1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1207
JosephS. Root, to be postmaster at Charles City, in the county PROMOTIONS IN THE ARMY. of Floyd and State of Iowa, in the place of Eugene B. Dyke, re Medical Depa1·trnent. moved. Justus J. Hetsch, to be postmaster at Newport, in the county Maj. Henry R. Tilton, surgeon, to be deputy surgeon-general, of Campbell and State of Kentucky, in the place of Anne W. Jenks, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, August 12, 1893, vice Jane removed. way, retired from active service. Hamilton A. Belchert to be postmaster at Farmington, in the Oa1:alry a·rm. county of Franklin and Sbte of Maine, in the place of Josiah H. r First Lieut. Alfred M. Fuller, Second Cavalry, to be captain, Thompson, resigned. August 14, 1893, vice Eaton, Second Cavalry~ deceased. Henry F. Libby, to be postmaster at Pittsfield, in the county of Second Lieut. David L. Brainard, Second Cavalry, t{) be first Somerset and State of Maine, in the place of Henry F. Libby, lieutenant, August 14, 1893, vice Fuller, Second Cavalry, pro whose commission ex-pired January 29,1891. moted. Harry B. Parker, to be postmaster at Bucksport, in the county Second Lieut. Walt-er M. Whitman, Second Infantry, to be of Hancock and State of Maine, in the place of Guy W. McAllis second lieutenant, May 3, 1893, with rank from November 20, ter, whose commission expired March 19, 1893. 1892, vice Andrew, First Cavalry, resigned. FrankL. Thayer, to be postmaster at Waterville, in the county .Infantry arm. of Kennebec and State of Maine, in theplaceoiWillardM. Dunn, rem<>ved. Second Lieut. Julius A. Penn, Thirteenth Infantry, to be first Jeremiah C. Byrns, to be postmaster at Ware, in the county of lieutenant, July 29, 1893, vice Benham, Second Infantry, ap Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, in the place of Andrew pointed regimental quartermaster. J. Davis, resigned. APPOINTMENTS IN THE AR?!IY. Jeremiah W. Coveney,-to be postmaster at Boston, in the Medical Depa1·tmen.t. county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, in the place of To be assistant surgeons, with the rank of first lieutenant, to Thomas N. Hart, resigned. _ . aate from May 12, 1893: John W. Ellam, to be postmaster at Southbridge, in the county Alexander N. Stark, of Virginia, vice Moseley, promoted. of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, in the place of George Charles Lynch, of New York, vice Burton, retired from active W. Corey, resigned. service. John F. Freese, to be postmaster at East Walpole, in the JohnS. Kulp, of Pennsylvania, vice Taylor, retired from ac county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, the appointment tive service. of a postmaster for the said office having, by law, become vested Edward L. Munson, of Connecticut, vice Skinner, promoted. in the President on and after Aprill, 1893. Charles E. B. Flagg, of South Carolina, vice Hopkins, re- William G. Goldsmith, to ba postmaster at Andover, in the signed. county of Essex and State of .Massachusetts, in the place of James M. Kennedy, of South Carolina, vice De Witt, resigned. Abraham Marland, resigned. Guy C. M. Godfrey, of Ohio, vice De Loffre, promoted. Emory E. Harwood, to be postmaster at Spencer, in thecounty William F. Lewis, of North Carolina, vice Suter, resigned. of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, in the place of Ed ward M. Bliss, whose commission expired March 30, 1893. Andrew Shanahan, to be postmaster at Rockland, in the county CONFIRMATIONS. of Plymouth and State of M3SS.3.chusetts, in the place of Joshua E xecllti'l:e norninations conji1·med by the Senate Septembe'r 4, 1898. S. Smith, removed. REGISTERS OF THE LAND OFFICE. Fred W. Smith, to be postmaster at Adams, in the county of Frank P. Alexander, of Greenville, Tex., to be register of the Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, in the place of John E. land office at Aly-a, in Oklahoma Territory. Mole, wbos3 commission expired March 26, 1893. M. Edwin M. Wheelock, to be postmaster at Hopedale,in the county Wilson Hammock, of Hartsville, Tenn., to be register of of Worcester and Sbte of Massachusetts, in the place of George the land office at Woodward, in Oklahoma Territory. A. Draper, whose commission expired :\larch 21, 1893. James E. Malone, of Juneau, Wis., t<> be register of the land John J. Enright, to be postmaster at Detroit, in the county of office at Parry, in Oklahoma Territory. Wayne and State of Michigan, in the place of Ellwood T. Hance, Robert W. Patterson, of .Macon, Ga., to be register of the resigned. land office &.t Enid, in Oklahoma Territory. John F. Crocker, to be postmaster at Kearney, in the county Edward Phillips, of Natchitoches, La., to be register of the of Buffalo and State of Nebraska, in the place of Rice H. Eaton, land office at_Natchitoches, La. resigned. RECEIVERS OF PUBLIC MONEYS. John A. Cook, to be postmaster at David City, in the county Robert H. Allen, of Iuka, Miss., to be receiver of public moneys ofButle:randState of Nebraska, in the place of SamuelL. Brown, at Alva, in Oklahoma Territory. jr., resigned . Joseph H. King, of Anniston, Ala., to be receiver of public Rogers Scribner, to be postmaster at St. Paul, in the county moneys at Perry, in Oklahoma Territory. of HowardandStateof Nebraska, in the place of Edwin F. Chinn, D:1.vid H. Patton, of Remington, Ind., to be receiver of public resigned. moneys at Woodward, in Oklahoma Territory. Charles W. Dayton, to be postmaster at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, in the place of Cor nelius VanCott, resigned. James L. Dunning, to be postmaster at Cape Vincent, in the SENATE. county of Jefferson and State oi New York, in the place of John TUESDAY, September 5, 1893. Buckley, whose commission expired March 23, 1893. Charles L. Elwood, to be postmaster at Middletown, in the Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. W. H. l'YIILBUBN, D. D. county of Orange and State of New York, in the place of Ira The J ournaJ of yesterday's proceedings was read and approved. _ Dorrance, whose commission expired March 13, 1893. VALUES OF EXPORTS AND IMPORTS. Henry 0. Fairchild, to be postmaster at Hammondsport, in the county of Steuben and State of New York, in the place of Llew The VICE-PRESIDENT laid before the Senate a communica ellyn .H. Brown, removed. tion from the Secretary of the Treasury inclosing a letter from Henry B. G1-a.ves, to be postmaste1· at Gene\3., in the county of the Chief of the Bureau of Statistics of that Department stating Ontario and State of New York, in the place of Herman F. Fox, the reason why a detailed statementofthe values of exports and whose commission expired March 23, 1893. · imports carried under the several flags engaged in the foreign James A. McKenna, to be postmaster at Long Island-City, in carrying trade during each of the last two fiscal years, called the county o! Queens and State of New York, in the place of for by a resolution of the 31st ultimo, can not be furnished unless a William Richensteen, resigned. special appropriation is made fo:r the purpose; which, with the Ed ward C. Reynolds, to be postmaster at Haverstraw, in the accompanying papers, was referred to the Committee on Finance, county of Rockland and State of New York, in the place of and ordered to be printed. Richard W. Oldfield, whose commission expired March 30, PETITIONS AND 1IEMORIALS. 1893. . The VICE-PRESIDENT presented three petitions of the Andrew T. Sullivan, to be postmaster at Brooklyn, in the Bankers' Association of Georgia, praying for the establishment county of Kings and State of New York: in the place of George of a subtreasury in that State; which were referred to the Com J. Collins, deceased. mittee on Finance. Lewis W. Terwilliger, to be postmaster at Hancock, in the Mr. QUAY:.presen ted a petition of the Window Glass Workers' county of Delaware and State of New York, in theplace of Suy Assembly, No. 300, Knights of Labor, of Pittsburg, Pa., and a dam F. Wheeler, whose commission expired Marcl;l 30, 1893. petition of the Patrons of Husbandry, of western Pennsylvania 1208 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. SEPTEl\IBER 5, and eastern Ohio, praying for the free coinage of silver; which Mr. PALMER presented a petition of business men of Joliet, were ordered to lie on the table. Ill., praying for the unconditioiJ.al repeal of the so-called Sher He also presented a memorial of the Central Labor Union, of man silver law; which was ordered to lie on the table. McKean County, Pa., remonstrating against the repeal of the so-called Sherman silver law, which was ordered to lie on the BILLS INTRODUCED. table. Mr. LODGE introduced a bill (S. 837) for the relief of Albert He also presented thl·ee petitions of businessmen of Pittsburg, Locke, alias Shipley; which was read twice by its title, and, with Philadelphia, and Shawsbury, in the State of Pennsy1 vania, pray the accompanying paper, referred to the Committee on Military ing for the repeal of the silver-purchasing clause of the so-called Affairs. Sherman law, which were ordered to lie on· the table. Mr. GALLINGER introduced a bill (8. 838) for the relief of Mr. McMILLAN presented a petition of manufacturers, mer Col. Jesse H. Strickland, Eighth Tennessee Cavalry, United chants, vesselmen, and other citizens of Det.roit, Mich., praying States Volunteers; which was read twice by its title, and referred for the repeal of the sil ver-purch~ing clause of the so-called to the Committee on Military' Affairs. Sherman law; which was ordered to lie on the table. . . Mr. QUAY (by request) introduced a bill (S. 839) granting an Mr. HOAR presanted the petition of TimothyT. Sawyer, pres ~ncr~ase of penswn to George J. B~nd; which was read twice by ident of the Warran Institution for Savings, and other citizens Its title, and referred to the Committee on Pensions. · of Charlestown, Mass., and the petition of the George H. Gilbert He also (by request) introduced a bill (8. 810) granting an in Manufacturing Company and numerous citizens of Ware, Mass., c:ease of pension to James E. Engle; which was read twice by its praying for the unconditional repe3l of the so-called Sherman title; and referred to the Committee on Pensions. silver law; which were ordered to lie on the table. . He also introduced a bill (S. 841) to amend sections 41: and 30, Mr. FAULKNER presented a petition of the Board of Trade of title 52, of the Revised Statutes of the United States; which was Parkersburg, W.Va., praying for the repeal of tbe silver-pur read twice by its title, and, with the accompanying papers, re chasing clause of the so-called Sherman law; which was ordered ferred to the Committee on Naval Affairs. to lie on tbe table. Mr. BUTLER introduced a bill (S. 842)to provide for the pur· Mr. BUTLER presented the petition of Thomas D. Richard chase of lands adjoining the United States naval station, Port son a.lld others, representing tbe people of Beaufort, S.C., pray Royal, S.C.; which was read twice by its title, and referred to ing for Federal aid and relief for the sufferers by the late cyclone; the Committee on Naval Affairs. which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations. :M:r. McPHERSON introduced a bill (S. 843) for the relief of Mr. WALTHALL presented a petition numerously signed by Bvt. Col. Thomas P. O'Reilly; which was read twice by its title, citizens of Port Gibson, Miss., praying for the repeal of the sil and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. ver-purchasing clause of the so-c3lled Sherman law; which was Mr. PETTIGREW introduced a bill (S. 844) for the relief of ordered to lie on the table. W. L. Hall; which was read twice by its titie, and referred to the Mr. KYLE presented a petition of citizens of Aberdeen, S. Committee on Claims. . Dak., praying for the repeal of the so-called Sherman silver law; He also introduced a bill (S. 845) granting a pension to George which was ordered to lie on the table. Gamache; which was read twice by its title, and referred to the He also presented a memorial of citizens of Aberdeen, S. Dak., Committee on Pensions. remonstrating against the repeal of the silver-purchasing Mr. ALLISON introduced a bill (S. 846) for the construction clause of the so-called Sherman law; which was ordered to lie on ?fa public building at Clinton, Iowa; which was read twice by the table. Its title, and referred to the Committee on Public Buildings and Mr. MITCHELL of Wisconsin presented the petition of Grounds. Stephen Bull, Jackson I. Case, B. B. Northrup and others, mer He also introduced a bill (S. 847) to amend section 707 of the chants and manufacturers of Racine, Wis., praying for the Revised Statutes; which was read twice by its title, and referred repeal of the purchasing clause of the so-called Sherman silver to the Committee on the Judiciary. law and favoring the appointment of an expert commission to He also introduced a bill (8. 8;18) authorizing the Secretary of devise an improved system of national currency; which was ·War to place the name of Hugh McClain on the roll of the First ordered to lie on the table. Regiment of Iowa Cavalry; which was read twice by its title, - Mr. HANSBROUGH. I present a petition of 14 residents of and referred to the Committee on Mill t:1ry Affairs. Northwoo:l, N. Dak., praying for the repeal of the so-called He also introduced a bill (S. 849) for the relief of Jean Louis Sherman silver act. This petition seems to bear the impress of Legare, of Dominion of Canada; which was read twice by its having beensentout fromacommonc:mter. It is nicely printed, title, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. and has evidently bean sent to interior banks throughout the He also introduced a bill (S. 850) to refund to the State of Iowa country. I find on it a note, which reads: the amounts paid by said State to the noncommissioned officers Get signed and send to your Senator or Representative without delay. and enlisted men of the Second and Third Regiments Iowa Volun I move that the petition lie on the table. teer Infantry, for gray uniforms charged to them by the United The motion was agreed to. States mustering and disbursing officers when they were mus Mr. BATE preRented a petition of citizens of Lake, Dyer, and tered into the United States service in May and June, 18tH and Obion Counties, in the State of Tennessee, praying that an ap afterwards ordered to be discarded and blue uniforms substituted propriation be made for the purpose of building a levee from therefor; which was read twice by its title, and referred to the Hickman, Ky., to the highlands at or near Island No. 10, in the Committee on Military Affairs. State of Tennessee; which was referred to the Committee on He also introduced a bill (S. 851) to settle and adjust the claims Commerce. of any State for expenses incurred by it in defense of the Mr. ALLISON presented a petition of the Business Men's As United States; which was read twice by its title, and, with the sociation of Davenport, Iowa, praying for the repeal of the Sher accompanying papers, referred to the Committee on Claims. man silver law, and for the appointment of a representative . Mr. McPHERSO~ (by r~quest ) introduced a bill (S. 852) to commission to inquire into the whole subject of the currency, to mcorporate the Natwnal Light and Fuel Company; which was report to the next regular session of Congress; which was or read twice by its title, and referred to the Committee on the dered to lie on the table. District of Columbia. He also presented a resolution of Algona Grange, No. 1684, Mr. PEFFER (by request) introduced a bill (S. 853) to ad Patrons of Husbandry of Iowa, favoring the coinage of all gold vance le:;~,rning, the arts and sciences, and to promote the gen and silver mined in the United States, remonstrating against eral welfare by founding a college of scientific learning in the the repeal of the law taxing State banks, and praying that all District of Columbia; which was read twice by its title, and re money shall be issued by the General Government: also favoring ferred to the Committee on the District of Columbia. an increase in the currency equal to $50 per capita; which was PURCHASE OF SILVER BULLION. ordered-to lie on the table. Mr. FAULKNER. Mr. President, I desire to give notice that He also presented memo"rials of the Advance Farmers' Alli I shall ask the indulgence of the Senate on Friday, immediately ance, No. 568, of Shelby County, and of the Lynn Farmers' Alli after the morning business, to submit some remarks upon the ance of Montgomery County, in theStJte of Iowa, remonstrating pending .financial measure, which is the unfinished business. against the repeal of the so-called Sherman silver law, unless there be first enacted. a law providing for the free and unlimited DISTRICT GARBAGE. coin:::tge of silver at the present ratio of 16 to 1; which were or Mr. VANCE. I submit a resolution and ask its reference to dered to lie on the hble. the Committee on the District of Columbia, as it relates to the He alsopresentedapetition of members of the Mississippi Val abatement of a nuisance in this District. ley Hardware Association, and a petition of business men of The resolution was read, and referred to the Committee on the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, praying for the repeal of the silver-purchas District of Columbia, as follows: · ing clause of the so-called Sherman law; which were ordered to Be it 1·esolved, etc., That the Commissioners ot the District of Columbia are lie on the table. hereby directed to immediately report to the Senate why they have permit- 1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1209 ted a factory for boiling and manufacturing into fertilizers a.llgarba.ge and REDEMPTION IN SILVER, ETC. dead animals collected in the District of Columbia. within the city limits at the toot of South Capitol street. The VICE-PRESIDENT. The Chair lays before the Senate a. Also the distance of said factory from the Capitol, and it its location at resolution submitted by the Senator from Nebraska[Mr. ALLEN], said point is not in violation of the health ordinances of the District of Co lumbia, approved by joint resolution of Congress April24, 1880; coming over from yesterday. It will be read. Also, how far said factory is located from any sewer, and it the otral es T.ile Secretary read the resolution submitted yesterday by Mr. caping therefrom is not drained into the open gutters of South Capitol ALLEN, as follows: street and onto the stagnant marshes in the rear of said factory, in viola tion of an ordinance of theold corporation of Washington, approved August R esolved. That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to furnish to the 16, 1862. ~enate , without unnecessary delay, full information on the following sub Also, it the contractor is not required by the terms of his contract tore Jects: move outsiue of the limits of the District of Columbia all garbage and 1. Whethe~ the Treasury Department has, at any time, redeemed any por dea{]. animals that he collects, or consume them to ashes; and, it so. why he tion of the s1lver or coin certificates in silver coin, as provided by the act of is allowed to manufacture such decayed and otrensive substances into fertil July 14, 1890, commonly known as the Sherman act, and it so, when and what izers within the limits of the city of Washington. amount has been thus redeemed. Also 11 he is paid an extra. price for ma.nufacturing said garbage and dead 2. What amount, in coinage value, of silver bullion purchased by the animais into fertilizers, instead of incinerating them; and, if so, how much. Tre as~ry Department under the act of July 14, 1890, and subject to coinage, Also, it said contractor is paid an extra price for collecting, daily, the in the disc!etion of the Secretary of t~e Treasury, remains uncoined, and garbage of the entire cities of Washington and Georgetown; and, it so, how why said s1lver bulliou has not been comed and paid out, in accordance with much; and it the complaints from citizens and reports of inspectors do not the provisions of said act. show that said garbage is not collected daily. 3. Whether any part, and, if so, what part, of the paper money redeemed in gold by the Treasury Dt>partment since March 4, 1893, was canceled after HOUR OF MEETING. redemption or in any manner withheld from general circulation. The VICE-PRESIDENT. The question is on agreeing to the Mr. VOORHEES. I submit a resolution for consideration, resolution. which I ask may go over, subject to be called up for action to to morrow morning at the close o! the routine business. Mr. ALLISON. I suggest the S.:matorfrom Nebraska that he strike out the words" without unnecessary delay." I think The resolution was read, as follows: tha t phra..c::e is unusual in a resolution of inquiry. Resolved, That on Thursday, the 7th day of September, and until further order of the Senate, the daily hour of meeting be 11 o'clock a. m. Mr. ALLEN. I will do so. Let the resolution be so modified. The VICE-PRESIDENT. The amendment suggested will be The VICE-PRESIDENT. The resolution will go over under St
Mt·. PEFFER. Mr. President, when the Senate adjourned Section 8 and following of the a~t of January 18, 1837, are as yesterday I was calling attention to the peculiar phraseology of follows: the law with regard to the value of the dollar. We commonly SEc. 8. .And be it fu1'tker enacted, That the standard for both gold and sn say that the silver dollar is the unit of value. The unit of value ver coins of the United States shall hereafter be such that of one thousand parts by weight nine hundred shall be of pure metal and one hundred of al is the dollar simply, and its value as specified in the act of Con loy, and the alloy ot the silver coins shall be ot copper, and the alloy or the gress of April 2, 1792, section 9, is the value of the Spanish gold coins shall be of copper and silver, pro>ided that the silver do n ot e:x: milled dollar. The amount of silver contained in the Spanish ceed one-half of the whole alloy. SEc. 9. .And be it f urther macted, That of the silver coins the dollar shall milled dollar was ascertained by melting one thousand clean be of the weight of four hundred and twelve and one-half grains; the ha.l.f Spanish dollars of different dates, and dividing the product in dollar of the weight of two hundred and six and one-fourth grains ; the pure silver by 1,000. It was found that the quotient was quarter dollar of tne weight of one hundred and three and one-eighth grains· the dime, or tenth part of a dollar, or the weight or forty-one and a quar' 37U grains, and that has been the val ue of the dollar from that tar grains; a.nd the half dime, or twentieth part of a. dollar, of the weigh day until this. of twenty grains and five-eighths of a grain. And that dollars, half dollars The word ':value" must relate to either one or the other of andqua.rter dolla.rs, dimes, andhalf dimes shall be legal t enders of payment' according to their nominal value, for any sums whate>er. two things. It must relate to the weight in silver or else it SEc. 10. .And be it .further enacted, That of the gold coins the weight of the must relate to the value of products in general use which that eagle shall be two hundJ:ed and fifty-eight grains; that of the half eagle one much silver would purchase in the open market; and while the hundred and twenty-nine grains; and that of the quarter eagle sixty-four latter view is, I think, the correct one in monetary philosophy, and one-half grains. And that for all sums whatever the eagle shall be a yet our laws haveconstantlyrecognizedtheformer-the weight. ~~~~~e~~ra~a~f~J~~~or $10, the half eagle for $5, and the quarter eagle If you will examine the act of February 9, 1793, you · will find SEc. 11 . .And be it fw·ther enacted, That the silver coins heretofore issued at the mint of the United States, and the gold coins issued since the 31st day of that silver coins and gold coins of foreign nations then current July,1834, shall continue to be legal tenders of payment for their nominal in this country, were made legal tender in payment of debts at values on the same terms as it they were o! the coinage pron ded tor by this certain specified weights. You will find by consulting the act act. >II q of 1834, and again the act of 1837 1 and again the act oi 1857 and * * * • * the act of 1873, that the same rule of weight has been main SEC. 14. And be itfttrtl!.er enacttd, That gold and silver bullion brought to the mint for coinage shall be received and coined, by the proper o.m.cers, fOI tained uniformly. I submit the sections of those acts: the benefit or the depositor: Provided That it shall be lawful to refuse, at the Sections 9 and 11 of the act of April 2, 1792, are as follows: mint, any deposits of less value than 1il!100 and any bullion so base as to be un SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That there shall be from time to time suitable for the operation of the mint: .And provided also, ThaLwhen gold and struck and coined at the said mint, coins of gold, silver, and copper, of the sliver are combined, if either of these metals be 1n such small proportions following denominations, values, and descriptions, viz: Eagles-t:ach to be that it can not be separated advantageously, no allowance shall be