (c) on grain ar rived at te place of destination and stored there in warehouses until sold or consigned, the charges' remaining in all cases the same. 17. Advances can not be made on grain whic 1 is already hypothecated or upon which any unsettled charges what ever are resting. iS. In fixing the highest percentage for advances on grain the prices current at the place of destination are taken as the basis of such calculation; provided, how ever, that such place of destination is a market place In making such calcula tion the usual expenses of trrnsportation are reckoned as a portion of the sum loaned. The highest advances w hich may be made by any depot and for any kind of grain are fixed by the respective railway companies, they in turn being responsible to the Imperial bank. 19. The charges mentioned in para graph 4, viz, one-third of 1 per cent of the sum advanced, are entirely put into the reserve fund of the respective railway companies and placed to the credit of the Imperial bank. This one-third of 1 per cent so advanced is thus divided: Two thirds goes to the railway company at the starting point and one third to the rail way company at the place ol destination for the management of the loan. 20. When an advance is granted, an in dorsement to that effect has to be made both on the railway note and its dupli cate, mentioning the date on which the advance is made, the rate of interest, and other charges on the loan. Besides this, the receiver of the loan gives a special receipt for the money advanced either on grain w hich is intended for transport or which has been received to be stored in warehouses. When the loan is repaid, the recept and other papers are returned to the borrower. 21. In case of advances made at the place of destination, the railway compan ies are entitled to retain from the advance all their charges except those charged for the operation of the loan. An indorse ment to this effect is made both on the railway note and on its duplicate. 22. ' The officers of the different com panies are compelled to inform the other companies, as well as the Imperial bank, of the amount of grain received in ware houses at the different railway depots, as well as to advertise this fact in the lo al newspapers, that all may know when a given warehouse is full and unable to re ceive any more grain. -J 23. The owner of grain which is-intended for transport and is stored in warehouses may receive it back on de mand on paying the nsual fee for storage, viz, one-third of 1 copeck per pood per month, and on settlement of all legal, claims relative thereto. 24. If the owner of the grain wishes it warehoused at the place of its destination, he must declare such intention in'advance, and an indorsement to that e fleet must be made on the railway. note and its duplicate; provided, however, if the ware houses at the place of destination are full, such a request can not be granted.;' 25. Cleaning, reshovelmg, and screen ing of grain stored in warehouses must only be done under the supervision of the railway company. Before taking meas ures to prevent the wareho 'sed grain from being damaged the railway com pany must inform he owner or his rep resentative of the necessity of such action. 26 Should the railway company be 1 1 . 11 1 I xl ."J. ? compel ieu to sen ine nypotnecaieu irrain fr reasons mentioned in paragraph io, the order for the sale may be revoked if the advance, or a reasonable part of it, be repaid seven days after the receipt of the notice of the intended sale. In addition o the general rules govern-i ing this question, as enumerated above, I have learned that no distinction is made between farmers and so-called middl men. The loans are made only on the grain, and it is of no consequence who delivers it and negotiates the loan. All' such loans are made in paper rubles, the regular and only real currency of this; empire, and these paper rubles are taken from the regular governmental issues. This scheme went into effect on June-14-26, 1SS8, and at the present day it is; generally adopted throughout the coun-! try, and business is carried on under it on a very large scale. I should also add that the scheme gives great satisfaction to the farmers, many of whom declare that it has become an essential feature of successful farming in Russia. The Russian copeck is a copper coin valued at three-fourths of a cent; a pood is equivalent to 36 pounds avoirdupois.' The above is a report by Consul General Crawford, from St. Peters burg. This is conclusive evidence of the practicability of the suVtreasury plan as demanded by the Alliance. It also discloses the substantial bene fits that would result in its adoption. What has been an experiment in Rus sia, might, if properly applied in this enlightened country, prove a reality of inestimable value to all the people. Strange as it may appear, it is far easier to introduce innovations under present conditions in public methods that will benefit the people in Russia than America. The reason is obvious. In Russia the will of the Czar is su-. preme; it is neither owned nor con trolled by a moneyed aristocracy. If he is convinced that an experiment