made to of the value of ten dollars or units, and to contain two hundred and forty the depositor for the value of such metal. seven grains and four-eighths of a grain o1 pure, or two hundred and seventy SEC. 15. And bt it further enacted, That when bullion is brought to the min grains of standard gold. Half eagles-each to be of the va.l ue of 11 ve dollars, for coinage it shall be weighed by the Treasurer, in the presence of the de and to contaii:. one hundred a.nd twenty-three grains and six-eighths ot a positor, when practicable, and a receipt given which shall state the descrip grain of pure, or one hundred and thirty-five gra.ins of standard gold. Quar tion and weight of the bullion: Provtded, That when the bullion is in such ter eagles-each to be of the value of two dollars and a half-dollar, and~to a state as to require melting before its value can be ascertained the weight cont ain sixty-one grains and seven-eighths of a grain of pure, or sixty-seven after melting shall be considered as the true weight of the bullion deposited grains and four-eighths of a grain of standard gold. Dollars or units-each Thepointiwish tomake,anditistheonlyonein the conclusion to be of the value of a Spanish mllled dollar as the same is now current, a.nd to contain three hundred and seventy-one grains and four-sixteenths parts of of this address, is that to-day, as in 1792 and in all the interven a grain of pure, or four hundred and sixteen grains of standard silver. ing years, the value of the dollar, notwithstanding it is made in Half dollars-each to be of half the value of the dollar or unit, and to con gold now, is 37H grains of pure silver, with the alloy as speci tain one hundred and eighty-five grains and ten sixteenths parts of a grain of pure, or two hundred and eight grains of standard silver. Quarter dol· fi.ed in the law, and that in all our coinage history the laws have lars--ea.ch to be of one-fourth the val u of the dollar or unit, and to contain provided gold should be measured by silver. ninety-two grains and thirteen-sixteenth pars of a grain of pure, or one The coinage report of 1834, before alluded to, states in so many hundredandfourgrains ofstandard silver. Dimes-each to beofthevalueof one-tenth of a dollar or unit, and to contain thirty-seven grains and two-six words that the object of the committee was to make the value teenth parts of a grain of pure, or forty-one grains and three-fifth parts of a of gold coin conform to its value in silver, and in the act of that grain of standard silver. Half-dimes--eacn to be of the value of one-twentieth year Congress reduced the weight of gold ingold coins 6percent. of a dollar, and tocontaineighteengrains and nine-sixteenth parts of a grain In to ot pure, or twenty grains and four-fifth parts of a grain of standard silver. every act relating the subject the silver measure has been Cents-each to be of the value o.f the one-hundredth part of a dollar, and preserved. Even the demonetization act of 1873 does not change to cont:l.in eleven pennyweights of copper. Half-cents-each to be of the the rule, though it has always been construed as if it did. value of half a cent, and to contain five pennyweights and half a penny I repeat, so that Senators need not mistake my meaning, the weight of copper. value of the dollar which we use is not 25.8 grains of gold, but * • e e $ ~ * SEc. 11 . .And be it f -u1·ther enacted, That the proportional value of gold to it is 37H grains of pure silver; that that was the amount found silver in all coins which shall by law be current as money within the United and ena~ted to be the value of the dollar in 1792, and that it has States, shall be as fifteen to one, according to quantity in weight, of v.ure been kept up continuously until the present time. gold or pure silver; that is to say, every fifteen pounds weight of pure silver shall beolequal valueinallpaymentswithonepound weight of puregold,and I now read a few lines from section 14 of the act of February so inproportion as to any greater or less quantities of the respective metals. 12, 1873: Section 1, of this act of February 9, 1793, is as follows: That the gold coins of the United States shall be a one-dollar piece, which at the standard weight of 25.8 grains, shall be the unit of value. ' SECTION 1. Be it enacted by tiLe Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of .A.1nerica in Congress assembled, That from and after the first A gold dollar of the standard weight ol 25.8 grains of ~old day of July next, foreign gold and silver coins shall pass current as money shall be the unit of value. This "unit of value" wa.s descr1bed Within the United States, and be a legal tender for the payment of a.ll debts and demands, at the several and respective rates following, and not other and provided for in the act of 1792, and it has been preserved wise. viz: The gold coins of Great Britain and Portugal, of their present from ·that time to this, if the law be strictly construed. It is standard, a.ttherate of one hundred cents for eve1'Y twenty-seven grains of 37H grains oi pure silver that constitutes the value of the dol the actual weight thereof; thegoldcoinsofFrance, Spain, and the dominions of Spain, of their vresent standard, at the rate of one hundred cents tor every lar, the lawful dollar. The 25.8 grains dollar provided for in twenty-seven grams and two-fifths of a ~ain , of the actual wetght thereof. section 14 of the act of February 12, 1873, simply provides that Spanish milled dOllars, at the rate of one hundred cents for each dollar, the the g.old coin, not the value of it, shall be substituted for the sil actual weight whereof shall not be less than seventeen pennyweights and seven grains; and in proportion for the parts of a dollar. Crowns of France, ver coin when we refer to the unit of value. The value remains at the rate of one hundred and ten cents for each crown, the actual weight the same, though the metal of the coin be changed~ The dollar whereof shall not be less than eighteen pennyweights and sevent-engrains, is the standard-not metal of any kind. - and in proportion for the parts of a crown. But no foreign coin that may have been, or shall be issued subsequent to the first day of January, seventeen hundred and ninety-two, shall be a tender, a.s aforesaid, until samples thereof APPEND~ A. shall have been found, by assay, at the Mint of the United States, to be com:l'ormable to the respective standard required, and proclamation thereof Coinage of the United States mints fi'Om 18~0 to 1890, incluBtve. shall have been made by the President of the United States. Total coinage. Section 1 of the act of March 3,1849, is as follows: Calendar years. Be it enactea by the BeMte and House of Representatives of the United States of Gold. Silver. Minor. Total. America in Co ng1•ess aBsembted, That there shall be, from time to time, struck and coined at the Mint of the United States and the branches thereof, con- ormably in all respects to law (except that on the reverse of the gold dollar 1840 _.. _•...•.•• -... $1, 675, 482. fiO $1,726,703. 00 $24,627.00 $3,425, 812.W the figure of t he eagle shall be omitted), and conformably in all respects to 1841...... 1,091,857.50 1, 132,750.00 15,973.67 2, 240,581.17 the standard for gold coins now established by law, coins of gold of the fol 1842______1,829,407.50 2, 332, 750. 00 23,833.90 4,180, 991.40 lowing denomination and values, viz: double eagles, each to be of the va.lue 1843 ...••••• ··--.••• 8, 108. 797. 50 3, 834,750. 00 24, 283.20 11,967,830.70 of t wenty dollars or unit;,, and gold dollars, each to be of the value of one 1844______5,4..97, 670.00 2, 285, 550. 00 23, 987.52 7, 687, 207. 52 . dollar, or unit s. 1845 --·······-···--· 3, 75tl, 447.50 1, 873, 200. ()() 38, 948.0! 5, 668, 595. 44 1846______4,031,177.50 2, 558, 580. 00 41,208. ()() 6, 633, 965. 50 Section 3 of the act of February 21, 1857, is as follows: 1847 .. ·-·· ...... 20,202,325.00 2, 374, ~50 . ()() 61,836.69 22, 638, 611. 69 SEC. 3. .And be it f urther enacted, That all former acts authorizing the cur 1848 ···-.•.• •••• •.•• 3, 775. 512. 50 2, 040, 050. ()() 64,1:>7. 99 5, 879, 720, 49 rency of foreign gold or silver voins, and declaring the same a legal t-ender 1849______9,007, 761.50 2, 114, !lf.O. ()() 41,984.32 11,104,695.82 in payment for debts, are hereby repealed; but it shall be the duty of the 1850 ______31,931,733.50 1, 866,100.00 44, 46i. 50 33, 892. 306. 00 Director of the Mint to cause assays to be made, from time to time, of such 1851.. .•• • ••••. •..•• 62, 614, 492. 50 774, 3!n'.OO 99,635.43 63, 488, 524. 93 foreign coins as may be known to our commerce, to determine their average 1852 ___ !"______56,846,187.50 999,410,00 50,630.94 57,896,228.44 weight, fineness, and vruue, and to embrace iu his annual report a. statement 1853 ______39,377,909.00 9, 077,571.00 67,059. 78 48, 522, 539, 78 of the result thereof. 1854...... 25,915,962.50 8, 619, 270. 00 42, 638.85 34, 577, 870. 85 - 1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1211--
Ooinags of the Unitea Stales mints from 1840 to 1890, inclusive-Continued. UNITED STATES COINAGE LAWS. Mr. STEWART. Mr. President, the United States Mintwn.s Total coina.ge. established by the acto! April2, 1792. The gold coins consisted Calendar years. Gold. Silver. Minor. Total. of the ten, five, and two-and-a-half-dollar pieces. The silver coins consisted of dollars: half-dollars, quarter-dollars, dimes, and half-dimes. 1855 ------$29,887,968.00 $3, 501, 245. 00 $16,030.79 ~. 905, 2!3. 79 1856 ------36,857,768.50 5, 142.,2-lO.OO ' 27,106. 78 42, 027, 115. 28 The act declared- 5, 478, 760.00 178,010.46 ~. 870,810.46 '1857 ------32,214,040.00 That the proportional value of gold tosilve1·inall coins which shall by law 1858------22,938,413.50 8, 495, 370. 00 2<16,000. 00 31, 679, 783. 50 3, 284, 450. 00 '364,000.00 18, 429, 020. 00 be current as money within the United States, shall be as 15 to 1, according 1859------14, 780; 570.00 to quantity in weiO"ht, of pure gold or pure sil>er~ that is to say, every fif 1860 ----·------23,473,654.00 2, 259, 390. 00 205,660.00 25,938, 70!. 00 1861______83,395,530.00 3, 783,740. 00 101,000.00 87' 280, 270. {)() teen pounds' weight of pure silver shall be of equal value in all payments with one pound weight or pure gold, a.nd so in ~roportion as to any greater 1862------20,875,997.50 1, 252,516.50 280,750.00 22, 409, 264.. 00 809,267.80 498,400.00 23, 753, 149. 80 or less quantities of the respective metals. (Laws relating to loans, cur 1863------22,445,482.00 rency, etc., 1886; page 213.) 1864-- ··------20,081,415.00 609,917.10 926,687.14 21, 618,019. 24 1865 ------·---- 28,295,107.50 691,005.00 9e8,552.86 29' 954, 655. 36 The silver dollar was the unit of account, and consisted of 37H 1866 ------31,435,945.00 982,409.25 1, 042, 960. 00 33,461,314.25 1867------23,8.?.8,625.00 908,876.25 1,819, 910. 00 26, 557' 411. 23 grains of pure silver, or 416 grains of standard silver. The dol 1868 ------19,871,387.50 1, 074, 343. 00 1,697,150.00 22, 14!!, 880.50 lar contained 3t grains more of alloy than the present silver 1869 ------17,582,987.50 1, 266, 143.00 963,000.00 19,812,130.50 dollar, but exactly the same amount of pure silver. There was 1870 ------· 23,198,787.50 1, 378,255.50 3.'50,325. 00 2!, 927,368.00 no gold dollar coined. The eagle, which was $10, contained 24H 1871 ------· 21,032,685.00 3, 104, 038. 30 99,890.00 24, 236, 613. so 1872------·----- 21,812,645.00 2, 50!, 488. 50 369,380.00 24, 685, 513. 50 grains of pure gold, which would make the dollar, if such acoin 1873 ------57,022,747.50 4, O".A, 747. 60 379,455.00 61,426,950. 10 had been struck, contain 2-li grains of pure gold. 1874 ------35, 25!, 630. co 6, 851,776.70 342,475.00 42,448, 881. 70 Section 14: of the act declared- 1875 ------32,951,940.00 15,347,892.00 2<16, 970. 00 48, 546, 803. (X) 1876------46,579,452.50 24, 503, 307. 50 210,800.00 71,293,560.00 That it sha.ll be lawful for any person or persons to bring to the said mint 1877 ------43,999, 86-i. 00 28, 393, 0:15. 50 8,5;?;>. 00 72,401.431.50 gold and sil>er bullion, in order to their being coined; and that the bullion 1878 ------49,786,052.00 28, 518,850. (j() 58,186.50 78, 363, 038. 50 so brought shall be there assayed and coined as speedily as may be after the 1879 ------39,080,080.00 27,569,776.00 165,003.00 66, 814, 859. 00 receipt thereof, and that free of expense to the person or persollB by whom 1880 ------62,808,279.00 27,411,693.75 391,395.95 90,111,368.70 the same shall have been brought. 1881 ------96,850,890.00 27, 9W, 1Q3. 75 428,151.75 125,219,205.50 1882 ----·------65,887,685.00 27,973, 132:00 960,400.00 94,821,217.00 The act of June 28, 1834, reduced the quantity of gold in the 1883 ------·----- 29,241,990.00 29, 246, 968. 45 1, 604, 770. 41 60, 093, 728. 86 gold coins and made the eagle or ten-dollar piece cont3,in 2~ 1884 ------·------23,991,756.50 28,534,866.15 796,483.78 53, se ... , 100.43 grains of pure gold or 258 grains of st3.ndard gold, which would 1885 ------· 27,773,012.50 28,962,176.20 191,622.04 56, 926, 810. 74 1886------28,945,542.00 32, 086, 709. 90 3!3,186.10 61, 37.'5, 438. 00 require only 23.20 grains of pure gold to make the dollar, or 1887------23,972,383.00 35,191,081.40 1' 215. 686. 26 60,319, 150.66 25.8 grains of standard gold. This reduction changed the ratio 1888------31,380,808.00 33. 025, OO'i. 45 912,200.78 65, 818, 615. 23 from 15 to 1 to 16 to 1. 1889 ----·-----·----- 21,413,931.00 35, 496,-683. 15 1, 283, 408. 49 58, 194, 022. 64 1890 --- ;...... 2/J, 467,182.50 39, 202, 908. 20 1, 334,792.14 61, o;;.t, 882.84 The act of January 18, 1837, reduced the alloy in the coins to one-tenth of the weight. The standard dollar by that act con t9.ined 37H grains of pure silver, or 4l2t grains of standard silver, APPENDIX B. which is the same as the standard dollar now coined. The gold Total gala and sil~er used as money of the world, in fm·m of coin. and bullion, dollar, if such a coin had been authorized, would have contained and am
H Great Britain will reduce the value of her sovereign 2 pence, and ·the terence, relieving the whole subject, by a single stroke of the pen. from the United States will reduce the value of her dollar something over 3 cents, perplexity, and, indeed, the impossibility of permanently unifying the mul we then have a coinage in the franc, dollar, and aovereign easily computed, tipllcity of silver coins scattered through the various nations of Europe. It a.nd which will readily pass in all countries; the dollar as 5 francs, and the is a matter of world-wide congratulation that on this vital point the dele sovereign as 25 francs. gates from the nineteen nations represented in the conference were unani This will put an end to the loss and intricacies of exchange and discount. mous, not excepting France itself, so strongly wedded by its nationai tradi Our gold. dollar is certainly as good a. unit of value as the franc, and so the tions to a double standard. English think of their p ound sterling. These coins are now exchangeable It will be see;n by the report of the discussions (sixth ''seance," pages 79 only at considerable loss, and this exchange is a. profit only to brokers and to 82) that the subject of the "common denominator," or unit of gold, elic bankers. Surely each commercial nation should be willing to yield a little ited a considerable dil'rerence of opinion. A denominator or unit equl\·alent to secure a. gold coin of equal value, weight, and diameter, from whatever to and equiponderant with the existing gold &-franc coin of France wa.s ac mint it may have been issued. tively supported by the United States and by Austria., Russia, Switzerland, As the gold 5-franc piece is now in use by over 60,000,000 of people of Portuga.l, and other nations. The delegates from Great Britain and from several di1ferent nationalities, and is of convenientform and size, it may well Sweden urged, in preference, a. denominator or unit or 10 francs. b& adopted by other nations as the common standard of value; leaving to The question was finally decided by a. for mal vote by ayes a11d noes, on a each nation to regulate the divisions of this unit in silver coins or tokens. roll call of the nations, which resui ted in a large majority in favor of the de If this is done France will surely abandon the impossible e1Jort of making nominat.or or unit of 5 francs, thirteen (1 3) nations voting in its favor, and two standards of value. Gold coins will answer all the purposes of Euro two (2), Great Britain and Sweden, in favor of the 10 francs. The delegates pean commerce. A common gold standard will regulate silver coinage, or from Prussia, Baden, Bavaria, and Wurtemburg abstained frorp voting, which the United States will furnish the greater part, especially for the mainly in view of exist'...ng stipulation,; in local monetary conventiilis, which Chinese trade. tempvrarily embarrassed their a -::tion. I have thought a good deal of how the object you propose may be most On all these questions the interests of monetary unifi.cation were mate readily accomplished. It is clear that the United St at.es can not become a rially advanced by the publication a.t Paris of the concise but admirable let party to the treaty referred to. They could not agree upon the silver stand ter from the Hon. JoHN SHERMAN, Sen ator in Congress from the Stat e of ard, nor could we limit the amount of our coinage, as proposed by the treaty. Ohio, a copy of which has been already communicated to the Departm ent of The United States is so large in extent, is so sparsely populated, and the State, but which for more convenient r eference is now transmit ted here price of labor is so much higher than ;n Europe, that we require more cur· with in duplicate with its French translation. rency per capita. We now produce the larger part of the gold and silver of the world, and can not limit our coinage, except by the wants of om· peopre His opinions are unmistakably expressed in the following ex and the demands of commerce. tracts: Congress alone can change the value of our coin. I see no object in nego As the ~old 5-franc piece is now in use by over sixty millions of people of tiating with otherpowers on the subject. As coin is not now in general circula several di1Jerent nationalities, and is of convenient form and size, it may tion wit!J us, we can readily fix bylaw tl: e size, weight, and measure of future well be adopted by other nations as a. common standard of value, leaving to issues. It is not worth while to negotiate about that which we can do with each nation to regulate the divisions of this unit in silver coin or tokens. out negotiation, and we do not wish to limit ourselves by treaty restrict ions. If this is done France will surely abandon the impossible etrort of making In England many persons of influence and different chambers of com two standards of value. Gold coius will answer all the purposes of Euro merce are earnestly in favor of the propos~d change in their coinage. The pean commerce. A common gold stan dard will regulate silver coinage. change is so slight with them that an enlightened self-interest will soon in 'In England many persons of influence and di1Jerent chambers are eru:n· duce them to make it, especially if we make the greater change in our coin estly in favor of the proposed change in the coinage. The change is so slight age. We will have some ditilcultyin adju::;ting existing contracts with the with them that an enlightened self-interest will soon induce them to make new dollar; but as contracts are now based upon the fiuctuatingvalue of pa it, especially if we make the greater change in our coinage.-Senate Execu per money, even the reduced d~Uarin coin will have more purchasable value than our currency. tive JJocument No. 14, Fortieth Congress, second session, pages 99, 100.' · We can easily adjust the reduction with the public creditors in the pay ment or conversion of their securities, while private creditor& might be au The English Government wa.s represented at the conference as thori:?,ed to recover upon the old standard. an advocate of the single gold standa rd. Mr. Rivers Wilson, the All these are matters of detail, to which I hope the commission will direct delegate, read the following declaration: their n.ttention. And now, my dear sir, allow me to say in conclusion that I heartily sym Before recommencing a discussion of the lists of questions, the English in delep:ates deem it their duty to the Government they represent, to the mem pathize with you and others your efi'orts to secure the adoption of the bers of the conference, and particularly to the Government of the Emperor, metrical system or weights and measures. by whose invitation they are present, and to prevent any misunderstanding, 'l'he tendency of the age is to break down all needless restrictions upon so to indicate their delicate and exceptional situation. They are convinced of cial and commercial intercourse. Nations are now M much akin to each the necessity of this declaration from the serious and practical turn t he dis- other as provinces were of old. cussion has borne to this time, and particularly from the high signification Prejudices disappear by contact. People of different nations learn to re that must attach in public opinion to the presidency of his imperial high spect each other as they find that their differences are the efi'ect of social ness, Prince Napoleon, and to the labors which must result from it. and local custom not founded upon good reasons. The English Government was obliged to accept the cordial invitation I trust that the industrial commission will enable the world to cempute from the Government of the Emperor to participate in this conference, be· the value of all productions by the same standard, to measure by the same cause a refusal would have shown a want of courtesy and would have made yard or meter, and weigh by the same scales. it liable to accusations of prejudices upon this very imnortant question. Such a result would be of greater value than the usual employments of di Indeed, the English nation is in a position much more independent upon plomatists and statesmen. this question than most continental nations. I am, very truly, yours, So long as public opinion has not decided in favor of a change of the pres JOHN SHERMAN. ent system, which ofi'ers no serious inconveniences, either in wholesale or (Senate Executive Document No. 14, Fortieth Congress, second session, retail trade, and until it shall be incontestably demonstrated that a new pages 107 to llO.) system ofi'ers advantages sufil.ciently commanding to justify the abandon Mr. Ruggles, soon after the receipt of the above letter, ob ment of that which is approved by experience and rooted in the habits of the people, the English Government could not believe it to be its duty to tained an interview with the Emperor Louis Napoleon, and in take the initiative in assimilating its coinage with those of. the countries of the report of that interview, among other things, says: the continent. It was then st-ated t o the Emperor that an eminent American statesman, But the English Government will always be ready to aid any attempt to Mr. SHERMAN, Senator from Ohio, chairman of the Finance Committee of enlighten and ~uide public opinion in the appreciation of the question, and the Senate of t he United Stat.es, and recently in Paris, had written an im facilitate the discussion of the means by which such an assimilation, so ad· portant and interesting letter, expressing his opinion that the gold dollar of vantageous in theory, may be e1Jected. the United States ought to be, and readily might be, redu~d by Congress Thus, while consenting to be represented in this conference, the English in weight and value to correspond with the gold 5·franc piece of France; Government has found it necessary to place the most careful restrictions that the letter is now before the international committee having the ques upon its delegates; their part is simply to listen to the di1Jerent arguments, tion of uniform coin under special examination, to which letter, as being to study the situation as developed in the discussion, and to report to their one of the best interpretations of the views of the American people, the at Government. Thus far they have found no difflcul ty in voting in favor of all tention of the public authorities of France was respectfully invited. The the propositions adopted by the conference, because their principles agree E mperor then closed the audience by repeating the assurances of his grati with the system now in force in England. But they cannot vote for any fl.ca tion that the importan t international measure in question was likely to questi~ntendingto bind their Government, or express any opinion to induce receive active support ft•om the United States. the belief that Great Britain will adopt the convention of 1865.-Senate Ex The letter of Mr. SHERMAN above referred to, dated the 18th of May, 1867, ecutive Document, No. 14, Fortieth Congress, second session, page 55. originally writt-en in English, was presented in a French translation a few days afterwards to the internation al committee in full session, where it was Mark the language: r eceived with unusual inter est and ordered by the committee to be printed The English delegates had found no difil.culty in voting in favor of all the in both la.ngua.ges.-(Senate Executive Docununt No. H, Fortieth Congress propositions adopted by the conference, because their principles agree with second session, page 9.) the system now in force in England. But they can not vote for any qu estion tending to bind their Government or express any opinion to induce t he be This letter wa.s presented by Mr. Ruggles to the international lief that Great Britain will adopt the convention of 1865. committee, a.s appears from the following extract from his letter The convention of 1865 established the Latin Union, which was to Mr. Seward of July 18, 1867: the bimetallic union of Europe. The earnest efforts of the Eng On the 17th of May the undersigned presented to the international com mittee the letter of Senator Sherman in a French translation, which was lish delegation, of Mr. Ruggles, the delegate from the United received with lively interest and forthwith ordered, with the approbation or States, and of Mr. SHERMAN, chairman of the Committee on Fi the imperia.l commission, to be published both in French and English. It is nance of the Senate of the United States, procured a decision of but due to the history of unification of money to state that the earnest and active agitation of this subject in a practical form, on the part of the United the confere ~ ce in favor of the single gold standard. England Sta.tes, exerted its full share of influence in leading the Government of and the United States inaugurated the movement for a gold F rance to adopt the decisive measure of inviting in diplomatic form an au standard in t h e conference of 1867, and by the aid of Mr. SHER thoritative "conference " of delegates, duly accredited from all the nations of the European and American world practically accessible, to meet at P aris MAN'S letter secured the recommendation. The report of Mr. on the 17th of J une, not merely for an exchange of views or a discussion of Ruggles, portions only of which have been quoted, abunda ntly general principles, but 'practically to seek for the basis ot ulterior nego establishes this most importa nt fact. t iat.ion' between the natiOns. "-Senate .Executive Document No. 14, Fortieth Congress, second session, page 13. Mr. HOAR. I should like to a sk the Senator, while he is giv SHERMAN·s POWERFUL INFLUENCE FOR MONOMETALLISM. ing the history of that question, whether that report of Mr. Rug In his report of November 7, 1867, pa,ges 99 and 100, Mr. Rug gles was not asked for by a vote of the Senate at the time, and gles said: whether it was not communicated to the Senate by the Treasury The establishment of the single standard exclusively of gold is, in truth, Department, and published a.s a Senate document? thil cardinal, if not the all-important feature of the plan proposed by the con- Mr. STEWART. At the time?· . ~ 1214 OONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. SEPTElVIBER 5s