is worthy, a trial is made at jonce without further consideration. In America all legislation and its con struction is under the control of the plutocracy of the nation, whose inter ests are antagonistic to the prosperity or improved condition among the people. The writings of great and good men in the past are replete with the assertion that a plutocratic gov ernment (a government controlled by wealth) is more oppressive and more to be dreaded than any other. The vicious attacks that have been made upon the Alliance and its demands from this class of people seems to justify these statements. Now that the plan has been par tially tried and proven beneficial to Russian farmers, the demand for its adoption in America should be vigor- ; ously pushed. Let every member of the Order cut out this statement and, confound or convince the opponents of the plan. With this evidence of trial and success, there can be no doubt as to its practical application and beneficial results in this country. REBELLION IN CHINA. The press dispatches detail a dan gerous state of affairs in China: . j Should the rebel forces continue to ad vance toward the capital in spite of the efiorts of ...the imperial troops to prevent them, it is feared by the foreigners that the whole country will rise and aid the in vaders. The rebel forces are divided into two sections, but as yet the general public here does not know whether or not both columns are marching in the di rection of Pekin. In fact, owing to the meager telegraphic facilities which the country affords, it is hard to get accurate information regarding the movements of the rebels. It is announced to-day, how ever, that besides the towns in Manchooria that have already fallen into their hands, a small town northeast of Kin Chow has been captured by them. The garrison of Shankaikivan has been sent to suppress other insurrectionary bodies which are marching in various directions through the country, evidently with the intention of joining the main body. As-stated in previous dispatches, the inhabitants of the districts through which the rebels pass make no resistance to them; on the contrary, they have furnished the soldiery with provisions and have in other ways aided them. The most serious condi tion of affairs exists at Takou. This is the place where the most brutal outrages were committed upon the Christian priests, nuns and native converts. What action the government will take in this matter it is hard to say. That the au thorities are in full sympathy with the perpetrators of these most horrible crimes, there is no reason to doubt. The first reports from Takou stated that after those fiends had work- d their bloody will on all the Christian men, women and children who fell into their hands they were teas ed by the leading Chinese man darins in the district. It is now said that the local mandarins agreed to allow the rebels free license for the outrage ot Christians, provided they did no harm to the other inhabitants. These terms were accepted by the rebels, and they pursued their work without let or hindrance. Three hundred Europeans and native Christians were masacred. It is believed that not a single Christian in the district escaped. , j I The government is now having an op portunity to realize the benefits of rail way communication. The revolutionary movement in the no th,as before stated, originated in Manchooria, on the north east of China proper, and in Mongolia, whjch lies to the east of Manchooria. These countries are separated from the empire by the gr at wall of China. To gain access to China it will be ne essarv for the rebels to pas the great wall. This gigantic work was built to prevent inva sions lrom the north, and the imperial authorities have taken measures to bring the' rebels to a halt there. Li Hung Chang, the Chinese viceroy, has dis patched several thousand troops to the chief points of the great wall, where it is probable the insurgents will attempt to force a passage. A desperate resistance will be made at .those place to stop th onward progress of the rebels, for once they pass the great wal there is no doubt they will ranidly push on to Pekin. j Consternation prevails among the Prot estant missionaries in the districts throigh iv ich it is expected the rebels will pass. The local officials at Tsun a have de clared that they are powerless to protect the missionaries, and if thry disired to save their lives they had better seek safety in flight. The missionaries at Tsunda have therefore abandoned theii stations and sought refuge in safer parts of the country. FOR FREE COINAGE. December 10, Senator Stewart m- troduced the following bill; which was read twice and laid on the table. t A.bill to provide for the free coinage of gold and silver bullion, and for other purpose11. bECTiON 1. that .from and alter the date and passage of this ct the unit of value in the United States shall be the dollar, and the same may be coined of four hundred and twelve and one-half grains of standard silver, or of twenty- five and eight-tenths grains ot standard gold; and the said coins shall be legal tender for ail debts, pub'ic and private. That hereafter