Mr. HOAR. Yes. nine-tenths fino shall be so received, but all others by a.ssa.y. And in payments at the mint fo1· both gold and silver coins above specitlel, the value shall be Mr. STEWART. It was sometime afterwards, I believe. rendered a ccording to the 1>eigh ts prescribed in the 1lrst and second sections Mr. HOAR. Within a few weeks or months? of this act; and there shall be no charge for coinage, seignioragt>, or internal Mr. STEWART. Did the Senator ever read it? revenue; and on ali other deposits or gold for coinage the charge shall be one I half of 1 per cent. Mr. HOAR. Yes; read it. SEC. 8. .And be it furthep Mact~d, That for the uses of the Treasury and the Mr. STEW ART. At the time? custom-houses, the Secretary of the Treasury shn.ll, as soon as this act takes Mr. HOAR. I was not n. Senator at the time, and I do not effect, publicly declare the rates at which the coins or the United States and of foreign countries now cnrrent shall be reckoned upon estimates fur know whether I read it at t.he time or not. nished by the Director of the Mint. Mr. STEWART. I auppose the Senator asked the question SEC. 9. .And be it further e.'l.acted, That this act shall take ellect on the 1st in order to have me read it. d3:y or January, 1869, but t o expedite the recoinage i t shall be lawful for the mmt and its bra.nc.h.es to receive gold and silver coins of the United States :Mr. HOAR. I wish to add, if the Senator will pardon me, as for tha.t purpose on and after the 1st day of October next, and to gi>e certif he was giving the history of thn.t trans:wtion, I thought he would icates therefor, pay::loble in the ortler or receipt in the new coins, and to himself desire that so important a part of the history of legisla convert the metals thus received into ingots and planchets to be ready for stamping when this act tal{es e1'Iect. And in respect to other ueposits of gold tion as that report should be spread before the Senate. or purcha.sM of. silver the like certificates may be issued if demanded, on and Mr. STEWART. I do not care about a speech being injected after the 1st day of October next. in mine. SEc. 10 . .And be it .further enacted, That the weights to be used at the mint wh.en this act goes into op2ra.t1on may be either troy weights or French gram Mr. HOAR. I ask the Senator if that is not true? Weights, m· both, as the Secretary of the Treasury shall direct. Mr. STEWART. I am spreading before the Senate all the facts. If the Senator will not interrupt me, he can draw his in On the 9th of June, 1868, Mr. SHERMAN reported the forego ferences afterwards. ing bill favorably, and advocated its passage by an elaborately Mr. HOAR. What I sts.ted is a fact. writt-en report, in which he referred to and relied on the reports Mr. STEWART. Iam referringtothe documents, and every of Mr. Ruggles of the proceedin~s of the monetary conference document that I quote I rafer to in my speech, giving the page, which had been held in Paris the previous year. He then said: The second inquiry of your committee was whether the plan proposed by date, and everythjng connected with it. the Paris conference was the best mode to accomplish the end desired. Mr. HOAR. Will the Senator allow me? rt proposes: Mr. STEWART. I do not wish to be interrupted, because it 1. A smgle standard exclusively of gold. 2. Coins of equal weight and dla.meter. breaks the thread of my remarks. 3. or equal qna.lity of fineness-nine-tenths fine. Mr. HOAR. I desire to ask the Senator a question of fact 4. The weight of the present 5-franc gold piece to be the unit. puraly, not to interrupt his remarks. I desire to ask whether 5. The coins of e h na.tion to bear the names and emblems prepared by each, but to bo leg:U tenders public and private 1n all. the report to which he has referred was not asked for by the Sen 'l.'l!e singl~ standard of gold is an .American idea, yielded reluctantly by ate by resolution, communicated to the Senate by the T reasury De ~ranee and other countries, where silver is the chie:f standard of value. The partment, and published by the Senate as a document? There Impossible attempt to maintain two standards ot value has given rise to nearly all the debasement of coinage or the last two c nttui.es. The relatlve is no doubt about that. m:u·ket value of silver and gold varied lllce other commodities, and this led Mr. STEWART. Of course it was. If the Senator wants to first·to th& demonetization of the more valuable metal, and second to the know any particulars about it, he can see it. I refer to it. I debasement or diminution of the quantity of that metal in :1 given coin. can not get the report and read it now. He then gave further reasons in favor of the gold standard, M1·• . HOAR. I put my question, if the Senator will pardon and continued- me-- For the reasons that induced the adoption o! this unit or value, reference Mr. STEWART. I decline to be interrupted to put a whole ,.._ is made by your committee to the report of Mr. Ruggles. They may be lot of trash in my Sl)eech. summed up as follow ~ : "1. The coin proposed is the smallest gold coin in use, and therefore the Mr. HOAR. Very well. most convenient unit of value. Mr. STEWART. It simply breaks up the narrative I was "2. It approximates more nearly to existing coinage ot the great com giving. mei'cial nations than any other proposed. The dollar reduced 3i cents at the mint becomes the unit of value, and its decimal divisions and mUltiples Mr. HOAR. I shall endeavor to make my point after the Sen enable us to retain all our well-known coins, both of gold a.n.d sliver. ator gets through. "A very slight r eduction of the English sovereign makes it conform to the Mr. STEWART. After I get through the Senator can talk. _multiple or the doll;.u- and franc, so that 5 francs are a. dollar, and $5 are a sovereign. or half-eagle. The same unit is easily adapted to existing coin- FIRST ATTEMPT BY MR. SHER:MAN TO DEMONETIZE SILVER. age of other nations. · On the 6th day of Janun,ry, 1868, Mr. Sherman introduced the "3. The :francis already in use by 72,000,00J of the most industrious and thrifty people of Europe-France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and Holland. following bill, which was referred to the Committee on Finance: "4. The actualgoldcoinage in francs from 1793 to 1866was 1,312,220,814, while [Fortieth Congress, second session.] the gold coinage in dolla.rs during the same period was $84.5,536,591, and in s. 217. sovereigns was $935,3-!1,460, thus showing that in France alone the existing L"f THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, January tJ, 1868. gold coinage on the proposed standard is greater than upon any other that . could be adopted." Mr. SHERMAN asked, and by unanimous consent, obtained leave to bring :in the following bill; which was read twice, referred to the Committee on "' * .... -..~ • * * Finance, and ordered to be printed: · France, whose standard is adopted, makes a. new coin similar to our half eagle. She yields to our demand for the sole standard of gold, and during A bill in relation to the coinage of gold and silver. the whole conference evinced the most earnest wish to secure the coopera Be it enact~d by the Senate and. House of Representatives· of the United States tion o:f the United States in the great object of unif:lcation of coina.ge.-Sen of America in Congress assembled, That, with a view to promote a uniform ate Committee Report No. 117, Fortieth Congress, second session, pages 4, 5, currency among the nations., the weight of the gold coin of $5 shall be 124/a and6. troy grains, so that it shall agree with a French coin of 25 francs, and With DE:MONE'l'IZATI'O~ DEFl'lA TED IN 18GS. the rate o! thirty-one hundred francs to the kllo:p:am; and the other sizes or denominations shall be in due proportion of wrught, and the fineness shall Senator E. D. Morgan, of New York, from the same commit be nine-tenths or 900 parts fine in 1,000. · tee~ submitted a minority report from which I make the follow SEC. l!. AlullJs itfurtb.er enacted, That. in order to conformthe silver coin· age to this rate a.nd to the French valuation, the weight of the half dollar ing extracts: sh~ll be 179 grains, equivalent to !Hi decigrams; and the lesser coins be in In June last, while the Universal Exposition was 1n progress, an interna due proportion, and the fineness shall benine-tenths. Butthecoinage of sil tional monetary conference was held in Paris under the presidency of the ver pieces of one dollar, five cents, and three cents shall be discontinued. French minister of foreign aJl'airs. S:Ec. 3. Ana be it further enacted, That the gold coins to be issued under Delegates from the several European nations were present. this act shaJl be a. legal tender in all payments to any amount; and the silver Mr. Samuel B. Ruggles represented the United States, and his report on coins shall be a legal tender to au amount not exceeding $10 in any one pay the subject has been communicated to Congress through the Department ment. of State. From this it. appears that a plan of monetary unification was SEC. 4. And be it further enncted, That in the assay of the gold coins to be there a~d upon, the general features of which are: issued under this act there shall be no greater deviation allowed from the 1. A stngle sta.nda.rd, exclusively of gold. standard of fineness than one-thousandth pa.rt above or below. 2. Coins of equal weight and diameter. SEc. 5. .And be it furtlur enact~d, That the devices on the coins shall con 3. Of equal quality, nine-tenths fine. sist of such emblems and inscriptions as are proper to the Republic of the 4. The weight of the present 5-franc gold piece to be the unit, with its United States, but plainlY distinct from those now in use; each coin shall multiples. The issue by Fr:mce of a new coin of value and weight of 25 express its proper date and value; and the value of the gold coins shall be franc was recommended. stated bothindollarsa.ndinfrancs; and whenever it is ascertained that Great 5. The coins of each nation to continue to bear the names and emblems Britain has conformed the pound sterling to the value of the piece of $5, then preferred by each, but to be legal tenders, pubUc and private, in all. the value in British terms shall also be stated; and the devices as well as the Senate bill217 is designed to carry into effect this plan. Its passage would diameters or the coins shall be fixed by the Director of the Mint, under the reduce the weight of our gold coin of ll'O, so as to agree with a. French com of control of the Secretary of the Treasury. 25 francs. . SEc. 6. And be it further enacted, That foreign gold coins, conformed to the It determines that other sizes and denominations shall be in due propor· basis herein prescribed, shall be a. legal tender in all payments whatsoever, tion of weight and fineness, and that foreign gold coin, conformed to this so long as the standards of weight and fineness are duly maintained; and it basis, shall be a legal tender so long as the standard of weight and fineness shall be the duty of the commissioners of assay, meeting at the Mint in the are maintained. It requires that the value of gold coin shall be stated both month or February of each year. to try a sufileient number of such foreign in dollars and francs, and also in British terms, whenever Great Britain shall conform the pound sterling to the piece of $5. g~~:e o~~.p!;~e~I;a;;r\~~ cr:g;1%~~ r~~ t~~~~Yt~ss~lr!~:;;~~c~~~ It conforms our silver coinage to the French valuation, and discontinues 'l'reasury shall have power to suspend the right of legal-tender in the par the silver pieces of$1, and IS a.nd-8 cents, and limits silver as a. legal tender to ticular case. payments of $10. '!'he lstofJa.nua.ry, 1869,18 fixed as the period for the aetto SEc. 7. And be it further enacted, That when the gold and silver coins of the take errect. United States ~re brought to the mint or its branches for recoinage, such Tlle reductio~ which this measure would effect in the present legal stand c~ins shall he received by weight, and those of them which h.ave beeu tssuoo.as ard value of the gold coin of the United States would be at the rate of three 1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1215
and a hall dollars 1n the hundred, and the reduction 1n the legal value of The Secretary called the roll, and the following- Senators re our silver coina?:e would be still more considerable. A change in our national coinage so grave as that proposed. by the bill sponded to their names: should be made only after the most mature de.liberation. The circulating Aldrich, Davis. Lodge, Ransom, medium is a matter that directly concerns the aftairs of everyday life, affect Allen, Dixon, McMillan, Roach, ing not only the varied, intricate, and multiform interests of the people at Allison, Dolph, McPherson, Shoup, home, to the minutest detail, but the relations of the nation with all other Bat'e, Dubois, Manderson, Smitli, countries as well. The United State."l has a peculiar interest in such a ques Berry, Faulkner, Mitchell of Oreg. Stewart, tion. It is a princip.a.l Pl'Oducer o! the precious metals, and its geographical Blackburn, Frye, Morgan, Stockbridge, position, most favorable in view of impending commercial changes, renders Brice, Gordon, Palmer, Teller, it wise that we should be in no haste t-o fetter ourselves by any new inter Butler, Gray, Pasco, · Vance, national regulation based on an order of things belongi-ng essentially to the Cattery, Hale. Pe1Jer, Vest. past. Call, Harris, Perkins, Voorhees, Camden, Hawley, Pettigrew, Walthall, * * $ * * * * Carey, Hoar. Platt., Washburn, The American continent, too, produces four-fifths of the silver of com Coke, Jones of Ark. Pugh, White of L!l.. merce. The mines of Nevada have already taken h1gh rank, and Mexico Cullom, Lindsay, Quay, Wolcott. alone supplies more than half the world's grand total. Our relations with the silver-producing people, geographically mo.st favorable, are otherwise The PRESIDING OFFICER. Fifty-six Senators ha\e an intimate. swered to their names. A quorum of the Senate being present, Manifestly our business intercourse with them can be largely increased. a fact especially true of Mexico, which, for well-known political reasons, seeks the Senator from Nevada will proceed. the friendliest understanding. This must not be overlooked. Mr. STEWART. The bill was never called up for action. If These two streams of the precious metals, poured into the current of com it had been the reading of Mr. Morgan's report would have settled merce in full volume, will produce perturbations marked and important. Oth€r countries will be atrected, but the United Stat-es will feel the e1Ject first its fate, and it would not have received a single vote in the Sen and more directly than any other. ate. The author himself would certainly have repudiated it in The Pacific Rallway W1ll open to us the trade of China, Japan, India, and view of the cogent reasons why it should not pass which Mr. other Oriental countries, of whose prepossessions we must not lose sight. For years silver, for reasons not fully understood, has been the object of un Morgan present-ed to the country. Neither the bill nor there usual demand a.mong these Asiatic nations, and now forms the almost uni port attracted the slightest attention, and it is doubtful if any versal medium of circulation, absorbing rapidly the silver of coinage. The Senator who was not on the Finance Committee ever knew that erroneous p1·oportion fixed between silver and gold by France, and which we are asked to copy, is denuding that country of the former metal. Our such a bill had been introduced. The title was, "A bill in rela own monetary system, though less faulty, is not suitably adjusted in this tion to the coinage of gold and silver," and gave no indication of respect. The silver dollar, for instance, a favorite coin of the native Indian the real character of the legislation proposed. and distant Asiatic, has well nigh disappeared from dom~stie eireulation, to reappear ronong the Eastern peoples wit.h whom we more than ev-er seek But the report of Mr. Morgan must have satisfied the pro· close intimacy. moters of the scheme to demonetize silver that it could not be As they prefer this piece we do well to inc1·ease rather than discontinue its accomplished by open and direct means, and that a discussion in coinage, for we must not deprive ourselves of the advantages which its agency will afford, and "it would be useless to send dollars to Asia inferior theSenatewould be fatal to the object of theirdesire. Mr. Mor in weight and value to its well-known Spanish and American prot-otype." gan's report stood as an absolute bar against the demonetization Mr. Rug~les sa.ys that nearly all the silver coilled in the United State.s . of silver. He had full knowledge of the objects of the bill, which prior to 1858 has disappeared. A remedy is not to be found in the adoption of a system that undervalues this metal. for that commodity, like any other, he defeated, but the SQnate and the country were ignorant of shuns the market where not taken at its fuU value to find the more favora the whole transaction. No discussion in either House of Con ble one. gress had taken place with regard to the demonetization of sil It is a. favorite metal, entering into all transactions of da.fiy J.fe, ana de serves pro-per recognition in the monetary system. ver, and the Senate as well as the country were ignorant of It is said tba.t "to promote the interl}ourse of nations with each other, uni what occurred in the Finance Committee. Senators are too busy formity in weights..~.. coins, and measuresofcapacityis among the most effica to examine the repru'ts of committees upon bills which are never cious agencies. ·• uur weights, coins, and m-easures now correspond much more nearly to the English than to the French standard. Our commerce called up for action. It would not do to bring up the question with Great Britain is nine times greater than with France, and if the former again while Mr. Morgan was a member of the Finance Commit does not adopt th~ Paris system of comage-and we have no assurance that tee of that body. His term of office expired March 4, 1869, and she will-the United States would certainly commit a serious error in pass ing this bill. No argument is needed to enforce this. And what of theri ing Mr. Reuben E. Fenton took his place. communities? A properly adjusted coinage would stimulate commerce with those great parts of the continent lying south and southwest of us, with SECOXD ATTEMPT AT D.lll!O~"'ETIZATION ·OF SILVER. the West Indies and the countless millions of trans-PacifiC' countries.. We stand midway on the thoroughfare of trafilc between these two widely-sep Gen. Grant became President of the United States on the arated races. Our railways, canals, our natural highways, and merchant 4th of March, 1869, and Mr. Boutwell was his Secretary of the m.a.rine may be made to control their carrying trade. Treasury; John J. Knox, Comptroller of the Currency, and Mr. But here, as everywhere else, a well-adjusted coinage becomes a wand of power in the hand of enterprise. Tokens are not wanting to mark the favor Linderman, Director of the Mint. A ·revision of the 'mint laws was in which the United States are held by China. The unusual honor recently undertaken. conferred by that government upon a citizen of this country was not alone Mr. SHER.l\!AN says: because of his fitness as an ambassador a.t large, but was a mark as well of a Whn.t1s the history of that bill? I have here the original bilL It was a. friendly disposition towards this country. Future harmony of intercourse bill framed in the Treasury Department. It did not come into Congress in is assm·ed, too, by their n.doption as a text-book in diplomatic correspond the ordinary way, but it was framed in the Treasury Department by a. dis ence of a leading American authority on international law. Much might tinguished body of experts, every one of whose names is now borne with also be f!aid about the growing partiality or Japan towards this country, but honor wherever it is mentioned. Most of them are dead; but some of them it is enough that the recent opening of certain ports indicates an enlightened are living. :M:r. Pollocl{, long a Director of the Mint; Mr. Secretary Bout change in the politics of these two old empires, of which commerce, espe well, who, as I shall show you, claims to be the author of the bill, and prop cially our own, is availing itself. erly so, because he was at the head of the Department; Mr. John J. Knox, • $ * • • * * who held the office of Deputy Comptroller of the Currency; Mr. Linderman, Our coinage is believed to be the simplest of any in cireulation, and every who was Director or th~ Mint; Mr. Patterson, who was superintendent of way satisfactoryfor purposes of domestic commerce: it possesses speei..a.l. the mint at Philadelphia, and a whole host of other experts, framed that merits of everyday value, and should not, for light reasons, be exchansed bill after a most elaborate correspondence, which is contained here in the where the advantages sought to be gained are :o:J.ainly theoretical, engaglng official documents communicated to Congress at the time. (CONGREs more pro-perly the attention of the philosopher than the practical man. SIONAL, RECORD, August 31, 1893, page 920.) The instincts of our people lead them to believe that we are on the eve of important business changes, and we may therefore safely hold fast for the The bill contained seventy-one sections, and was sent to Mr. present to what experience ha.s proven to be good, following only where SHERl.'tiAN, chairman of the Committee on Finance, with the clear indications may lead, and a. future of great prosperity opens to our following letter from Mr. Boutwell: ...country. The war gave us self-assertion of character, and removed many impedi TREASURY DEPARTMENT, .April25, 187.(). ments to progress; it also proved our ability to originate means to ends. Sm: I have the honor to transmit herewith a bill revising the laws rela Its expensive lesson will be measurably lost if it fails to impress upon us tive to the mint, assay o.ffices, and coinage of the United States. and accom~ the fa.ct that we have a distinctiv-e Am.erican policy to work out, one sum panyingreport. The bill has been prepared under the supervision of John Jay ctently free from the traditions or Europe t-o be suited to our peculiar situa Knox, Deputy Comptroller of the Currency, and its passage is recommended tion and the genius of our enterprising countrymen. in the form presented. It includes, in a condensed form, all the important The people of the United States have been quick to avail themselves of legislation upon the eoinage, not now obsolete, since the fl..rst mint was es their natural advantages. The public lands, not only, and the mines of tablished, in1792; and the report :rtves a concise statement of the various precious metals, but our :political institutions, have likewise powerfully amendments proposed to existing laws, and the necessity for the change operated in our favor, and will continue to do so with increasing force. recommended. '.rhere has been no revision of the laws pertaining to the Senate Report, Com. No. 111, 40th Congress, second session, page 13. mint and coi.na,ge since 1837, and it is believed that the passage of the in- ~~~egr~~c~ t~n&~~g=t!t !~~~::nmency and economy of this impor- I observe we are doing business without a quorum. I do not I am, ve1oy respectfully, your obedient servant, ask that a quorum be present in my case, but I give notice that GEORGE S. BOUTWELL, during- the remainder of this session, when other Senators are Secretar-y of the TreasUNJ. speaking, who are giving facts and information so much needed Hon. JOHN SHERMAN, by Senators who spend their time in the cloak rooms, we shall Chrtirman Finance Committee, United States Senate. ha\'e 43 Senators in their seats.. It will be observed that Mr. Boutwell's letter transmitting the Mr. PUGH. Mr. President, the absence of a quorum being bill makes no mention of any chango in the coinage laws, but he suggested, .and it being manifest that a quorum is not present, called it a bill revising the laws relative to the mint, assay I move a call of the Senate offices, and coinage of the United States. This was the harm The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. LODGE in the chair). less title of the bill. He states that the bill was prepared un The Secretary will call the roll. der the supervision of John Jay Knox, Deputy Comptroller of 1216 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. SEPTEMBER 5, the Currency. Mr. Knox was soon after promoted from that On the following day, when the bill was reached in its order, office to the presidency of a leading national bank, one of the the proceedings were commenced as follows: great financial institutions of New York. Such promotions of MINT LAWS. Treasury officials who have been faithful to the banking inter The Senate, as in Committee of the Whole, resumed the consideration of ests have been too frequent to escape observation. the bill (S. No.859) revising the laws relative to the mints, assay offices, and coinage of the United States. Mr. Sherman states that Mr. Linderman and others assisted The bill was reported to the Senate as amended. Mr. Knox in the preparation of the bill. Mr. Linderman was 'l'he VICE-PRESIDENT. Unless a separate vote be demanded, the question well qualified to render service in that behalf. His familiarity will be taken on concurring in the amendments made as in Committee of the Whole in gross. with the mint laws and his de-votion to the cause of monometal Mr. COLE. I ask for a separate vote. lism after his return from England made him a most efficient The VICE-PRESIDENT. Does the Senator from California ask for a separate agent in securing gold monometallism after the example of Great vote on the amendment in regard to the coinage charge? Mr. COLE. Yes, sir. Britain. Mr. Knox was also familiar with the English coinage Mr. SUMNER. 'l'here is one suggestion I wish to make. It comes under sec laws, for he states in the documents which the penator from tion 19. Ohio had printed in his speech in the RECORD ("page 922) that The VICE-PRESIDENT. That will still be in order after the amendments agreed to in Committee of the Whole shall have been acted upon. the appendix to his report recommending the bill which the Mr. SUMNER. Very well. Secretary sent to the chairman of the Finance Committee con The VICE-PRESIDENT. The Secretary will report the amendment upon tained a copy of the English coinage act of 1870. which a separate vote is demanded. The Chief Clerk read the amendment, which was in section 25, after the The tHle of the bill," Revising the laws relative to tbe mint, words "as follows," in the third line, to insert •• for coinage, whether the assay offices, and coinage of the United States," was altogether gold and silver deposited be coined or cast into bars or ingots, in addition to misleading. No one would suspect from the title that it con the charge for refining or parting the metals, three-tenths of 1 per cent." The VIOE-PRESipENT. The other amendment in the same section, insert tained anvdevicefor the demonetization of silver. The Senator ing the words in line 12 ''other than for coinage,'' will be considered at the from Ohio in his speech of August 30, 1893, sets out in full same time, as they are dependent upon each other. The remaining amend· THE SECTIONS WHICH DECEIVED THE SENATE. ments made as in Committee of the Whole will be regarded as concurred in. The question now is on concurring in this amendment made as in Com He says: mittee of the Whole. (Ibid., page 394.) The bill contains seventy-one sections. Sections 15 and 18 of the bill are the only ones to which this implication has ever been made. I have here The coinage charge was discussed at great length. (See pages sections 15 and 18 as originally introduced by the Secretary of the Treasury 394 to 399, both inclusive.) and sent to the Committee on Finance. Here are the original sections: The entire discussion on the last day, as it had been on the first, "SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That of the silver coin the weight of the hall dollar, or piece of 50 cents, shall be 192 grains, and that of the quarter was confined to the charge of three-tenths of 1 per cent on the <4:Jllar and dime shall be, respectively, one-hall and one-fifth of the weight of coinage of gold and silver bullion. The yeas and nays on the ~a.id half dollar. That the silver coin issued in conformity with the above section shall be a legal tender in any one payment of debts for all sums less adoption of this amendment in the Senate were taken, resulting than$!." in the negative-yeas 23, nays 26, absent 23. (lbid., page ::!99.) This is a literal copy, word for word, from the act of 1853, excet>t that it Mr. SHERMAN then said: drops the 5-cent piece, I believe it is. 1 shoUld like to have a vote by yeas ana nays on the passage of the bill. Mr. MILLS. The act of 1873, the Senator means? The yeas and nays were ordered; and being taken, resulted-yeas 36, nays Mr. SHERMAN. No; I say the bill that was sent to us reenacts the law of 14: as follows: 1853, and is an exact copy of it; but as the law of 1853 applied only to the frac Yeas-Messrs. Bayard, :tloreman, Brownlow, Casserly Cole, Conkling, tional coins, in thls draft, they added to the four or five sections fixing the Corbett, Davis, Gilbert, Hamlin, Harlan,Jewett,Johuston, Kellogg, McCreery, gold and silver and other coins the following section: Morton, Nye, Patterson, Pomeroy, Pool, Ramsey, Rice, Saulsbury, Spencer, SEO. 18. And be it further enacted, That no coins, either gold, silver, or minor Stewart, Stockton, Sumner, 'l'hurman, Tipton, Trumble, Vickers, Warner, coinage, shall hereafter be issued from the mint other than those ot the de Willey. Williams, Wilson, and Ya.tes-35. nominations, st~dards , and weights herein set forth. Nays-Messrs. Abbott. Ames, Anthony. Buckingham, Carpenter, Chandler, Fenton, Hamilt-on of Texas, Harris, Howell. Morrill of Vermont, Pratt, Two sections intervene between the fifteenth and eighteenth Scott and Sherman-14. (Ibid., page 3W). sections quoted by Mr. SHERMAN. A person reading the bill without any previous notice of the change in the currency would It will be observed that Mr. SHERM:A.N voted in the negative not have known that a ch-m.ge was contemplated. On the con and that I voted in the affirmative. I now desire to call partic trary, believing, as all did believe, that it was a mere codifica ular attention to the amendment, which was substantially the tion of the mint laws, with only such changes as were necessary only matter in controversy in the Senate, and about which all to harmonize and make them a consistent system, no one would the debate took place. I will repeat it: susuect that anything had been omitted, much less the standard For coinage, whether the gold and silver deposite.i be coined or cast into bars or ingots, in addition to the charge for refining or parting the metals, dollar, which h ad survived all changes since it was ordained by three-tenths of 1 per cent. Hamilton and Jefferson. Mr. ALDRICH. Mr. President-- The bill was introduced by Mr. SHERMAN 01;1 the 28th day of Mr. STEWART. I do not wish to be interrupted now. April, 1870, and referred to the Committee on Finance. On De Mr. ALDRICH. I should like- cember 19, 1870, it was reported to the Senate with amendments. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. CULLOM in the chair). On the 9th day of January, 1871, the bill came up in the Senate, The Senator from Nevada declines to be interrupted, and was di~cui sed in Committee of the Whole. No allusion Mr. ALDR1CH. I wish to put in a section of that bill at that whatever was made during that discussion to sections 15 and 18; point. in fact, there was nothing in those sections to discuss. They Mr. STEWART. Let the Senator put it in his own speech. contained nothing objectionable. It was not what the bill con The facts I am giving follow consecutively. tained, but Mr. ALDRICH. I wish to put in a section of the bill, so as to WHAT IT DID NOT CONTAIN, show the exact facts. that worked the wrong and demonetized silver. Mr. STEWART. The Senator can not put it in my speech. The silver dollar was omitted from the list of coins, which omis Let him make his own speech. Of course, it is very aggravating sion was not observed and the attention of the Senate was not to Senators to have the facts of the matter brought out, and I called to it. appreciate their position. Alter two or three unimportant amendments relating to salaries This amendment assumed that silver bullion could be deposited reported bytheCommitteeon Finan.ce had beep disposed of, the at the mint for coinage for the benefit of the depoaitor, and im following amendment reported by the committee c ::t me up for posed a tax on the person so depositing for the privilege of coin consideration in the Committee of the Whole: ing. If the Senate had been advised, as Mr. SHERMAN says that For coinage, whether the gold and silver deposited be coined or cast into he was, that no silver could, under that bill, be deposited at the bars or ingots, in addition to the charge for refining or parting the metals. mint for coinage, is it probable that it would have spent two days three-tenths of 1 per cent.-Congressional Globe, part 1, third session Forty in hot debate over the question of taxing bullion which could first Congress, 1870-'71, page 368. not be deposited, and therefore never could be taxed? Fo1' what This amendment was regarded as a direct attack upon the min purpose did Mr. SHERMAN violently advocate the tax on silver ing industry of the United States, and also upon domestic coin bullion deposited for coinage in a bill which denied it the right age. It wru; argued that such a provision of law would discour of coinage, and denied to the owner of bullion the right to de age the minting of gold and silver in the United States and en posit it for that purpose? courage its exporta.tion, because the mints of the leading nations Under the act of 1853 and under the provisions of the bill then of Europe made no charge for coinage after the metal had been under consideration, the subsidiary silver coin mentioned in refined and parted. section 15 could only be coined on the account of the Govern The discussion which followed on this amendment occupies ment. No private p:1rty could present it for that purpose. But eight pages in the Congressional Globe. (See Ibid., pages 368 to -the owners of bullion could under existing hlws, from the foun 377, both inclusive.) dation of the Government, present the same to the mint and have The amendment was finally agreed to-yeas 25, nays 22, absent it coined into standard dollars. Mr. SHERMAN says he knew 25. th·J.t he had hken that right away, and that we all ought to Other sections, having no relation to sections 15 and 18, were h ave known the same. Why, then, was he combattinfZ for a then amended, and the Senate went into executive session. charge on the abolished coinage? 1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1217
On the other hand, why should the Senate occupy two dasy Some discussion was had with regard to the salaries of officers, of its time debating such a charge, if it also knew that the right but the main contention was with regard to nickel coinage, and of coinage of silver on private account was abolished? The how the nickel should be obtained. DISINGENUOUSNESS OF THE SENATOR FROM OHIO The House adjourned that day without action on the bill. was manifested at that time by advocating a charge on the coin (See Ibid., pages 322 to 328, both inclusive.) age of silver for private parties, as well as of gold, when he knew On the lOth of January the House resumed consideration of that gold only could be coined on private account, if he succeeded the bill. The debate was confined to the question of salaries. with his measure. The bill was finally recommitted to the Committee on Coinage, I can draw no other inference from his course at that time than Weights, and Measures. (See Ibid., pages 336 to 340, both in a purpose to conceal the fact that the silver dollar had been clusive.) omitted. The fact that Mr. SHERMAN voted against the bill is No allusion whatever was made to the omission of the silver most suggestive. Why should he vote to prevent a. useful revi dollar. If it was omitted in the bill offered by Mr. Kelley, as sion of the mint laws and the passage of so important a bill as alleged, the original can not be found. the one then under consideration because the Senate would I again quote from the report of Mr. Knox, printed in the not consent to a charge for mintage which was not in the speech of the Senator from Ohio: On February 9, 1872, it was again reported from the Coinage Committee original bill introduced by him? He knew very well that his by t.he Hon. Samuel Hooper, printed and recommitted, and on February13, vote would not defeat the bill nor endanger it in the slightest 1872. reported back by Mr. Hooper with amendments, printed, and made the degree; but by voting against it he made the Senate believe that special order for March 12, 1872, until disposed of. he attached more importance to a charge of three-tenths of 1 per The bill came up for consideration on April 9, 1872. cent on the coinage of gold (and of silver bullion, the coinage of Mr. Hooper made a which on private account had been abolished) than to the sys LENGTHY EXPLANATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE BILL, tematizing of the various confused mint laws of the country, by occupying four pages of the REcORD, from pages 2304 to 2307, a. measure which had been the labor of experts so eminent as both inclusive. those he describes. The only allusion made by Mr. Hooper to the silver dollar is Mr. SHERMAN says he knew that silver was demonetized by contained in the following extract from his remarks, published the bill, and that everybody else ought to have known it. Is it in the speech of the Senator from Ohio, on page 924, as follows: not barely possible that, knowing that fact, he desired to avoid Section 16 reenacts the provisions ot existing laws defining the silver the odium of voting for it which would attach after its far coins and their weights, respectively except in relation to the silver dollar, which is reduced in weight from 412-! to a84 grains; thus making it a subsid· reaching consequences should h<:tve been realized? Is it not iary coin in harmony with the silver coins of less denomination, to secure barely possible that that amenQ.ment was introduced at the early its concurrent circulation with them. The silver dollar of 412! e:rains. by stage of the consideration of the bill to attract the attention of reason ot its bullion and intrinsic value being greater than its nominal the Senate and divert attention from the other provisions of value, long since ceased to be a coin ot circulation, and is melted by manu facturers ot silverware. It does not circulate now in commercial transac the bill to make it seem the most important provision? Is it tions with any country, and the convenience or those manufacturers in this not a little strange that after his visit to London and Paris and respect can better be met by supplying small stamped bars of the same his celebrated letter to Mr. Ruggles, which I have quoted, that standard, avoiding the useless expense of coining the dollar for that purpose. The coinage of the halt-dime is discontinued, for thE' reason that its place is he took no further intet•est in the demonetization of silver? supplied by the copper nickel f>.cent piece, ot which a large issue has been Does not the fact that he introduced a bill for the demonetiza made, and which, by the provisions ot the act authorizing its issue, is re tion of silver, and made a most elaborate report in its favor, deemable in United States currency. (Congressional Globe, par~ 3, second which bill was consigned to oblivion after the minority report session Forty-second Congress, page 2306.) of Mr. MoRGAN came in, add to the mystery of his conduct? Mr. Hooper correctly states the weight and fineness of the. Can it be supposed that the man who contributed so largely to dollar contained in the bill then pending and as it finally passed swing nineteen nations into line for the· gold shndard, and who the House, but be does not state that it was a legal tender for induced all the Finance Committee except one to favor the de only $5. It is true he classes it with the subsidiary coin, but a monetization of silver, would forego this. master desire of his person listening to his remarks might well suppose that the heart, which he declares was" an American i • 1218 CONGRESSIONAL- RECORD-SENATE. SEPTEl\fBER 5, the ordinary nickelS-cent piece, and the bronze 2-cent piece, and the nickel the mints, and the saving on their salari~s will more than pay for the ex 1-cent piece, for which there has been substituted of late years the bronze penses of th6 new bureau ot the Treasury Department. 1-cen.tpiece. Of these pieces of subsidiary coinage, I repeat., several hundred Mr. HoLMAN. What is the new bureau called? million pieces are in circulation, and it is proposed that in place ot these Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. The new bmeau is to be called the bureau piooes we shall have another setot minor subsidiary coins of nickel copper, of mines and coinage. There is now no general superintendence; each mint according to the form prescribed in tru s bill. For what reason? It hasoeen runs on its own hook. There is really now no law regulating the mints, and suggested for the purpose of uniformity. That reason, however, seems to no reSJ20D:Stbillty. Jllfll!oin.sum.cient that it has occurred to me that behind this '@'Ovision of the Mr. HOLMAN. How many mints are provided for by the bUl? law lies the real mmive power of this bill; that is, that it will make neces Ml'. HooPER of Massashnsetts. No new mints. sary a great consumption of nickel copper for several hundred million pieces Mr. HOLMAN. Did the Committee on Banking and. Currency conside.r the of tJUs new subsldia1-y coina.ge.-Oongressional Glolu, part 3, second ses subject of discontinuing any of the mints? sion Forty-second Congre , 1871-'i2, page 2310. Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. Thf'Y did consider it and did not deem it expedient. The Secretary of the Treasurx bas authority now, independent He continued at considerable length, pointing out other objec or this bill, to discontinue certain mints if he deems lt expedient; one at tions to the bill. The speech of Mr. Pott.er excited a general Charlotte, ror instance. This bill does not change his power at all in that debate, whieh made it very clear that the passage of the bill by respect. Mr. MERRIAM. Has this bllfbeen submitt-ed to the SeCl'eta.ry of the Treas ordinary methods was impossible. The House adjourned pending ury; and if s:o, does it meet his approval? the consideration of the bill and terminated a very exciting con Mr. HoOPER or Massachusetts. It has been submitted to him, and he not troversy. The debate w hicn did occur occupies ten pages-from only approves it, but strongly urges its passage. He deems it exceedingly important, as there are in-egularities in the Mint now, which can not be pa~e 2307 to 2317, inclusive. controlled by any existing law. The opposition to this bill was so determined and aggressive Mr. KERR. Does tho nickel clause, so-called, a.nd which led to some con· that its friends professedly abandoned it and brought in troversy n. month or so ago, remain in the bill as it was at that time? Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. It has been changed. Any nickel to be A SO-CALLED SUJJST.ITUTE, purchased :i8 to be subject to bids after advertisement. which, theyasserted,obviated theobjectionsroade. On the 27th Mr. BROOKS. My collerume from the Westchester district l)d.r. Pottei'] stated the other day that this bill provided for the recoina.ge of more or less day of May the following extraordinary proceedings were had in of tbe small currency of the country and the creation of a new currency. the House of R.epres.entatives: Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. That is not the case with the bill as it now stands. MINTS .AND COINAGE. Mr. McCoRMICK of Missouri. I ask that the nineteenth section be read Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. I desire to call up the bill (H. R. No. again. 1127) revising and amending th.e laws relative to mints. assay offices, and '.rbe section was read, as follows: coinage of the United States. I do so for the purpose of oJ!ering an amend "SEc. 19. That UI>On the coins of the United States theresh&.ll be the fol ment to the bill in the nature of a substitute, one whieh has been very care lowing devices and legends: Upon one sid& there shall be an impression fully prepared, and which I have submitted to the different gentlemen in this emblematic or liberty, with an inscription of the word •Liberty, 'and the year House who have taken a special interest in the bill. I find that it meets with ot the coinage; and upon the reverse shall be the figure or representation of universal approbation in the form in which I o!fer it. I move that the rules an eagle, with the inscriptions 'United States of America' and 'E Pluribus be suspended and that the substitute be put on its passage. Unum,' and a designation or the value of the coin; but on thegolddollarand Mr. BROOKS. I ask the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. HOOJler) to three-dollar p!eee, the dime, five, three and one-cent piece the figure of the postpone his motion until his colleague on the committee my colleague from eagle shall be omitted, and the Director of the Mint, with the approval ol New York [Mr. Potter] is in his seat. It is my impression that he does not the ecretary or the Treasury, may cause the motto 'In God We Trust' to be concur in this substitute. inscribed upon uch coins as shall admit of such motto; and any one of the Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. It is so late in the session that I must de foregoing inscriptions may be on the rim of the gold and silver coins." cline waiting any longer. .Mr. McCORMICK of Missouri. What I wish to inquire or the gentleman Mr. BROOKS. I would again suggest to the gentleman that he should wait from Ma a.chusetts [:l\fr. Hooper) is whether, under the provisions of the until my colleague comes in. nineteenth section. the Director of the Mint is not authorized to recoin all Mr. HOOPER of Massachusetts. I ca..n not do so. the nickel coin of the United States in order to make it conform to the sec Mr. HoLMAN. I suppose it is intended to have the bill read before it is put tion? upon its passa.ge. Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. He is not. On the contrary, under the ex The SPEAKER. The substitute will be read. isting laws, as I stated before, the amount of minor coinage is o large that Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. I hop o~ not. It is a long bill, and those the Sec?.etary or the Treasury bas pr6J)ared an order prohibiting any further who are interested in it are perfectly familiar With lts provisions. coinage until further notice. Mr. KERR. The rules can not be suspended so as to dispense with the read Mr. McCoRMICK of Missouri. I understand that the Director of the Mint ing of the bill? says that it costs the Government almost as much to coin a. 5-cent nickel 'l'he SPEAKER. They can be. piece as it does to coin a 10-dolla.r gold piece. 