any owner of silver or gold bullion may deposit the same at any mint 6f the United States to be formed into standard dollars for his ben fit and with out charge; but it shall be lawful to re fuse anv deposit of less value than one hundred dollars, or any bullion so base as to be unsuitable for the operations of the mint. Sec 2. That the provision of section three of "an act to authoriz the coinage of the standard silver dollar and to re store its legal -tender character," which became a law February twenty-eight, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, is hereby made applicable to the coinage in this act provided for. 1 Sec. 3. That the certificates provided for in the second section of this act shall be of denominations of not less than one nor more than ten thousand dollars, and such certificates shall be redeemable in coin of standard value. A sufficient sum to carry out the provisions of this act is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. ;Sec. 4. That the certificates provided for in this act, and all silver and gold Certificates already issued, shall be re ceivable for all taxes and dues to the 0n;ted States of every description, and sfnll be a legil tender for the payment of all debts, public and private. i iSEC. 5. That the owners of bullion de posited for coinage shall have the option to receive coin or its equivalent in the certificates provided for in this act, and such bullion shall be subsequently coined. The following is taken from the report of the United States treasurer : There has be,en a net increase of $ 12,- 769,909 in the circulation since the 1st of : November. The items of increase were as follows: ! "Standard silver dollars, $561,743; sub sidiary silver, $740,301; gold certificates, ; $6,549,650; treasury notes,4,509,8o2 ; ; United States notes notes, $810,320; na tional bank notes, $1,706,090. The items of "decrease were: Go'd coin, $88,965; silver certificates, $269,032; currency cer- itihcates, f 1,000,000. ' il l b.mce November 1 there has been a net increase of $8,867,045 in money and tul jon in the treasury, the increase" being jmade up as follows: LxOld com, J3, 796, !7$4; standard silver dollars, $852,013 "gold bullion, $4,271,668; silver bullion, $3,884,053. There was a'decrease as fol lows: Subsidiary silver, $806,794; treas ury notes, $275,420; United States notes, $Sio,32o; national bank notes, $897,041; trade-dollar bullion, $1,147,898. The cir culation per capita December 1 is stated at 5-24.33. ;? The disrussion of the Alliance on the volume of circulation has been a source of much concern to the present and past managers of the Treasury Department. Notwithstanding the plain statement of facts concerning piis matter that has been made, show ing the circulation to be less than one-third the amount claimed by the department, the same false position is adhered to. Mr. Windom acknowl- edged before a committee that this per capita amount was exaggerated, and Mr. Foster in his recent campaign document on that question made a failure in defending it. All the money outside the United States treasury is calculated to be in circulatiori, no matter whether it is in America, Europe, or the bottom of the sea. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE. The President's message to the Fifty second Congress was delivered on the 10th instant. It furnishes a comprehen sive view of the administrative wrork of the last fiscal year relating to internal affairs under thirty-three different he'adSi The State Department has made recip rocal tr de arrangements with the re public of .Brazil, with Spain for its West India possessions, and with San Domingo. An agreement was reached and signed in June by which Great Hrttain under took from that date until May, 1892, to prohibit seal killing by her subjects in the Bering Sea, and the Unitecl States for the same period agreed to prohibit pe lasgic sea'ing and limited the catch by the Fur Seal Company upon the Islands to 7,500 skins. England has agreed to have the whole controversy as to the seal fisheries stttled by arbitration. Germany, Denmark, Italy, Austria and France have o ened their ports to in spected American products, and an agree ment has been reached with Germany Iook;ng to equitable trade concessions in con-idcration of continued free importa tion of her sugars. The United Stages expressed an anxious solicitude for the peace of Brazil, and the advice offered was received in a friendly spirit by that government. The lynching of eleven men of Italian nativity, at New Orleans, by a mob of citizens, did not have its origin in any general animosity to the Italian people, nor did it mean disrespect to their gov ernment, our relations with Italy being of the most friendly character. In regard to the Chilean revolution the United States tendered it-? good offices to bring about a peaceful adjustment, but dissapointment met her. Our naval offi cers and minister at Santiago were en- joirked to treat Chile with impartiality, and by no means mterlere. Ihe united States was in diplomatic relations with the established governnient of Chile, and is now in such relations With the successor