'Mr. KERR. I want the House to understand that it is attem1>ted to put MI:· HOOPER of Massachusetts. '!'here is nothing in this bill to compel a. through this bill without being read. · recomage. . The SPEAKER. Does thegentlemanfroml'nassachusetts [Mr. Hooper] move Mr. McCoRMICK of.Missouri. Would the gentleman have any objection to that the reading of the bi 1 be dispensed witn? strike out that section? Mr. HOOPER of Massachusetts, I will so frame my motion to suspend the Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. Certainly I would. rules that it will dispense with the reading of the bill. Mr. GARFIELD of Ohio. Does this bill provide what shall be done with The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Massachusetts moves that the rules those omcers of the Treasury that are now called assistant treasurers and be suspended and that the bill pass, the reading thereof being dispensed who are ex o.tficio om.cers of the mint? By this bill they are evidently sepa with. rated from the Treasury, and belong wholly to this new bureau which is to Mr. RANDALL. Can not we have a division of that .motion? be established. Now, will it not be necessar~ for us to establish new omces The SPEAKER. A motion to suspend the rules can not be divided. in their cases and give them a salary appropr1ate to the duties they will have Mr. RANDALL. I should like to have the bill read, although I am willing to p erform in the Treasury? tbat the rules shall be suspended as to the passage of the bill. Ml'. HooPER of Massachusetts. The Superintendent of the Mint (and. that Tbe question was put on suspending the rules and passing the bill without om.cer now exists) takes the place of the subtreasurer, who acted ex officio reading; and (two-thlrds not voting in favor thereof) the rules were not as ali. omcer of the mint, and provision is made in this bill that the sub treas sn pended. urer who acted ex officid shall go back and confine himself to his duties as ., · assistant treasurer and disconnect himself from the mint. • • Mr. GARFIELD of Ohio. Go back to the Treasury? MINTS .AND COINAGE. ' Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. Yes. Ml'. HOOPER of Massachusetts. I now move that the rules be suspended Mr. GARFIELD of Ohio. The gentleman will then see that that entails and the substitute for the bill in relation to mints and coinage passed; and I upon us the necessity of providing a suftlcient salary for those going back to ask that the substitute be read. the Treasury. The Clerk began to read the substitut-e. Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. I beg the gentleman's pardon; it leaves Mr. BROOKS. Is that the original bill? the superintendent of the mint with the same salary as before. The SPEAKER. The motion of the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Mr. GARFIELD or Ohio. I mean that the omcers who go back into the HooPERl applies to the substitute, and that on which the House is called to Treasury must have salaries provided tor them. act is befng read. Mr. HOOPER or Massachusetts. They were ex officio officers of the Mint; Mr. BROOKS. As there is to be no debate, the only chance we have to know their salaries were not increased. what we are doing is to have both the bill and the substitute read. Mr. GARFIELD of Ohio. I beg the gentleman's pardon; they had one sal The SPEAKER. The motion of the gentleman from Massachusetts being to ai'Y as ex officio otll.eers of the Mint and another as otll.cers of the Treasury. suspend the rules and pass the substitute, it gives no choice between the 1\Ir. SARGENT. That was not so, except in one instance. two bills. The House must either pass the substitute or none. · Mr. MCNEELY. As a member of the Committee on CoinagP., Weights, and :Mr. BROOKS. How can we choose between the origin::li bill and the substi Measures, having carefully exa.m.tned every section and line of this bill, and tute unless we bear them both read? generally well understanding the subject before us, I am satisfied the bill The SPEAKER. The gentleman can vote "aye" or "no" on the question ought to pass. whethei' this substitute sba.ll be passed. - Mr. SARGEr.'"T. I hope we will now have a vote. Mr. BROOKS. I am very much in the habit of voting "no'' when I do not The question being taken on the motion of Mr. Hooper of Massachusetts, know what is going on. to suspend the rules and J)ass the bill, it was agreed to; there being-ayes Mr. HoLMAN. Before the question is taken upon suspending the rules and 110, noes 13.-Congressiona1 Globe, part 5, second session Forty-second Con· passing the blll, I hope the gentleman from Massachusetts will explain the gress, 1871-'72, pages 3882, 3888. leading changes made by this bill in the existing law, especially in reference Some of the.foregoing questions and answers are very signifi to the coinage. It would seem that all the small coinage of the country is intended to be recoined. cant. Followmg are examples: Mr. HoOPER of Massachusetts. This bill makes no changes in the existing Mr. BROOKS. I ask the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Hooper] to law in that regard. It does not require the recoinage of the small coins. On postpone his motion until bis colleague on the committee, my colleague the contrary, I understand that the Secretary of the Treasury proposes to from New York [ 1r. Potterl is in his seat. It :i8 my impression that be issue an order to stop the coinage or all the minor coins, as there is now a does not concur in this sub tftute. great abundance or them in the country. The_ salaries are not increased. Mr. HOOPER of :Massachusetts. It is so late in the session that I must de They remain as they were. cline waiting any longer. Mr. HoL~. Is not the salary of the subtreasurer at New York increased? Mr. BROOKS. I would again suggest to the gentleman that he should wait Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts.. No, sir; it is not increased. until my colleague comes iu. Mr. GARFIELD of Ohio. Does the gentleman say that no salary is in- Mr. HooPER of Massachusetts. I can not do so.-lbia., page !!882. creased by this bill ? The refusal of Mr. Hooper to wait until Mr. Potter was pres- Mr. HoOPER of Massachusetts. No salary is increased by this bill. Mr. FARNsWORTH. -Are there any additional otHces created? ent was more evidence of caution than of fairness. Mr. SARGENT. The hill dispenses with some existing offices. Mr. KERR. Does the nickel clause, so called, and which led to some con Mr. HOOPER o! Massachusetts. It dispenses with certain om.cers now in troversy a month or so ago, rema.in in the bill as it was at that time? • 1893 . . CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1219 Mr. HooPER of Massa.chusett~. It has been changed. AJJy nickel to be pur 8 chief officer of the said Buren.u shall be denominated the Di- chased is to be subject to bids after advertisement.-Jbid., pa.ge 3882. 9 rector of the Mint, and shall be under the general direction of This wa.s not true. There had been no change in the bill in 10 the Secretary of the Treasury. He shall be appointed by the that respect. 11 President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, Mr. BROOKS. My colleague !rom the Westchester district [Mr. Potter] 2 . stated the other day that this bill provided for the recoinage of more or less of the small currency of the country and the creation of a. new currency. 12 and shall hold his office for the term of :five ye:trs, unless Mr. HoOPER of Massachusetts. That is not ths case with the bill as it now 13 sooner removed by the President, upon reasons to be commu stands.-lbici., page 3883. 14 nicated by him to tho Senate. A comparison of the bill and substitute will show that the sub- 1 SEC. 2. That the Director of the Mint shall have the stitute and the original bill were the same as to coinage, new 2 general supervision of all mints ancl assay-offices, and shall currency, and nickel. The difference as between the original 3 make an annual report to the Secretary of the 'l'reasury of bill and the substitute were trifling and immaterial, relating to 4 their operations, at the close of each :fiscal year, and from mat ters of administration and phra.seology, and were wholly 5 time to time such additional reports, setting forth the opera outside of the subject of controversy over the original bill. ~o 6 tions and condition of such institutions, as the Secretary of ch' nge was made with regard to a single m atter objected to in 7 the Treasury shall require, and shall lay before him the the debate. I have carefully compared the original bill and the 8 annual estimates for their support.• And the Secretary of the sub3titute, which are now on file in the document room of the 9 Treasury shall appoint the number of clerks, classified ac Senate, open to the inspection of all, and I affirm that the sub- 10 cording to law, necessary to discharge the duties of said Bu stitute was the same as the original bill, so far as the matters in 11 reau. contr oversy wer e concerned in the debate in which Mr. Potter 1 SEc. 3. That the officers of each mint shall be a super took so prominent a part. . 2 intendent, an assayer, a melter and refiner, and a coiner, and, Too much importance can not be attached to the fact that the 3 for the mint at Philadelphia, an engraver, all to be appointed substitute could not have been adopted if Mr. Hoopar had not 4 by the President of the United States, by and with the ad asserted that the controverted portions had been changed. The 5 vise and consent of the Senate. original bill, with the alterations made by the substitute, will 1 SEC. 4. That the superintendent of each mint shall ha.ve ~~ 2 the control thereof, the superintendence of the officers and 3 persons employed therein, and the supervision of the business HOW FAR FROM THE TRUTH MR. HOOPER'S REPRESENTATIONS WERE, 4 thereof, snbject to the approval of the Director of the Mint, and how thoroughly the House was misled by such Jilisrepresen 5 to whom he sh::tll make reports at such times and according tations. 6 to such forms as the Director of the Mint may prescribe, These documents from which I have quoted a.re on file in the document room of the Senate, and can easily be referred to. 3 I will now give 7 which shall exhibit in detail, and under appropriate heads, 8 the deposits of bullion, the amount of gold, silver, and minor THE ENTIRE PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 9 coinage, and the amount of unparted, standard, and on this House bill, commencing with the bill itself, as reported 10 refined bars issued, and such other statistics and with amendments from the Finance Committee, together with 11 information as may be required. The superintend- every word of debate during its consideration. 12 ent of each mint shall also receive and safely keep, [Note in explanation of the bill (H. R. 2934) printed below. 13 until legally withdrawn, all moneys or bullion which shall 1. The body of the bill, printed in brevier, is as it came from 14 be for the use or the expenses of the miht. He shall re- the House. 15 ceive all bullion brought to the mint for assay or coinage; 2. Amendments to insert, reported by.Committee on Finance, 16 shall b e the keeper of all bullion or coin in the mint, except are in italics. 17 while the same is legally in the hands of other officers; and 3. Amendments to strike out, r eported by Committee on Fi 18 shall deliver all coins struck at the mint -t;o the persons to nance, are in [brackets]. 19 wJwm they shall be legally pa.yn.ble. From the report of th.e 4. Amendments made by the Senate striking out words are in 20 a ayer and tho weight of the bullion, he shall compute brevier, with bra{}kets, and the words inserted in lieu thereof in 21 the value of each deposit, and also the amount of the charges the handwriting of the Clerk, are in SMALL CAPITALS. 22 or deductions, if any, of all which he shall give a detailed 5. Amendments reported by Committee on Finance, on page 12, 23 memorandum to the depositor; and he shall also give at the section J.8, line 9, in italics and brackets, were disagreed to by the 24 same time, under his hand, a certificate of the net amount of Senate. 25 the deposit, to be paid in coins or bars of the same species of 6. Amendment to strike out, on page 14, section 24, lines 5, 26 bullion as that deposited, the correctness of which certificate and 6, was moved in the Senate, and is in SMAL.L CAPITALS and 27 shall be verified by the assayer, who shall countersign the brackets. 28 same; and in all cases of transfer of coin or bullion, he shall 7. The word "agreed," in thehandwritingof the Clerk, show 29 give and receive vouchers, stating the amount and character ing what amendments were agreed to, is indicated by LARGE 30 of such coin or bullion. He shall keep and render, quart.er- • CAPITALS. 31 yearly, to the Director of the Mint, for the purpose of adjust- 8. The exact pages and lines of the original bill are indicated.] 4 32 ment, accordinp: to such forms as may be prescribed by the 42d CONGRESS, H. R. 2934:. 33 Secretary of tb.e Treasury, regular and faithful accounts 3d SESSION. 34 of his transactions with the other officers of tha 35 mint and the depositors; and shall also l'ender to him a. 36 monthly statement of the ordinary expenses of the mint or IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. 37 assn.y-office under his charge. He shall also appoint all 38 assistants, olerks4 (one of whom shall be designated "chief MAY 29,.1872. 39 clerk,") and workmen employed under his superintendence; 40 but no person shall be appointed to employment in the offices Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. 41 of the assayer, melter and refiner, coiner, or engraver, except - DECEl\1BER 16, 1872. 42 on the recommendation and nomination in writing of those Reported by Mr. SHERM.A..J.~ with amendments, viz: Strike out the 43 officers, r espectively; and he shall forthwith report to the 11arts in [brackets] and insert the parts printed in italics. 44: D.irector of t?-e Mint the names of all persons appointed by 45 hllll, the duties to be performed, the rate of compensat ion, J.Al\'lJARY 7, 1873. • 46 the appropriation from which compensation is to be matle Mr. SrrER:IIAN, from the Committee on Finance, reported additional 47 and the grounds of the appointment; and if the Director of amendments; which were ordered to be printed with the bill. 48 the Mint shall disapprove the same, the appointment shall be 49 vacated. 1 SEc. 5. Tha.t the assayer shall assay all metals a,nd 2 bullion, whenever such assays are r equired in the operations AN ACT AGREED OR SAMPLES OF BULLION Hevising and amending the laws relative to the mints, assay- 3 of the mint; he shall also ma,ke assays of coinsf\whenever offices, and coinage of the United States. 4 required by the superintendent. 1 SEC. 6. That the me1ter and refiner shall execute all 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of .Representa- 2 the operations which are necessary in order to form in{l'ots of 2 tives of the United States of America i n Co ngress assembled, 3 standard silver or gold, and alloys for minor coinage, s:tita.ble 3 That the Mint of the United States is hereby esta.bli.shed as a 4 Bureau of the Treasury Department, embracing in its organ- 5 5 ization and under its control all mints for the manufacture of 4 for the coiner, from the meta.ls legally delivered to him for 6 coin, and all assay-offices for the stamping of bars, which are ri that purpose; and shall also execute all the operations which 7 now, or which may be hereafter, authorized by l::tw. The 6 are necessary in order to form bars comformable in all •, -. 1220 CONGRESSIONAL -RECORD-SENATE. S_EPTEl\IBER 5, 7 respects to the law, from the gold and silver bullion delivered 20 this section, and the wages of the workmen perma~ntly 8 to him for that purpose. He shall keep a careful record of 21 engaged, shall be payable in monthly installments. 9 all transactions with the snperintendent, noting thf} weight 1 SEC. 13. That the standard for both gold and silver 10 and character of the bullion; and shall be responsible for all 2 coins of the United States shall be such t.hat of one thou- 11 bullion delivered to him until the same is returned to the 3 sand parts by weight nine hundred shaU be of pure metal 12 superintendent and the proper vouchers obtained. 4 and one hundred of alloy; and the alloy of the silver coins 1 SEc. 7. That the coiner shall execute all the operations 5 shaH be of copper, and the alloy of the gold coins shall be of 2 which are necessary in order to form coins, comformable in all 6 copper, or of copper and silver; but the silver shall in no 3 respects to the law, from the standard gold and silver ingots, 7 case exceed one-tenth of the whole alloy. 4 and alloys for minor coinage, legally delivered to him for 1 SEc. 14. That the gold coins of the United States shall 5 that purpose; and shall be responsible for all bullion delivered 2 be a one-dollar piece, which, at the standard weight of twenty- 6 to him, until the same is returned to the superintendent and 3 five and eight-tenths grains, shall be the unit of value; a 7 the proper vouchers obtained. 4 quarter-eagle, or two-and-a-half dollar piece; a three-dollar 1 SEC. 8. That the- engraver shall prepare from the 5 piece; a half-eagle, or five-dollar piece; an eagle, or ten-dol- AGREED WORKING 9 2 original dies already authorized all the[wording]j\diesrequired 3 for use in the coinage of the several mints, and, when new 6 lar piece; and a double-eagle, or twenty-dollar piece. _And the 4 coins or devices are authorized, shall, if required by the 7 standard weight of the gold dollar shall be twenty-five and eight 5 D1rector of the Mint, prepare the devices, models, molds, 8 tenths gmins; of the quarter-eagle, or two-and-a-half-dollar 6 an ct. matrices, or original dies, for the same; but the Director 9 piece, sixty-four and a half grains 1 of the three-dollar piece 7 of the Mint shall nevertheless have power, with the approval 10 seventy-seven and four-tenths grams; of the half-eagle, or 8 of the Secretary of the Treasury, to engage temporarily for 11 five-dollar piece, one hundred and twenty-nine grains; of 9 this purpose the service of one or more artists distinguished 12 the eagle, or ten-dollar piece, two hundred and :fi.fty- 13 eight grains; of the double-eagle, or twenty-dollar piece, five 6 14 hundred and sixteen grains; which coins shall be a legal 10 in their respective de-?artments of art, ~ho shall be paid for 15 tender in all payments at their nominal value when not 11 such service from the contingent appropriation for the mint 16 below the standard weight and limit of tolerance provided in 12 a.t Philadelphia. 17 this-- act for the single piece, and, when reduced in weight, AGREED ASSAY 18 below said standard and tolerance, shall be a legal tender at 1 SEC1. 9. That whenever any officer of a mint orj\office AGREED 2 shall be temporarily absent, on account of sickness or any 19 vaJuation in proportion to their actual weight; [and any gold 3 other cause, it shall be lawful for the superintendent, with the 20 coin of the United States, if reduced in weight by abrasion 4 consent of said officer, t.o appoint some person attached to 21 not more than one-half of one per centum on the double- 5 the mint to act in the place of such officer during his absence; 22 eagle and eagle, and one per centum on the other coins, below 6 but. all such appointments shall be forthwith reported to the 23 the standard weight prescribed by law, shall be received at 7 Director of the Mint for his approval· and in all cases what- 24 their nominal value by the United States Treasm·y and its 8 soever the principal shall be responsible for the acts of his 25 offices, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treas- 9 representative. In case of the temporary absence of the 26 ury may prescribe for the protection of the Govemment 10 superintendent, the chief clerk shall act in his place; and in 27 ag_aiu~t fraudulent abrasion or ?ther practices; and. any ~old 11 case of the temporary absence of the Director of the Mint, 28 coms m the Treasury of the Umted States reduced m weight 12 the Secretary of the Treasnry may designate some one to act 29 below this limit of abrasion shall be recoined.] 13 in his place. AGREED 1 SEc. 10. That every officer, assistant, and clerk of the 1 [SEC. 15. That any gold coin now in circulation the 2 mint shall, before he enters upon the execution of his office, H.R. 2934-2 3 take an oath or affirmation before some judge of the United 10 4 States, or judge of the superior court, or of some court of 2 weight of which is below the limit of abrasion prescribed m 5 record of any State, faithfully and diligently to perform the 3 this act may be received at the mints in Philadelphia and 6 dnties thereof, in addition to other official oaths prescribed by 4 San Francisco at par in exchange for silver coins: Pt·ovided, 7 law; which oaths, duly certified, shall be transmitted to the 5 That the circulation of such gold coin, as shown by the date 8 Secretary of the Treasm·y; and the superintendent of each 6 of coinage, has been sufficient to pro 14 fm· the five and three cent pieces shall be of copper and nickel, AGREED . 15 to be composed of tMee-fourths coppm· and one-fourth nickel 5 to the depositor, [FOR THE COST OF CONVERTL.~G THE BULLION INTO 16 and the alloy of the one-cent piece shall be ninety-five p er 6 BARS.] 17 cmttum of copper and five pe'r centum of tin and zinc, in 1 SEC. [26] 25. That the charge for converting standard 18 such pt·oportions as shall be detm·mined by the Di1·ecto1· of the AGREED Transfer to line 8, p. 15-insert after bullion: 19 Mint. The weight of the piece of five cents shall be seventy- 2 gold bullion into coin, (m· fm· converting standard silver int{) 20 seven and sixteen-hund1·edths grains, troy; of the th1·ee-cent 3 trade dolla1·s,) shall be one-fifth of one ;per centum; and 21 piece, thi1·ty grains; and of the one-cent piece, fm·ty-eight 4 the charges for refining when the bullion 1s below standard, 22 grains; 'Which coin shall be a legal tendm·, at thei1· '1UYntinal 15 12 5 for toughening when metals are contained in it which render 23 t•alue, fm· atty am01mt not exceeding twenty-five cents in any 6 i~ unfit for coinage, for copper used for alloy when the bull- 24 one paymmtt. 7 ion is above standard, for separating the gold and silver when 1 SEc. [18] 17. That no coins, either of gold, silver, or AGREED 2 minor coinage, shall hereafter be issued from the mint other 8 these metals exist together in the bullion) 1\ and for the 3 than those of the denominations, standards, and weights herein 9 preparation of bars, shall be :fixed, from time to time, by the 4 set forth. 10 Director, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Treas- 1 SEC. [19] 18. That upon the coins of the United States 11 ury, so as to equal but not exceed, in their judgment, the 2 there shall be the following devices and legends: Upon one side 12 actual average cost to each mint and assay-office of the 3 there shall be an impression emblematic of liberty, with a,n 13 material, labor, wastage, and use of machinery employed in 4 inscription of the word "Liberty" and the year of the 14 each of the cases aforementioned. 5 coinage, and upon the reverse shall be the :figure or repre- 1 SEC. [27] 26. That the assayer shall verify all calculations 6 sentation of an eagle, with the inscriptions "United States of 2 made by the superintendent of the value of deposits, and, if 7 America" and "E Pluribus Unum", and a designation of the 3 satisfied by the correctness thereof, shall countersign the cer- 8 value of the coin; but on the gold dollar and three-dollar 4 ti:ficate required to be given by the superintendent to the DISAGREED. 5 depositor. 9 piece, [the silver dolla·r, half-dolla1·, qua1·ter-dollar,] the dime, 1 SEc. [28] 27. That in order to procure bullion for the sil- 10 :five, three, and one cent piece the :figure of an eagle shall be 2 ver coinage authorized by this act, the superintendents, with 3 the approval of the Director of the Mint, as to price, terms and AGREED 1 11 omitted; and on the 1·everse of the silvm· dolla1·, half-dollar, 4 quantity, shall purchase such bullion with the bullion·tund. 12 quartm·-dollm·, and th~ di1ne, 1·espectively, there shall be in- 5 The gain arising from the coinage of such silver bullion into 13 scribed the tveight and the fineness of the coin ; and the 6 coin of a nominal value exceeding the cost thereof shall be 14 Director of the Mint, with the approval of the Secretary of 7 credited to a special fund denominated the silver-profit fund. 15 the Treasury, may cause the motto "In God we trust" to be 8 This fund shall be charged with the wastage incurred in the 16 inscribed upon such coins as shall admit of such motto; and 9 silver coinage, and with the expense of distributing said 17 any one of the foregoing inscriptions may be on the rim 10 coins as hereinafter provided. The balance to the credit of 18 of the gold and silver coins. 16 1 SEc. [20] 19. That at the option of the owner, gold or 11 this fund shall be from time to time, and at least twice a year, 13 12 paid into the Treasury of the United States. AGREED OTHER THAN THE TRADE DOLLAR 2 silver ma.y b{l cast into bars of :fine metal, or of standard 1 SEC. [29] 28. That the silver coins/\shall be paid out at the 3 :fineness, or unparted, as he may prefer, with a stamp upon the 2 several mints, and at the assay-office in New York City, in 4 same designating the weight and :fineness, and with such 3 exchange for gold coins at par, in sums not less than one hun- 5 devices impressed thereon as may be deemed expedient to 4 dred dollars; and it shall be lawful, also, to transmit parcels 6 prevent fraudulent imitation, and no such bars shall be issued 5 of the same, from time to time, to the assistant treasurers, 7 of a less weigbt than :five ounces. 6 depositaries, and other officers of the United States, under 1 SEC. [21] 20. That any owner of gold bullion may deposit 7 general reg~lations proposed by the Director of the Mint, and 2 the same at any mint, to be formed into coin or bars for his 8 approved by the Secretary of the Treasury; but nothing herein 3 benefit; but it shall be lawful to refuse any deposit of less 9 contained shall prevent the payment of silver coins, at their 4 value than one hundred dollars, or any bullion so base as to 10 nominal value, for silver parted from gold, as provided in 5 be unsuitable for the operations of the mint; and when gold 11 this act, or for change less than one dollar in settlement for 6 and silver are combined, if either metal be in such small 12 gold deposits: P1·ovided, That for two years after the passage 7 proportion that it can not be separated advantageously, no 13 of this act, silver coins shall be paid at the mint in Philadel- 8 allowance shall be made to the depositor for its value. 14 phia and the assay-office in New York City for silver buJ).- 1 SEc. 22 [21]. That any owner of silver bullion may deposit 15 ion purchased for coinage, under such regulations as may be 2 the same at any mint, to be formed into bars for his benefit; 16 prescribed by the Director of the Mint, and approved by the 3 no deposit for coinage into silver coin shall be received; but 17 Secretary of the Treasury. 4 silver bullion contained in gold deposits, and separated there- 1 SEc. [30] 29. That for the purchase of metal for the minor 5 from, may be paid for in silver coin, at such valuation as may 2 coinage authorized by this act, a sum not exceeding fifty 6 be, from time to time, established by the Director of the 3 thousand dollars in lawful money of the United States shall AGREED 4 be tmnsferred by the Secretary of the Treasury to the credit 7 Mint: Provided, That at the option of the 01vner, silver •may 5 of the superintendent of the mint at Phihidelphia, at which 8 be cast info c&ins of standard fineness, and of the tveight of 6 establishment only, until otherwise provided by law, such 9 fou1' hundred and twenty grains t1·oy, designated in section 10 fifteen of thi-s act as the tmde-dollar. . 17 1 SEC. [23] 22. That when bullion is deposited in any of the 7 coinage shall be carried on. The superintendent, with the 14 8 approval of the Director of the Mint a-s to price, terms, and 9 quantity, shall purchase the metal required for such coinage 2 mints, it shall be weighed by the superintendent, and, when 10 by public advertisement, and the lowest and best bid shall be 3 practicable, in .the presence of the depositor, to whom a re- 11 accepted, the fineness of the metals to be determined on the 4 ceipt shall be given, which shall state the description and 12 mint assay. The gain arising from the coinage of such metals 5 weight of the bullion; but when the bullion is in such a 13 into coin of a nominal value, exceedin.g the cost thereof, shall 6 state as to require melting, or the removal, of base metals, 14 be credited to the special fund denominated the minor-coinage 7 before its value can be ascertained, the weight, after such 15 profit fund; and this fund shall be charged with the 8 operation, shall be considered as the true weight of the 16 wastage incurred in such coinage, and with the cost of dis- 9 bullion deposited. The :fitness of the bullion to be received 17 tributing said coins as hereinafter provided. The balance 10 shall be determined by the assayer, and the mode of melting 18 remaining to the credit of this fund, and any balance of profits 11 by the melter and refiner. 19 accrued from minor coinage under former acts, shall be, from 1 SEC. [24] 23. That from every parcel of bullion deposite(l 20 time to time, and at least twice a year, covered into the 2 for coinage or bars,the superintendent shall deliver to the assayer 21 'l'reasury of the United States. . 3 a 13ufficient portion for the purpose of being assayed, but all 1 SEc. [31] 30. That the minor coins authorized by this act 4 such bullion remaining from the operations of the assay shall 2 may, at the discretion of the Director of the Mint, be delivered 5 be returned to the superintendent by the assayer. 3 in any of the principal cities and towns of the United States, 1 SEc, [25] 24. That the assayer shall report to the superin- 4 at the cost of the mint, for transportation, and shall be AGREED FINENESS 5 exchangeable at par at the mint in Philadelphia, at the dis- 2 tendent the quality or [standard]/\ of the bullion assayed by 6 cretion of the superintendent, for any other coins of coppe:r 3 him, and such information as will enable him to compute the 7 bronze, or copper-nickel heretofore authorized by law; an<11 14 amount of the charges hereinafter provided for, to be made 8 it shall be lawful for the Treasurer and the several assistant 1222 CONGRESSIONAL .REOOJID--.:SEN ATE. SEPTEMBER .5, 9 treasurers and depositaries of the United States to redeem, in 1 SEc. [4:1] 4:0. UJtn;t at every delivery of coins mn.de. by the 10 lawful mone-y, under sunh rules as :may be JUescribed by the 2 .coine~ to a SUJ?erintendent, it shall be the duty of such H. R.2934:-3 3 sup~tendent, m .the presence o! the assayer, to take indis- 18 4 crnmnate~y a certam number of p1ece.s of e ch variety for the 5 ·a.nnu.nJ trJ.:J:l of coins, the number for ..gold coins being not le.ss 11 Secretary of the ' Treasury, all copper, bronze, nnd copper 6 than one JHece for each one thousand })ieces or any fractional l2 nickel coins ::mthorized l>y law when presented iu smns of not 7 part of one thousand pieces delivered; and for silver ·coins 13 less·than twenty dollars; and whenever, under this authority, 8 one piece for each two thousand pieces or any-fractional part these coin are presented for 'redemption in such quantity as 1 14: 9 oftwo thousan~ -pi.e.ces delivered. The piece so taken shall to show the amount outstanding to be redundant, the Secre 15 10 ~e carefully sealed up. in an envelope, properly labeled, stat- 16 tary of the .Treasury is authorized and Iequired to d.i.i:ect that 11 rng the date of the delivery, the number and denomination of 17 such coinage shall cea e until otherwise _orclered by .him. 12 the. .Pieces inclosed, and the amount of the delivery from 1 SEC. [32] 31. That parcels of bullion shall he, from time to 13 which they were taken. These sealed parcels containinO' the 2 time, transferred by the superintendent to the melter and re.fi.ner; 14: reserved -pieces shall be d~osited in a -pyx, de ignated fo~ the 3 a. careful record of these transfers, noting the weight and character 15 purpose at each mint, which shall be kept under the joint 4 of the "bullion, shall be kept, and vouchers shall be taken for 16 care of. the superintendent and · assayer, and be so secured - 5 the delivery of the same, duly _receipted by the melter ana 17 that neither can have access to its contents without the }1res- 6 refiner, 1i.D.d the bullion thus placed in the hands of the .melter 18 ence of -the other, and the reserved -pieces in their sealed ~ and refiner s.h:ill be sul;>jected to the several processes which 19 envelopes from the coinage of each min-t shall be transmitted --s .may be necessary to form it into ingots .of the legal standard, 20 quarterly to the mint nt Philadelphia. A record shall also 9 and of a quality suitab1e for coinage. _ ~ .SEc. [33] 32. That the ingots so prepared shall be assayed; 22 2 aua if they prove to be within the limits allowed for d.evia: 21 be .kept at the same 1ime of the number and denomination of 3 tion from the standard; the assayer shall certify the fact to 22 th'3 J>ieees so taken fur the annual trial J:>f coins and of tho 4 the superintendent, w1w shall thereupon receipt for the s:une, 23 number :md denomination of the pieces Tepresen'ted by the.m 5 and transfer them to the coiner. · 24 and so delivered, a copy of which record hall be transmitted 1 SEc. [34] 33. That no ingots shall be used for coinage 25 quart~rly to the nirector of the Mint. Other pieces may, at ~· which differ .from the1egal standard more than the following 26 any tune, he taken for such _tests as the Director of -the Mint 3 pro.portions, namely: In gold ingots, one-thousandth; in silver 27 shall prescribe. 19 • ~ SEc. [42] 41. That the coiner .shall, from time to time d.e- 2 AGREED THREE-THOUSANDTHS 1ive~ to the S?-~erintendent the olippings and other porti01'ts of 4 ingots, [two-thousandths ;]/\in minor-coinage alloys, twenty- 3 bullion remammg afte.r the proce s of eoininO' · and the super 5 nve-thousandths, in theJ>roportion of nickel. 4: intendent shall receipt for the same and keep~ careful recoid 1. SEc. [35] 34. That the melter and .reftner shall preJ>a:re all 5 of their weight and·chamcte.r. '2 bars required for the ·payment of deposits;, but the :fineness 1 SEc. [43] 42. That the superintendent shall debit the coiner 3 thereof shall be ascertained and stamped thereon by the 2 with the amount in weight of standard metal of all the bul 4 assayer; and the melter and Tefine1· shall deliver such bars to 3 lion placed in his hands ancl credit him with the amount .in 5 the superintendent, who shall receipt for the same. 4 weig_ht of all the co~, cllppings, and other bullion returned 1 SEc. [36] 35. That the superintendent shall, from time to 5 by hrm to the superrntendent. Once at least in every year 2 time, deliver to the coiner ingots for the purpose of coinagei 6 and at such time as the Director of the Mint shall appoint' -.3 a cru:eful 1·ecord of these transfers, noting the weight and 7 there -shall be an accurate and full settlement of the account~ 4 character of the bullion, shall be kept, and von.ahers shall 8 of. the coiner, and the. melter and refiner, at which time the 5 be taken for the delivery of the same, duly :receipted by the .9 sa:td officers ·shall dehver up to the superintendent all the 6 coiner; and the ingots thus placed in the hands ofihe coiner 10 ?oi:ns, clippings,. and othe.r bullion in their possession, respect 7 shall be subjected to the several processes necessary to .make 11 Ively, accomparued by statemeuts of all the bullion delivered 8 from the.m coins in all re.s.J?ects conformable to law. 12 to them since the last annual settlement, and all the bullion 1 SED. [37] 36. That in adjusting the weight-s of the gold 23 2 coins, .the following deviations shall not be exceeded in any 3 •single piece: In the doubl&-eag1e and -the eagle, one-half of 13 returned by them during the same 'Period, including the 4: a grain; in the half-eagle, the three-dollar piece, the quart&- 14 amorrntreturned for-the purpose of settlement. ~c. [44] 43. That ~hen all the coins, clippino·s, and other .5 eagle, and the one-dollar :Pieee, one.-fom:th of a grain. And 1.2 bulliOn nave been delivered to the superintendent it shall 6 in weighing a number of ·pieces together, when delivered by be his duty to examine the accounts and statements ~endered ·7 the coiner to the superintendent, and by the superintendent 43 by-the coiner and the melter and refiner, and the ilif:l'erence 8 to the depositOT, the deviation from the standard weight 5 between the amount charged and ciedited to each officer 9 shall not exeeecl one-hundredth of an ounce in five thousand 6 shall be allowed u.s necessary wastacre, if the superin 10 dollar.s in double-eagles, eagles, :half-eagles, or qu..'tl'te.r-e:agles, tendent shall be satisfied that ther~ has been a bona w . ~ :fi.de waste' of the precious metals, and if the amount n in one tnousand three-dollar pieces, and in one -thousand one- 9 shall not exceed_, in the case of the melter and refiner one 12 dollar pieces. 10 thousandth of the wll.ole amount of .gold, and one and' one 1 SEc. [38] 37. That in adjusting the weight of the silver 11 half thousandth of the whole amount of silver delivered to 2 coins the following deviations shall not be exceeded in any 12 ~ since the last annual settlement, and in the case of the 3 ingle piece: In the dollar, 'the ·half and quarter dollar, and in 13 comer, one-thousandth of the whole amount of silver and 4 the dime, one and one-half grains; and in weig-hing large num- 14, one-half thousandth of the whole amount of gold that has 5 bers of pieces together, when delivered by the coiner to the 15 been delivered to him by the superintendent; and all copper 6 superintendent, :mel by the superintendent to the depositor, 16 used in the alloy of gold and silveJ.' bullion shall be separately 7 the devi.a,tions fl'om the :Standard weight shall not exceed two 17 charged to the melter and refiner, and accounted for by him. ·s hundredth-s of an ounce in one -thousand dollars, half-dollars, 1 SEc. [4:5] 4:4. That it shall also be the duty of the superin 9 or quarter-dollars, and one-hundredth of an ounce in one 2 tendent to forward a correct statement of his balance-sheet 10 thousand dimes. 3 at the close of such settlement, to the Director of -the Mint' 1 SEc. [39] 38. That in adju-sting the weight of the minor 4 -who shall compare the total amount of gold and silver bullio~ 2 coins provided by this act, there shall be no greater deviation 5 and coin on hand with the total liabilities of the Mint. At 3 :illowe.d than three grains for the :five-cent piece and two 6 -the -same time a statement of the -ordinary expense account, 4 grains for the tlrree and one cent pieces. . • 24 1 SEc. [40] 39. That the eoiner shall, from time to time, as 2 coins are prepar.ed, deliver them -to the superintendent, who 7 and the moneys therein, shall also be made by the superin .3 shall receipt for the same, and who shall ·keep a careful S t~ndent . 4 record of their .kind, number, and actual weight; and in re- ~ SEC. [46] 4:o. That when the coins or bars which are equiv- 5 ce.iving coins it shall be the du-ty of the superintendent to 2 alent to an~ deposit of buipon are ~eady for delivery, they 6 ascertain, by the trial of a numbeT of -single pieces sepa 3 shall be pard to the depositor, oT his order, by the superin- '.; rately, whether the coins of 'that delivery are within the legal 4 tendent; and the}layments shall be made, if demanded in the 8 limits of the standard wei~ht; and if his trials for this pur 5 or.der in w:hich the bullion sh~ ha.ve ~eon b~ou~ht 'to the ;9 po e sh!ill not prove satisfuctory, he ·shall cause all the coins 6 lllillt; but rn cases -where ·there IS delay m mn.mpruating are- 7 fractory deposit, or for any other .unavohlable cause, -the p-:-ty- 21 8 ment of -subsequent depo its, the value of whlch is known, 10 of such delivery to be weighed -separately, and such as are 9 sh~ll 110~ be delayed thereb. ; and in the denominations of 11 .not of legal weight 1ihall be defaced and delivered to the 10 com delivered, the superintendent shall c_9mply with the 12 :m.elter and refiner as standard lmllion, to be again formed into 11 wishes of -thf} depositor, except -when impl'aotic.a,ble or incon- l3 ingots and recoined; or the whole delivery m~, if more con- 12 venient to do so. 14: venient, be remelted. 1 SEc. [4:7] 46. That unpartecl bullion may be exchanged at 1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD~ENATE. 1223 I\ 2 any of the mints for fine bars, on such terms and conditions 1 SEC. [54] 53. That the moneys arrising from all charges and 3 as may be prescribed by the Director of the Miut, with the 2 deduction& on and from gold and silver bullion and the manu- 4 api?roval of the Secretary of the Treaaury;.and the :fineness, AGREED ~UUMLS 5 weight, and value of the bullion received and given in ex- 3 facture o:f [metals];\andfrom all other sourccs, except asherein- 6 change shaJ.l in all cases be determined by the mint assay. 28 7 The charge to the depositor for refining or parting sh~ n?t 4 before provided, shall, from time to time, be covered into the 8 exceed that allowed and deducted for the same operation m 5 Treasury of the United States, and: no part of such deduc- 9 the exchange of unrefined for refined bullion. 6ti~m~~~~m~~~~~m~m~~ 1 Sxc. [48] 47. Thatforthepurposeofenablingthemin~.and 7 shall be expended in salaries or wages; but all expenditures 2 the assay-office in New York to make retu:rns to depos:Ltors 8 of the mints and assay-offices, not herein otherwise provided 25 9 for,- shall be pa.id from appropriations made by law on 10 estimates_furnished by the Se-cretary of the Treasury. 3 with as little delay as possible, it shall be the duty of the 1 · SEc. [55] 54. That the officers of the United States assay- 4 Secretary of the Treasury to keep in the said mints and a.ssay- 2 office at New York shall be a superintendent, an assayer, and 5 office when the state of the Treasury will admit thereof, such 3 a melter and refiner, who shall be appointed by the President, 6 an a~ount of public money, or bullion procured for the pur- 4 by and with the advice and consent of tbe Senate. The 7 pose, as he shall judge convenient and necessary, out of 5 business of said assay-office shall be in all respects similar 8 which those who bring bullion to the said mints and assay- 6 to that of the mints, except that" bars only, and not coin, shall 9 office may be paid the \alue ther of, in coin or bars, as soon 7 be manufactured therein; and no metals shall be purchased 10 as practicable after the value has been ascertained; and on 8 for minor coinage. All bullion intended by the depositor to 11 payment thereof being made, the bullion so deposited shall 9 be converted into coins of the United States, and silver bullion 12 become the property of the United States; but the Secretary 10 purchased for coinage, when ass-ayed, parted, and refined, and 13 of the Treasury may at any time withdraw the fund, or any 11 its net value certified, shall be transferred to the mint at • 14 portion thereof. 12 Philadelphia, under such directions as shall be made by the 1 Sxc. [49] 48. Tha.tto secure adne conformity in the gol~and 13 Secretary of the Treasury, at the expense of the contingent 2 silver coins to their respective standards of fineness and weight, 14 fond of the mmt; and shall be there coined, and the proceeds 3 the ,judge of the district courl of the United States for the east- 15 returned to the assay-office. And the Secretary of the AGREED 16 Treasury is hereby authorized to make the necessary 4 ern district of Pennsylvania, the Comptroller of the Curre-nay, 17 arrangen1ents for the adjustment of the accounts upon such 5 the assayer of the assay-office at~ewYork? and su?hother per- 18 transfers between the respective offices. 6 sons as the Pre ident shall, from time to tune, designate, shall 1 SEc. [56] 55. That the duties of the superintendent, asHay- 7 meet as as ay-commissioners, at the mint in Phila 1224- CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-· SENATE. SEPTEMBER 5, 4 approbation of the Secretary of the Trea-sury; and for that 3 the offices of the treasurer of the mints in 5 purpose it shall be the duty of the said Director to prescribe 4 Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New Orleans 6 such regulations and to require such r6turns, periodically and 5 shall be vacated, and the a ·sista.nt treasurer at New York 7 occasionally, and to establish such charges for melting, 6 shall cease to perform the duties of treasurer of the assay 8 parting, assaying, and stamping bullion as shall appear to 7 office. The other officers and employees of the mints and 9 him to be necessary for the purpose of carrying into effect 8 assay-offices now appointed shall continue to hold their 10 the intention of this act. 9 respective offices, they having :first given the necessary bonds 1 SEC. [61] 60. That all the provisions of this act for the 10 until further appointments may be required, the director of 2 regulation of the mints of the United States, and for the 11 the mint at Philadelphia being styled and actin.g as superin 3 governruent of the officers and persons employed therein, 12 tendent thereof. The duties of the treasurers shall devolve 4 aud for the punishment of all offenses connected with the 13 as herein provided upon th.e superintendents, and sa.id treas 5 mints or coinage of the United States, shall be, and they are 14 urers shall act only as assistant treasurers of the United 6 hereby decla1·ed to be, in full force in relation to the assay- 15 States: P.rovidea, That the salaries heretofore paid to the 7 offices, as far as the same may be applicable thereto. 16 treasurers of the mints at Philadelphia, San Francisco, and 1 SEC. [62] 61. That if any person or persons shall falsely 35 ' 2 make, forge, or counterfeit, or cause or procure to be falsely 3 made, forged, or counterfeited, or willingly aid or assist in 17 New Orleans, acting as assistant treasurers, shall hereafter be ' 4 falsely making, for€;ing, or counterfeiting, any coin or bars in 18 paid to them as "assistant treasurers of the United " tates''~ 5 resemblance or similitude of the gold or silver coins or bars, 19 and that the salarr of the assistant treasurer at New York 6 which have been, or hereafter may be coined or stamped 20 shall not be dimimshed by the vacation of his office as tl·eas- 7 at the mints and assay-offices of the United States, or 21 urer ofthe assay-office. 8 in resemblance or similitude of any foreign gold or 1 SEc. [67] 66. That the different mints and assay-offices 9 silver coin which by law is, o:r hereafter may be made, cur- 2 authorized by this act shall be known as "the mint of • 3 the United States at Philadelphia'', "tho mint of the United 32 4 States at San Francisco", ''the mint of the United States a.t 10 rent in the 'United States, or are in actual use and circulation 5 Carson," "the mint of the United States at Denver," "the 11 as money within the United States, or shall pass, utter, pub- 6 United States assay-office at New York", and "the United 12 lish, or sell, or attempt to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or bring AGREED "THE u. s. ASSAY-OFFICE AT CHARLOTTE. N. CAROLINA" 13 into the United States from any foreign place, or have in his 7 States assay-office at Bois6 City, Idaho;" 1\ and all unexpended 14 possession, any such false, forged, or counterfeited coin or 8 appropriations heretofore authorized by law for the use of the 15 bars, knowing the same to be false, forged, or counterfeited, 9 mint of the United States a.t Philadelphia., the branch mint 16 every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of felony, 10 of the United States in California, the branch mint of 17 and shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by fine not ex- 11 the United States at Denver, the United States assay-office 18 ceeding five thousand dollars, and by imprisonment and confine- 12 in New York, and the United-States assay-office at B01s6 19 ment at hard labor not exceeding ten years, according to the 13 City, Idaho, are hereby authorized to be transferred for the 20 'aggravation of the offense. 14 account and use of the institutions established and located 1 SEc. [63] 62. That if any person or persons shall falsely 15 respectively at the places designated by this act. 2 make, forge, or counterfeit, or cause or procure to be falsely 1 SEC. [68] 67. That this act shall be known as the "Coinage 3 made, forged, or counterfeited, or willingly aid or assist in AGREED • 1873 4 falsely making, forging, or counterfeiting, any coin in the 2 act of [eighteen hundred and seventy-two"];\; and all other 5 resemblance or similitude of any of the minor coinage which 3 acts and parts of acts ;:>ertaining to the mints, assay-offices, 6 has been, or hereafter may be, coined at the mints of the 4 and coinage of the Umted States inconsistent with the pro- 7 · United States; or shall pass, utter, publish, or sell, or bring 5 visions of this act are hereby repealed: P1·ot'idea, That this 8 into the United States from any foreign place, or have in his 9 possession any such false, forged, or counterfeited coin, with 36 10 intent to defraud any body politic or corporation, or any 6 act shall not be construed to affect any act done, right ac 11 person or persons whatsoever, every person so offending shall 7 crued, or penalty incurred, under former acts, but every such 12 be deemed guilty of felony, and shall, on conviction thereof, 8 right is hereby saved; and all suits and prosecutions for acts 13 be punished by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars and 9 already done in violation of any former act or acts of Congress I ~ W relating to the subjects embraced in this act may be begun 11 or proceeded with in like manner as if this act had not been 14 by imprisonment and confinement at hard labor not exceeding 12 passed; and all penal clauses and provisions in existing laws 15 th1·ee years. 