of that government. No official com plaint of conduct of the United States minister or naval officers have been pre sented to the United States. The attack on the Baltimore sailors on October 16 has been brought to the attention ot the Chilean government and the United States waits an adequate and satisfactory response. The late outbreak m China against for eigners has reached the larger lorm of an insurrection agauist public order. Con gress is recommended to insist upon a continuance of the protective aud puni tory measures. The Chinese govern ment has declined to receive Mr. Blair as minister of the United States on the ground that while Senator he participated in the enactment of the existing legisla tion against the introduction of Chinese laborers. Congress is asked to consider the expediency of making special provi sion lor the temporary admission of Chi nese artisans and laborers in connection with the exhibit of Chinese industries at the Columbian exposition. As to rights in the Caroline Islands, United States citizens had prior claims by settlement and purchase and had secured certain rights, that Spain was pledged to recognize and maintain. Spain's failure to carry out these pledges has resulted in great injustice and injury to the American subjects. Spain proposes to celebrate the 400th anniversary 01 the discovery 01 Amer ica by holding an exposition at Madrid w hich opens on the 12th of September, and continues until December 31 1892. A cordial invitation to the United States to take part in this commemoration, the President hope, will re eive friendly promotion. Surveys for the connecting links of the projecte f inter-continental railway are in progress in Mexico and at various other points. A treaty with Mexico was con cluded on November 12, 1884, re-ffirm-ing the boundry between the two coun tries. On March 1, 1889, a fourth treaty- was negotiated to facilitate the carrying out of the principles of the treaty of 18S4. Surveys for the sub-marine cable from the Pacific coast to Honolula are ip pro gress. i 0 The President strongly recommends that provision be made for the improving of the harbor ol Pearl river and equip ping it as a naval station. He hopes that neither sectional lines nor party will be drawn upon the great American project, the completion ol the margua canl. The Island of Narvassa in the West Indian group has been recognized by the resident as appertaining to the United States, and he recommends legislation that shall place labor contracts upon this Island and other islands sustaining the same relation to the United States under the supervision of a court commission. International copyright has been se cured with Belgium, France Great Brit ain, and "other British possession, Swit zerland, and Germany. The President believes that a free test will develop the fact that the tariff act of the 51st Congress is very favorable in its average effect upon the prices of articles entering into common use. From 1st October, iSgo'to 30th September iSgithe total value of our foreign commerce, im forts and exports, was $1,747,806,406, the largest of any year in the history of the United States. The percentage of merchandize admitted free of duty dur ing the past 12 months was 48.18 under the old tariff the percentage was 34.27. The per ' ent of value of merchandize im ported .ree of duty since sugars have been admittted free of duty is found to be 55.37. Total receipts of the govern ment from all sources for the past year are f458 .544, 233-03. Expenditures for some period, $421,304,470.46. Surplus $37,239762,57. The amount of silver bullion purchased during the fiscal year is 48,393,113 ounces; average cost per ounce, $1,045 per ounce; highest price, $1.2025; lowest pjrice, $0.9636; treasury notes exchangeui for silver bullion, $50,577,498. The lowest price of silver reached during the fiscal year was $0.9636 on 2 2d April, 1S91, and on November 1 the market price was only $0.96, which would give to the silver dollar a bull on value of 77 cents. The President hopes the depre-sion in the price of silver is only temporary. He thinks that free coinage of silver nnder existing conditions would disastrously affect our business interests. That we could not hope to maintain an equality in the purchasing power of the gold and silver dollar in our own markets, and that in foreign trade the stamp gives no added value to the bullion contained in coins. The President claims that the surplus money in the treasury on th- 1st of March, 1SS9 was $188,827,190.29. Thatthepolicy of applying this surplus to the redemption of the interest-bearing securities of the United States was preferable to that of depositing it without interest in selected banks. Since March, 1SS9, of interest bearing securities. $259,079,380 worth ' have been redeemed, reducing the annual interest charge of $11,684,675. He claims that circulation has been increased from . $23.03 in 1889 to $24.3$ per capita on December 1,1891. As to army sflurs, the President says it will soon equal the navy in gun con struction.. That the lack of shore fortifi cations seriously handicaps the move ments of the navy, which must