13 relating to the subjects embraced in this act shall be deemed 1 SEC. [64] 63. That if any person shall fraudulently, by any 14 applicable thereto: Ana pt·ovided j1wth.er, That so much of the 2 art, way, or means whatsoever, deface, mutilate, impair, 15 :first section of ".A.n act making appr.opriations for undry 3 diminish, falsify, scale, or lighten the gold or silver coins 16 civil expenses of the Government for the year endh1g June 4 which have been, or which shall hereafter be, coined at the 17 thirty, eighteen hundred and seventy-one, and for other pur 5 mints of the United States, or any foreign gold or silver coins 18 poses," approved July fifteen, eighteen hundred and seventy, 6 which are by law made current, or are in actual use and cir- 19 as provides that until after the completion and occupation 7 cnlation as money within the United States, every person so 20 ofthe branch-mint building in San Fra.ncisco it shall be law 8 offending shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor, and 21 ful to exchange, at any mint or branch-mint of the United 9 shall be imprisoned not exceeding two years, and fined not 22 States, unrefined or unparted bullion whenever, in the opinion 10 exceeding two thousand dollars. 23 of the Secretary of the Treasury, it can be done with advan 1 SEC. [65] 64. That if any of the gold or silver coins which 24 tage to the Government, is hereby repealed. 2 shall be struck or coined at any of the mints of the Unitea Passed the House of Representatives May 27, 1872. 3 States shall be debased, or made worse as to the proportion Attest: EDWARD McPHERSON, 4 of fine gold or fine silver therein contained; or shall be of Clerk. 5 less weight or value than the same ought to be, pursuant to 6 the several acts relative thereto; or if any of the weights [Indorsement on back of bill.] 7 used at any of the mints or assay-offices of the 42D CONGRESS, 8 United States shall be defaced, increased or diminished H. R. 2934. 704 9 through the fault or connivance of any of the officers or 3D SESSION. } 10 persons who shall be employed at the sa.id mints or assay- 11 -Offices, with a fraudulent intent; and if any of the said offi- AN ACT 12 cers or persons shall embezzle any of the metals which shall 13 at any time be committed to their charge for the purpose of Revising and amending the laws relative to the mints, assay-offices, ·and coinage of the United H. R. 2934-5 States. 34 ·, 14 being coined, or any of the coins which shall be struck or 15 coined at the said mints, or any medals, coins, or other 1872-MAY 29.-Read twice and referred to the Commit t ee on 16 moneys of said mints or assay-offices at any time committed Finance. 17 to their charge, or of which they may have assumed the DECEMBER 16, 1872.-Reported with amendments. 18 charge, every such officer or person who shall commit any or 1873-JANUARY 7.-Additional amendments reported, which were 19 either of the said offenses shall be deemed guilty of felohy, ordered to be printed with the bill. 20 and shall be imprisoned at hard labor for a term not less JA.J..~UARY 17, C. W.-Amended, read the third time, and 21 than one year nor more than_ten years, and shall be fined in passed. 22 a. sum not exceeding ten thousand dollars. JAN. 17. 1 SEc. [66] 65. That this act shall take effct on the :first Amended. AGREED APRIL SEVENTY-THREE . PABSED. 2 day of [July,] 1\ eighteen hundred and [seventy-two,] 1\ when No papers. - 1893. CONGRESSIONA-L RECORD-SENATE. 1225. SENATE PROCEEDINGS IN DETAIL. sible for any regulation of the Secretary to prevent great loss to the Govern ment if we attempt to maintain these coins when they fall below the limit of The following proceedings were had in the Senate on Friday, abrasion and redeem them at the nominal instead of the real value. It is a January 17, 1873, when the foregoing bill was under considera delicate question, and it will only be necessary to read these papers in order tion: to convince the Senator himself that it would not be wise for the United MINT LAWS. States to undertake to do what the House proposes. Mr. CoLE. I should like it better if the chairman of the Committee on Fi The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Calendar unde1· the Anthony rule is now in nal}ce would give us some reasons why this amendment should be made. order. This clause protects the Government fully. The degree of abrasion is pre· Mr. SHERMAN. I nse for the purpose of moving that the Senate proceed to scribed in this clause not to exceed one-half of 1 per cent on double-eagles the consideration of the mint bill. I will state that this bill will not prob and eagles, and not to exceed 1 per cent upon coins of lesser denomination. ably consume any more time than the time consumed in reading it. It passed If it would involve the Government in some expense to restore these coins the Senate two years ago after full debate. It was taken up again in the after they had been received in the ordinary business of the country, received House during the present Congress, and passed there. It is a matter of vital at the custom-houses and in the Treasury, it is very proper that the Govern interest to the Government., and I am informed by offi.cers of the Government ment should bear that expense. And let me again remind the Senator that it is important it should pass promptly. 'l'he amendments reported bytl:l.e we have entered upon that business, and at the la.st session made an appro Committee on Finance present the points of d:i1Ierence between the two priation of $150,000 to do this very thing. Houses, and they can go tv a committee of confereJtcewithouthaving a con Mr. SHERMAN. 'I hat was for the coin belonging to the United S&ates. troversy here in the Senate about them. Mr. CoLE. Exactly. This clause provides that when the coin reaches the Mr. ANTHONY. I hope the Calendar will be laid aside informally, not post Treasury it may be so treated, and that this coin shall be received by the poned. United States at the Treasury and other offi.ces. Mr. SHERMAN. Let it be passed over informally until we finish the reading Mr. CASSERLY. I had risen to ask a. question of the Senator from Ohio ot the mint bill and dispose of it. The reading is ~~tbout halt through, I am [Mr. SHERMAN) which my colleague has anticipated. Authority is valua informed by the Secretary. ble only in proportion to the reason which goes with it. The names men Mr. CRAGIN. I shall not oppose this motion, but I wish to give notice that tioned are of course names of authority in coinage and minting. But when as soon as the mint bill is disposed of I shall move to call up the bill (H. R. it is said that we ought to strike out a provision such as that which we are No. 3010) for the construction of six steam vessels of war, and for other pur now considering because the men of authority say it would be dangerous poses, which was reported from the Committee on Naval Affairs. I hope to enact it, we ought to know what reason they have for so saying. that bill will be left as the unfinished business this evening. In the first place, everybody knows that it is almost a mechanical impos The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chatr is informed that it is proposed that sibility to manufacture a coin that is exactly or the standard. The coin will the Calendar be informally passed over. be a. little above or below the standard in weight, but generally it is below Mr. SHERMAN. I am perfectly willing that that should be done. in So that when you fix the limit of the abrasion as here at one-half of 1 The PIQllSIDING OFFICER. That will be regarded as the sense of the Sen per cent on the double eagle and eagle and 1 per cent on the other coins, you ate, if th~re is no objection, and the bill referred to by the Senator from Ohio is now before the Senate. make your limit exceedingly narrow. In addition to that, the Secretary of The Senate, as in Committee of the Whole, resumed the consideration of the Treasury is authorized to make such rules as he sees fit for the protec the bill (H. R. No. 2934) revising and amending the laws relative to the tion of the Government against fraud. Now, what danger can there be to mints, assay offi.ces, and coinage of the United States. the Tre:1sury of the United States under such a provision? Why should any The Chief Clerk resumed and concluded the reading of the bill. respectable government consent to permit its gold coins to remain in cir The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Committee on Finance report the bill, with culation after they have suffered by abra~on so as to fall much below the ~egal st~ndard? The loss by abrasion has to fall somewhere in the end, and amendments, which will now be read. It certamly ought to fall upon the whole people rather than upon the inno Mr. SHERMAN. I send to the clerk some amendments of a formal charac cent holder who has taken the coin of the Government at its fa.ce on the ter from the Committee on Finance, adopted since the amendments first re faith of the Government, without being aware of the reduction trom its f~!~~~:~~ printed. !will ask that they be acted upon with the others in standard value. The first amendment of the Committee on Finance was, on pagd 4, section I insist that it is the duty of the Government to make its coins of the 5, line 3, after the word "coins," to insert " or sample of bullion;" so that standard value in the first place, and in the next place to keep them up to the the clause will read: standard value. The citizen is obliged by law to receive them for their full "That the assayer shall assay all metals and bullion, whenever such as standard value, and, as the loss must fall somewhere, it ought to tall on the says are required in the operations of the mint; he shall also make assays Government and not upon the citizen. It is bard enough that the innocent of coin or samples of bullion whenever required by the supe1·intenaent." holder of a coin which has been fraudulently abraded, or reduced as by what The amendment was agreed to. they call "sweating," or by any other fraudulent process, must lose by the The next amendment was on page 5, section 8, line 2, to strike out the word fraud to which he was no party. It is ever so much worse when you make "wording" before the word "dies," and insert the word "working." him bear the loss of the natural and inevitable wear of the metal. Every The amendment was agreed t o. such loss should be the loss of the Government, for it is the duty of the Gov· The next amendment was on page 6, section 9, line 1, before the word ernment to keep its coin at the standard value at its own expense. "offi.ce," at the end of the line, to insert the word "assay." I do not understand the last two lines of this amendment as the Senator from O~o ~nderstands them. It I understand them aright, he would not The amendment was agreed to. press his ObJection so strongly as he does. The language is: w~£s~ext amendment was- on page 9, section 14, to str~ke out the following "And any gold coins in the Treasury of the United States reduced in "And any gold coin of the United States, it reduced in weight by abrasion weight bt~low this limit of abrason s~ll be recoined." not more than one-halt of 1 per cent. on the double eagle and eagle, and 1 per Mr. SHERMAN. The reason that those words are proposed to be stricken cent on the other coins, below the standard weight prescribed by law, shall out is that the coins in the Treasury have already been provided for. The be received at their nominal value by the United States Treasury and its law now provides for recoining abraded coin in the Treasury of the United offi.ces, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may pre States. 'l'here is no necessity, therefore, for putting it in here again. In scribe for the protection of the Government against fraudulent abrasion or deed, when this clauo:;e was inserted in the House the law providing for that other practices; and any gold coins in the Treasury of the United States recoinage had not been passed. It was passed in an appropriation bill on reduced in weight below this limit of abra-sion shall be recoined." my own motion, I think, at the last session of Congress. The Mint was Mr. CoLE. I hope that amendment will not be agreed to. I think it is avery authorized to recoin the abraded coins in the Treasury of the United States wise provision in the bill as it came from the House, and it ought to be allowed some of which were talren at their reduced value. ' to remain. It merely provides that coins, when a. little abraded by natural Mr. CASSERLY. Of course, if the Senator says the clause is unnecessary use and wear, shall be received at the Treasury of the United States, and the because it is the law now, there is nothing more to be said. concluding portion of the clause proposed to be stricken out provides: Mr. SHERMAN. The Senator's colleague referred to the law a moment ago. Mr. CASSERLY. I am content to take what the Senator from Ohio says on b~~t:~:~)~~~ ;?~~r~~i~:;'~:fis~~~~;fu~¥~ited States reduced in weight that point. But that only conoborates what I say, that the Government It is certainly the duty of the Government to provide the coins of the recognizes it as ilis duty to restore its coins to the standard value after they country and at its own expense, and this section seems to be well guarded. have fallen below a certain limit of abrasion. Now, all that is asked is that The language is: before they :tall below the limit o:t abrasion and while passing current in the "Under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe business transactions of the country they shall be received at their denomi for the protection of the Government against fraudulent abrasion or other national value by the United States Treasury, under suchregulationsasthe practices." Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe. I fully recognize what the Sena It strikes me that this clause ought not to be stricken out. I remember at tor from Ohio says, that the whole subject of specie coinage is one of great the last session of Congress we passed a law which contemplated the resto· in~rica.cy, so that what appears a very sm~l~ matter in itself may have very ration of these coins. !will read it. It was passed at the earnest application Wldespread consequences. But this pro~wn now under considt:ration is of the Secretary of the Trea-sury, and I believe at the unanimous suggestion so plain, so reasonable, and so per!ectly.guarded that I had very strong hopes or the Committee on Finance of this body it was incorporated in an appro the Senator from Ohio would consent to allow it to remain. priation bill. It is as follows: Mr. SHERMAN. I think after a full explanation of this matter the Senators "For loss and expenses involved in the recoinage of gold coins in the from California themselves would vote :tor this proposition. I do not desire Treasury which are below standard weight, under such regulations as the to take up time, but will say a few words in explanation of the amendment Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, $150,000." proposed by the committee striking out this clause. The Government makes provision for the restoration of the coins when All nations retain the nominal value ot abraded coin to a certain standard they have been reduced by natural wear, and I should think that this part of but when it falls below that the loss falls on the individual who holds it: ~~:ic~i!i~~t.ought to be left in the bill. I see no reason why it should be That has been the custom of all countries. The coin that is held by the Treasury or the United States is received at its nominal value if it is within Mr. SHERMAN. I can only say I have here a number of documents, not only the limits of abrasion fixed by the law, but if it falls below the limits the from the Director of the Mint in Philadelphia, but from Professor Barnard loss falls on the holder of the coin, and much of that which is now being re and the Comptroller ot the Currency. calling our attention to this very im coined in the United States was taken at the abraded value; that is there portant feature of the bill, and the Committee on Finance,J).fter a patient duced value. It was not taken at the full nominal value, but at the 'reduced examination of the whole matter, decided that it was clearly inexpedient value. Consequently, when we issue it again, we issue it in the :tormof coin ~~~~n~e~Ra~Jns~:~lrovision for the recoinage of all the present gold up to th~ standard. Therefore, the quest.ion as to whether we shall recoin our own coin and the question whether we shall recoin the coin in the hands It is true, as the Senator says, we have provided for recoining the coin in of citizens are very d:i1Ierent things. Upon this identical point I will read a the Treasury of the United States; but we go nofurthert.han that. No nation letter of Mr. Comptroller Knox. I m ay say that this clause was put in in in the world has gonefurther than that. I donotwiAh to delay the Senate the House, I believe, without the consent of the committee, and upon some by rea.ding these documents, but I suggest to the Senator whether he had not motion made in the House; at least I am so informed, although I have not better let this proposition go to a committee of conference rather than un looked at the Globe to ascertain the fact. Mr. Knox writes this to the com dertake to ~iscuss it here, because if we are compelled to discuss it here I mittee: shall be o bhged to have these letters read, which entirely convinced the Com "I inclose herewith copy of a portion of a letter recently received from mittee on Finance that the United States dare not assume the loss of abra him (Prof. Barnard}, in which you.... will be interested. I desire to call your sion beyond the legal standard. esJ.>eC~al attention to his criticism~ upon sections 14 and 15 in reference to There is a legal standard within which the United Stat-es make the coin abraswn. So far as I can learn, no nation in the world has laws which ol'fer good, but when coin depreciates below the standard of abrasion. then neither inducements to wrong-doers to lighten the coins which are in circulation. the United States nor any ot.:h'3r nation in the world undertakes to make the If I had charge of the bill now before the Senate I should certainly much coins good except for their intrinsic value. The ways in which these coins prefer its defeat to its passage, unless section 14 from line 20 and section 15 might be abraded by fraud were shown to us, and it would be utterly impos- could be stricken from the bill." ' ' \ 1226 CONGRESSIONAL REO-OR~SENATE. SEPTEl\IBE¥ 5, That is w.hat he says. Then I have .here the letter of Prof. Barnard, whi-ch By the Constitution o! the United States it is the duty of the Government ts-very interestling. I will read a paragra_ph trom it: to furnish the circulating medium, the material which is the price of valuos "Section 14 of the bill provides that any gold coin, if reduced in weight not in business transactions~ the currency of the conntry. That they assumeto more than one-half of l .percentonthedouble-eagleandeagl&, and 1 per cent do in one form or another. Gold is a legal tend-er tor all debts, and it is pre on the other coiru;," below th~ standard weight and limit o! tolerance, shall sumed when. the gold is presented with the stamp of the United States upon. be received at their denominational va.J.ue by the United States Treasury it. so indorsed by the Government of the United States, that it is of a certain and its o.meers, under such regulations, etc. This one-half o! 1 percent, with value and weight. Now, what are the facts so far as the Pacific coast is con the tolerance, makes on the douhle-eagle about six-tenths of 1 per cent; that cerned? There is a quantity o! coin there that has been in ctrculaAiion :!or is 11o say, 12 cents on-every such double-eagle, and o~ the eagle seven-tenths more than a score of years, and or course it bas become more or less abraded o! 1 per cent, or 7 cents on every such eagle_. This is an enormous.sa.c:rifl.c:e by natural wear. I.t..has become so in its use in business, and thedates1ipon tor the Goverrunent to propose to make, and one which will insure the re these cotnswill show-that they have been in use along time. turn to the Treasury of a vast number of gold coins much reduced inweigh"t lhearit said aboutm.e,sotto vocl!, that we ought on. that coast tohavepaper by means whic.h cannot be proved to be fraudulent. A coin, or a lot of coins, w.hich has been to some extent reduced by honest abrasion will be a Godsend ~~efr{ ;~~s~~~[~~ ~=~~e.~i~~Fa~~':~~c~~~~~ to a rogue for this may be still • sweated' down to the limit named in this sec Why, sir, in the first"J)l'ace, in California there n.ever was any bank of issu-e. tion without sensibly altering its appearance. Coins may moreover be there never was a dollar o! paper money issu.ed by any bank in that State; abraded by rubbing them with rouge powder, or with prepared chaik, by hand but before the ~te rebellion gold and sil-ver were the circulating mediums or by mechanical means, so as seriously to reduce them without leaving any exclusi-vely. When the nation adopted as a legal tender the United States traces of violence. I am at a loss to know on what grounds the proposition notes, it was, as it will be well remembered, a long ~e before they were is defended to receive • at their nommal value' all coins .depreciated by abra made to replace tile bank notes that were in c-irculation throughout the va sion below the limits of legal tolerance. rious States. It occurred by slow degrees, and by the time you were ready "It is true that this sectionanthorizes the Secretary o! the Treasm-y to 'pre to dispense with the State banklng institutions the legal tenders had f'ailen scribe regulations 'underwhichsuch coins shall be received. If this authority in value below the value of gold.. They were worth perha:ps but 90, or 80, or extends so tar as to permit him to reruse to 1·ecetve them at all, at '"their de 70 cents on the dollar, and before they had decreased in·value there was no nominationalvalue,'itmayproveasafeguard; oth.erwisetheprovision·seems supply possible to be obtained in the community which I have the honor in to me extremely dangerous.'' part to represent. There was no possibility before that time to receive Here is another and a later letter from Prof. Barnard to the Comptroller enough there to SUJ>ply as circulating medium the plac.e that was filled by of the Currency, under date of December 24: gold and silver. California. ne-ver resisted the acceptance o:f paper mon.ey, •' MY DEAR Sm: Dr. Torrey has just told me a very important fact. There but from the force of circumstances1t could not be ado-pted there. is a manufactory of watch cases in Brooklyn. The workmen put the last In the States on the Atlantic side the"'united States notes very na.turally polish on the cases with fine paper and rouge powder. Some time since the came into use as money. They took the :place of the bank notes at first cir vroprietor applied at the assay o:mce for advice, as to some method of bm·n culated with them and at "the same value, and !rom oue description of paper mg t!hese papers, so as to prevent goldirom being carried away mechanically monertheyverynaturaUy fell into the use of another. 