stay to guard the exposed coast. That the enlistment of Indians in the ; army is a success. They make fine sol diers. Seven companies have been organ ized and seven more are in process of organization. The President concursn the Attorney General's recommendation that the right of review by the Supreme Court in felony cases be l mited. The reform school for girls in the District of Columbia is com menced. The attention o' Congress is called to the importation of the Chinese over the Canadian line. That revenues of the Post-office Depart ment shown an increase of over $5,000, 000, with a deficiency for the year 1892 of less than $4,000,000. The Postmaster General recommends that the carrier de livery to towns of 5,600 people be ex tended. That the money order service for the 54,000 offices now without it, is also recomrheded to the consideration of Congress. - 23,000,000 acres of land have been re stored to the public domain available for homestead, and a court for the adjudica tion of 15,000 land : claims is recom mended. , The Indian reservations have been reduced by allotments in severalty to Indians. On September last the terri tory of Oklahoma, consisting of. 900,000 acres of land, was taken up by settlers in a single day. The 300,000 acres of the Cherokees and Arrapahoes were not opened to settlement, for lack of an ap propriation to defray the expense. The President, recommends an urgent defi ciency appropriation for that purpose. The Cherokees have refused to cede the Cherokee strip to the government. The pensioners on the roll in June were 676,100; appropriations for the year, $127,685,793; $i 18,530,649 was expended. The debt of the subsidized railroads to the government is $112,512,613.06, with no aHequate provision for payment. A commission to formulate a plan for its collection is recommended. The census is near completion. Money for publishing it should be voted in time to save delay. The problem of irrigating the arid lands is discussed and the attention of Congress to the matter is urged. Ijf neglected, the owners of lands in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico will be at the mercy of pri vate parties, who will have unrestricted control of the water-supply. He claims that Mormonism is stamped out, but Congress is urged to keep con trol of the matter until there are substan tial guarantees against its revival. Self-government is recommended for Alaska. The President approves the Agricultu ral Department, and gives it credit for the admission of American meat into Ger many and other countries. The restric tion removed has heretofore narrowed our pork market by a demand for $20, 000,000 worth of meat. The value of grain crops this year is $500,000,000 more than last; of meats, $150,000,000 more, and of all farm products $700,000,000 more than last year. Civil service is deemed better than ap pointments by favoK The President, for the third time, calls the attention of Congress to railroad ac cidents; 2,451 employes were killed and 22,390 injured last year. He claims that nearly a million dollars is spent yearly to save shipwrecked mariners, and nothing is done to save the lives sacrificed in land commerce. The President also calls attention to the new Michigan law by which presiden tial electors are to be elected separately by congressional districts. He says that puts the State's voice in the electoral college under the influence of the gerrymander, and as it is the first change in that direction of any State since 1832, he suggests that a constitutional amendment be secured to confirm the present practice of all the other States in selecting the electors at large by vote of the people of the whole State. He also denounces the gerrymander in the elec tion of senators and representatives, and says if this Michigan departure is allowed to proceed all departments of the govern ment will be under the influence of the gerry manner, and closes the message with an appeal for a federal election law. The New Era (Cass, Mich.) says: The government ownership and control of railroads is one of the growing issues and deas in our country. Centralization in the hands of all the people (the gov ernment) does not seem to be as bad as centralization in the hands of a few indi viduals, with a power greater almost than the government itself. In Australia the government owns the railroads. It only costs a person $6.50 to ride 1,000 miles. Commutation rates for local service are still lower. A workman can ride to arid from his work a distance of 6 miles, for 2 cents a trip, 12 miles for 4 cents, 18 miles for 6 cents, 24 miles for 8 cents, 30 miles for 10 cents. Yearly tickets good for 30-mile trips are sold for $17.40. This is the kind of centralization we need in this country. It centralizes the bread and meat into the mouths of the work ingman's children and clothes on their backs. And yet, low as the rates seem to be, we are fully assured that there is a fair profit in the business. Statistics prove this beyond dispute.
The Democratic Banner (Dunn, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 24, 1891, edition 1
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