'l.'hese circumstances in the smoke. He said their loss from this cause was serious, but that 1n never existed on the Pacific coa t, and we nev-er have had any banks o! issue spite of this they re}()vered $5,000 worth o! gold !rom these papers per or paper money there. The United States notes or greenbacks ne-ver were furnished 1n sufficient numbers or quantity to s1.1pply the wants of the Wf.l~ establishment is a large one, it is true; but, on the other hand, the country, and they never could circulate as·the money of the country. It 1s workmen do not work with the design to polish otr as much gold as they con owing to these facts, and not to any-unfriendly di£13osition on "the part of the v.imiently can,, but just as little as the object in view will allow. State o! California or ller people, that the United States notes have never "I mention this to show you ho~ easy it would l>e for a designing man to come into g~eral UBellhere. It is owing to the fact that gold and silver·were ' lhre orr the coin of the country, .setting up with a capital of a few thousand all the currency there before the is uance o! United States notes. It is a d0llars. It is needless to say that the-coins so abased could not be detecta gr-eat misfortune to u,s, and we t·ealize it, tha;twe ha.Ye not the use of United ble by their b:cightness, for nothing is easier than to tarnish them." States notes there the same as here. That fact is realized by our business Within a certain degree, one-thousandth per cent, a small degree, the Gov community very generally. But we have nev-e-r.geen the time when we could ernment maintains the coins -at their .nominal value even ll abraded, but use them or adopt them in :place of gold and silver as the measure of value when they are abraded below tb.at the loss falls on the holder, and every man for the reasons I have mentioJled. And now, since there is 1n use there this Who receives a coin must look to it that1t has not been abraaed beyond the abraded coin, it is very proper that it should be received when. not much legal amount. U it is so abraded he can.refuse to take it. or if he takes it at abraded, when not abraded below the amount specified in this bill by the all .he should·take itfor what it is intrinsically worth. . ~herecoinage of the United States for the vattious uses fo~ which they accept that sort of cur gold now in circulation, although not very large, would amount to $.1,000.000 rency, and I think this bill ought not "to be am.ended as proposed by the Fi ori\2,000,000. As a matter of course, as soon as our attention was called to nance Committee of this body. this fact we struck out this clause. I do not wish to go any further into the Mr. FRELING.IIUYSEN. I understand that the law has been for a course of details of the matter. I think the action o! the Committee on Finance was years that "the Governm-ent would always reeeive at the nommal value coin clearly right, and it would be very wrong indeed to undertake in this am that was not abraded more than one-half of 1 per cent. So I do not see the biguous wav to make good all the coin now outstanding. hardship which the Senator from California complains of. The people of .Mr. CAssERLY. I do not wish to be tenacious about this matter, still less that State and of that community that use coin could under the law at any pertinacious. I am very glad that the Senator !rom Ohio has read the let time have had the abraded coin red-eemed. ters on which he relies. I think they spea.k for themselves. The burden of Mr. CoLE. Let me correct the Senator. I do not understand, at an events, them 1s that gold coin may be abr:Wed or reduced fraudulently with such that the coin is TeceiYable now when abraded, as specified in this section, to skill as to make it almost im-possible of detection at the Treasury. The last the amount of one-half of 1 per cent upon eagles and double eagles, and 1 per letter !rom Professor Barnard conjur~ up a phantom to terrify Senators cent upon coins ofl.esser denomination. I do not understand that that is the withal. It is that..if this provision should be.come a law a man might with a capital of a few thousand dollars, by(fraudulent abrasion, make a good ca.~~- FRELINGHDYSEN. I understand tha-t the law has been for a course o! 11ving out of the Treasury. I ask the Senator-from Ohio, what does such an years that if the coin was not abraded more than the rate flxed by the law, argument amount to? U a man can make a good living out of the Treas such a law as existed, the Government received i.t at its nominal and not at W:Y by fraudulent abrasion of the coin, so skilltully made as to defy detec- its actual value. Therefore I do not see the difficulty. tion o! the omcers, how is it to be with the community? . Mr. SHERMAN. I willi'ead the Senator a paragraph on that subject in thiS Mr. SHERMAN. I will say to my friend !rom California that any citizen very bill. These coins are receivable now. The language is: can at any time test it by weight. "Whi.ch coins shall be a legal tender in all payments at their nominal M.r. CASSERLY. I was just coming to that. The Senator says any one can value when not below the standard weight and limit of tolerance." weigh each piece as he takes it. Just imagine a merchant in large business Mr. COLE. What is that? in the city of San Francisco going about w:tt;h a pair o! scales in his pocket Mr. SHERMAN. It is one-thousandth per cent. And another section pro to weigh gold coin hourly as he receives it I The Senator surely is not seri vides that when they do fall below the limit of tolerance they shall be re OllSWhen he says so. We are legislating for the American people, a rapid ceived at their actual value. 1f not a fast people in their enterprises; a people whose energies are impa :Mr. FKELINGKIJYSEN. And that is only a reenactment o! a preexisting stat- tient of :pause, still less o! delay. To suppose that such a people are to go ute. • about With scales at their button-holes to weigh coins is to suppose some Mr. SHERMAN. Certainly; it is the law now. thing which, wishing well to the Senator, I hope he may live long enough to Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Therefore I do not see that there is any hardship see. on "the community that the Senator represents, inasmuch as they have ha.d' Mr. President, we can not carry on a great Government like this without the right at any time to have that coin received at its nominal value within r.unning some risk. I am sure that nobody ought to put the whole ri.sk of the limit fixed by the existing law, and it is absolutely necessary that the coinage UJ>On the citizens. As I said, the citizen has no choice. He must Gov, rnment should have such a law. If this Government is to receive at take the lawful money or the country in the course of his laWfUl transac its nominal value coin that has been reduced, abraded, i.t 1s a premium on tions, and at its denominational valtte. If there must be loss even by fraud, !raud at once. i\1en will .go to work with this proce s of sweating, and make I am not sure that it ought not to be borne by the Government in the case mon.ey by it, and come and get the nominal value for the coin. This pro o! an innocent holder, but I do not wish to raise that question now. vision seems to me to be a very essential feature in our 1::~.ws. The Govern The portion of the clause proposed to be stricken out for which I am con mentwill of course receive the coin at its actual value; but if-we should now te:nO:ing is that which -provides :!or the natural and la;wtul abrasion o! the pass a..law that the Governlll£!nt would receive at its nominal value abraded coins. I am surprised tha.t these learned and scientific men make such ob coin, this coin that is in circulation in California, for insta.nce- jections as those which the Senator has read, although I think they pretty Mr. COLE. How much abraded? mnch answer themselves. Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I do not r-emember the limit. Before I tn.ke my seat I wish to observe to the Senato~trom Ohio that this Mr. COLE. One-tenth o! 1 per cent. a;ppears to be a bill for the codification of all the laws on this subject. Con Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. The rate now is one-half of 1 per cent. sequently, the fact that there is another statute which covers the ground Mr. COLE. No, sir; one-tenth of 1 pe1· cent. coTered by lines twenty-eight, twenty-nine, and thirty of this clause would Mr. FRELINGH.UYSEN. Very well. It is altogether immaterial what the not be a. good reason for strih-ing them out. They should therefore be re rate.is. The point of ditrerence is that which is insisted on as covering the tained. coin m California and that which is provided by this bill, and that is the Mr. SHERMAN. I will say to the Senator !rom California that the amount point to which I am directing my remarks. They couldhave gone a;nd had that heretofore appropriated will probably be su.filcient "to have that recoinage coin made anew, but they did not do so. Now they want the rate increased, done before this bill will take etrect; at all e-vents there will be no trouble so as to .cover the abrasion which has taken place there, and that v&-y pt·o about that, :m.u I do not care whether the clause is retained or stricken out. vision any person who was disposed to commit a. traud upon the Treasm·y The thing is provided for already by an appropriation as a distinct matter. could a-vail himself of. Mr. CASSERLY. This is a codified law and repeals all other laws. The PRESIDING OFFIJER. The question is on the amendment proposed by 'Mr. SHERMAN. If the Senator is willing to compromise on that"'! am per the Committee on Finance, striking out the words which have been read. fectly willing to allow those lines to remain in the bill. The question being put, it was declared that the ayes appeared to have it. Mr. CASSERLY. I shall vote to retain the whole clause, but I shall not de ru:r. CASSERLY . .I should like to have a decision on that. bate it any further. Mr. S.HERMAN. -We have not got a quorum. Mr. SHERMAN. I ha.ve no objection at all to the gold coin in tne Treasury, The PRESIDING OF.FIC.ER. :qoes the Senator call for a division? trratwhich has fallen below the standard, - bein~recoined; but that will be aon.eunder the present law, under an. appropriation which I mo.ved myself. Mr. CASSERLY. Yes, sir, or the yeas and nays in order that we may have .Mr. CASSERLY. To save any question about that, probably the Senator-will the sense of the Senate on the question. By the sound the noes had it, I c-onsent to let 'those words rem.a.in. _ think. "Mr. SHERMAN. I have no objection to that. Mr. SHERMAN. I thinl{ no one voted but the Senators from CalHornla. I Mr. CoLE. I shall not detain the Senate !rom a vote on this question more suppose if the question is put again and the Senators respond .. aye" or "no," than a minute or two. there will be no dlfftculty in deciding it. I . ' 1893. CONGRESSIONAL REOOiill-SENATE. 1~27 !rhe PRESIDING OFFICER. The Ohair '"Will put the question agaJ.n on -strik On the contrary, we_ba.ve always gi.ven from three-fourths of 1 percent to Ing Dnt the words which have been read. 1! peT cent more for it than was paid for it in the State of the Senator from The.amena men t was agreed to. Ohlo. The greenbacks of the Government, in relerence to which so much -:Mr. CASSERLY. I understood the Senator from Ohio was willing to permit is thrown out here against California., are now and always have been in bet tbe lastt.wolines to remain. ter credit to·day in the city of San Francisco thanin.a.ny city this side of the Mr. SHERMAN. I have no oojection to that clause, because it.is·in accord- Rocky :Mountains. You can. get .fewer of them tOT the same amount in gold ance with existing law. · in San Francisco than you can in Philadelphia, New York, Cincinnati, or ':And any gold coins in the Treasury of the United State.sxeduced.in weight Chicago. Yet we are constantly met when we seek 1.o do anything to relieve _ below this limit of abrasion shall be recoined." the people of Californiain reference to the condition of the coinage there by That is the law now. and I havo no objection to retaining those words if it th.e reproach that we insisted on'keeping in California the gold coin of tbe is desired. country. Why, Mr. President, was it wrong for a State, when she had the :Mr. CASSERLY. That means, !Wraded below this limit of on.ec.nalf .of 1 _per rig~ to choose between two kinds of lawful money, to choose that kind cent. which formed her .currency, and more than that, which forme.d.her enti:re Mr. SHERMAN. Oh, no; we struck out all about that. standard and basis of value? :Mr. CASSERLY. The meaning of the language is to be taken according to Our situation in California in~·egard to our gold currency is one of very the place in which it is put. considerable difficulty and may become one or danger at any time. By the Mr. SHERMAN. It is fixed above. If we strike out all between lines .19 a.nd }ll'actice of theFederal ofllcers there, an the new coin is systematically sent 27, then this clause will relate to the language before liM19, which reads: out of the.country and the old coin is retained. The mhler who takes his "'Vhich coins ,shall be a legal tender in all payments a.ttheirno:min.al value bnllion to the mint in San Francisco to have it coined is, in nine cases out of when not below the standard weight and limit of tolerance p-rovided "Qy this ten, paid :tor it in the old coin of the country, abraded and reduct-d 1n value act for the single piece, and when reduced in weight below said standard a..nd as it is. The result is that the old worn coin,.instead of being takell""'lp by tolerance, shall be a legal tender at valuation in ]ll:O.Portion to their actual the omcers of the Government, a.s in the custom-house. and sent on here to wetght." the Treasury, is.returned into the circulation of the State, to be more and Mr. CAsSBllLY. T undel:atood the Senator to "be ;w.1lling to kee:p thoae WOTds more abraded and r.educed, and the new $20 coins are sent forward to the in the last clause of the section just .in the meaning they had Ul that place; Treasury at this side. .Itis not hard to see what must .one day be the .result but of course jf he has a. different view of it I shall not contest it witlLhim; of this state of things. because it is evidentveryiew Senators~re paying attention to this subject. It seems to me, sir, that when we provide a.s we do in this section for the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The next runendm.ent will be read: redemption of gold coins when the abrasion is no more than might honestly The next amendment was to strike out the fifteenth section of the bill in have taken place in the time during which, as the figures on their face show; the following words: they mnst.ha..ve been in circ.ulation, .and when the.' section is further guarded "SEc. 15. '..Chat-any ~old coin now in circulation the weight of which is be for the protection of the Government against any sort of fraudulent or low the limit of abramon prescribed in this act may be received at 'the mints wrongful abrasion, there ought t.o be no unWJ.'llingness to retain the section in Philadelphia. and San l ·- 1228 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. I SEPTEMBER IS, vocacy of this amendment? I ~houl 10. Page 13, line 24, strike [standard) and insert: .fineness. The debates and proceedings show that the amendments of lL Page 13, strike out all after "depositor," in line 26, down to a includ· 1nglineZ7. the committee, according to the rules of the Eenate, were first tn~· t;aa.leea~1~~~ 6, after "bullion•: inaert: o1· for converting Btandard -8ilve~ considered in their consecutive order, with the exception of sec tion 16, which we will hereafter consider. The parts in brackets 13. Page 14, line 27, after "coins" insert: other than th~ trade dollar. were to be stricken out, and the parts in italics inserted. The sa~lJ::ge 17, line 20, strike out [two-thousandths] and insert: three-thou- proceedings followed the u ual order to and including section 15. Page 24, line 4, after "Pennsylvania," insert: the Comptrol~r of the C~r- 15. That section was included in brackets; after debate it was rencu, 16. Page 30, line 12, strike out ttwentieth] and insert: second. stricken out by a vote of the Senate. Saction 16 was also in 17. Page 34, line 23, strike out July] and insert: .April. cluded in brackets, and the part in itllics, which is the substi 18. Page 34, line 24, strike out seventy-twol and insert: seventy-three. tute I have already cited, was recommended by the committee 19. Page 36, at the end or line 2, insert: the "Unitea States assay office at Charlbtte, North Carolina." to be inserted in its place. But the proceedings recorded in the ~tt!'s~~e 36, line 14, strilce out [1872] "and insert: 1879. Globe show that this substitute was GEO. C. GORHAM, Secretan;. NEVER READ OR ACTED ON IN THE SENATE. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRE ENTATIVES, Januat"Y 25,1879. When the debate on section 15 was concluded the following Resolve;],, That the House nonconcur in the amendments or the Senate to proceedings occurred, as appears in the transcript I have already the bill (H. R. 2934) revising and amending the laws relative to the mints, given. They will be found in the first volume, page 672, of the assay omces. n.nd coinage of the United States, and ask a conference with the Senate on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses thereon. Congressional Globe, third session Forty-second Congl'ess, part Qrdered, That Mr. Samuel Hooper, Mr. Stoughton, and 1\fr. McNeely be the 1, 1872-'73: managers of the conference on the part of the House. Attest: EDWARD McPHERSON, (Jlerk. ~;'~~!~~~e~t~~~R. The question is on the amendment striking 1 0 'IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, JanUa1"Y 27, 1879. The amendment was agreed to. Resolved, That the Senate insist upon its amendments to the bill (H. R. 2934) revising and amending the laws relative to the mints, assay omces, and coinage of tho United States, disagreed to by the House pf Representatives, and agree to the conference asked by the House on the dis agreeing votes of the two Houses thereon. The next amendment was to strike out section [sevente~n] sixteen, in the Ordered, That Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Bayard be the conferees following words: on the part of the Senate. Attest: GEO C. GORHAM, Secretary. It will be observed that the word "seventeen' is in brackets and the word "sixteen" follows. The fifteenth section having been stricken out, the sixteenth became the fifteenth and the CONFERENCE REPORT. seventeenth became the sixteenth. When amendments are made IN SENATE. striking out a section, the remaining sections are given their Thn..."'Sday, February 6,1873. new numbers and the original numbers are placed in brackets. MINT LAWS. The seventeenth section was then read and amended, and Ml:. SHERMAN submitted the following report: after that the consideration of the amendments of the com The committee or conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses mittee was continued in regular order. on the bill (H. R. No. !..'934) revising and amending the laws relative to the mints and asaay omces and coinage of the United States, ·having met, after No one who will read the deba.te and observe the criticisms of full and free conference have agreed to recommend and do recommend to Senators on every amendment acted upon, can possibly doubt their re pective Houses as follows: that if the substitute for section 16, which demonetized silver, That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendments ot the Senate numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 20; and agree to the had been read, it would have challenged debate and defeated same. :the demonetization of silver. That the Senate recede from its fourth amendment, and agree to the words When section 19 of the original bill, and 18 of the new num proposed to be stricken out, with the following amendments: after the word "by." in line 16, insert "natural;" in lines 17 and 18 strike out the words "on ber, was reached, the amendment of the committee, among other the double-eagle and eagle, and 1 per cent on the other coins;" and in line things, provided that "on the gold dollar, the three-dollar piece 19, an.er "law," insert the words ·'after a. circulation or twenty years, as the silver dollar, the half dollar, etc., the figure of the eagl~ shown by its date of coinage, and at a ratable proportion for any period less th&n twenty years;" a.nd the House a.gree to the same. shall be omitted, and on the reverse side of the silver dollar, That the Hou e recede from its disagreement to the sixth amendment of half dollar, quarter dollar, etc., respectively, there shall be in~ the Senate and agree to the same with the following amendments: In line 5 scrib'ed the weight and fineness of the coin." strike out the word "grains'' at the end of the line, and insert in lieu thereof "grams (grammes;") and in line G strike out "grain "and insert "gram Mr. Casserly, of CaJifornia, called attention to the omission of (gramme;") and the Senate agree to the same. the eagle; whereupon ~.1r. SHERMAN gave the following expla~ That the House recede from its dtsagreement to the eighth amendment of nation of that omission: the Senate, and agree to the same with the following amendments: After "sil ver" in ert "trade;" strike out the words ''half-dollar, quarter-dollar, and Mr. SHERMAN. 'If the Senator will allow me, he will see that the preceding the dime, respectively, there shall be inscribed," and the word "the" before se~tion provides for cotn ~hich is exactly interchangeable with the English "fineness;" and after ·' coin," at the end of the amendment, int!ert the words shillmg and the 5-franc p1ece or F1·ance; that is, a 5-franc piece of France "shall be inscribed;" and the Senate agree to the same. will be the exact equivalent of a dollar or the Unlted S tates in our sUvP.r That the House recede from its disagreement. to the ninth amendment of coinage; and in order to show this wherever our silver coin shall float-and the Senate, and agree to the same with an amendment, as follows: Strilte we ar~ pr_oviding that it shall float all over the world-we propo e to stamp out the words proposed to be inserted, together with the remainder of the upon It, mstead of our eagle, which foreigners may not un<'terstan.d, and section. and in lieu thereof insert the following: "That any owner of silver which they may not distinguish from a buzzard or some other bird the in· bullion may deposit the same at any mint to be formed into bars or into trinsic fineness and weight or the coin.-Con..Qressional Globe, part '1, third dollars of the weight of 420 grains troy, designated in this act as trade-dollars, session Forty-second Congress, 1872-'13, page 672. and no deposit of silver for other coinage shall be received; but silver bullion contained 1n gold deposits, and separated thereft·om, may be paid tor in There was a dollar in section 16 o! the House bill, the exact silver coin at such valuation as may be from time to time established by equivalent of the 5-franc piece of France. It contained 384 grains the Director of the Mint;" and the Senate agree to the same. of stmdard silver. This is That the House recede from its disagreement to the twelfth amendment of the Senate, and agree to the same with amendments as follows: Strike ont THE DOLLA,R WHIOH MR. SHERMAN DESCRIBES the words proposed to be inserted and insert after "for," in line 3, section 26, the words "converting standard silver into trade-dollars, for melting and;" when discussing section 19 as being still in existence in a pre and in.line 3, strike out "the;" and the Senate agree to the same. ceding section. If he then told the truth, section 16 had not That the House recede from its disagreement to the nineteenth amend· been amended. The trade dollar, which was at some other time ment of the Senate, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: or -place incorporated into the act contained 420 grains of stand Insert after "New York," in line 8, page 36 of the bill, the words "the 1 United S ta.tes a.ssay-oftl.ce a.t Charlotte, North Carolina;" and the Senate agree ard silver. This statement of Mr. SHERMAN corroborates the tothe.same, record, which shows that no action was taken on the substitute JOHN SHERMAN, JOHN SCOTT, for section 16. · T . .F. BAYARD The other amendments proposed by the committee were acted .Managers on the parl of tlte Senate. upon, and the bill passed without a division. No word was S. HOOPER, spoken or allusion made in the Senate at any time, when any WM. M. STOUGHTON, JJlanagers on the part of the House. bill was pending, to the important fact that a change was to be The report was concurred in.-Congr88sional Globe, part 2, third session made in the silver coinage of the United St tes, except the Forty-second Congress, 1872-'73, page 1150. statement of Mr. SHERMAN that the proposed dollar was the THE AMENDMENT WUICH DEYONETIZliD SILVER exact equivalent of the 5-franc piece. This statement that the bill contained a 384-grain dollar equivalent to the French 5-franc and which finally found its way into the statute was the substi piece was made by hi~J.. notwithstanding the fact that his com tute brought in by the Finance Committee for section 16 of the mittee had reported a -uO-grain trade dollar; and the Senate, at House bill1 which I now repea~ the time he was speaking, bad passed beyond the consideration The silver coins of the United States shall be a trade dollar, a. half dollar, or 50-cent piece, a. quarter dollar. or 2i).cent piece, a. dime, or 10-cent piece; of the section in which the trade dollar proposed by him was and the weight of the trade dollar shall be 420 grains troy, the weight of the to ha.ve been inserted. How could the 384-grain dollar be in half-dollar shall be 12 grams a.nd one-half o! a. gram, the quarter dollar and the bill while he was discussing section 19t if the 420-grain dol the dime shall be, respectively, one-half and one-fitth ot the weight of said half dollar; and said coins -shall be alega.l tender at their nomin.D.l value for laa· had been substituted for it in section 16il any amount not exceeding ll51n any one payment. I am aware of the fact that, as it came from the House, it lim- 1893 .. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1231 ited the legal-tender quality of the new dollar to sums of $5, but duci.ng capacity we should return to the double standard, at least in part, and this w?Jl constitute one of the means by•which we will be enabled tore that limitation was passed over in the Senate without observa sume spec1e payments. tion. Mr. SHERMAN enters into an elaborate argument in great detail This remarkable utterance of the original hero and the pres to show the number of times the mintage bill was printed with the ent advocate of gold monometallism appears on page 1481 of the standard silver dollar omitted, and also to show that it was origi Congressional Globe, Forty-fourth Cong£"ess, first session, volume nally prepared in that form by experts in the Treasury Depart 4, part~. ment; but The statement of the Senator from Ohio that BE HAS NEVFR GIVEN ANY EXPLANATION OF HIS OWN CONDUCT THE U~'"ITED STATES WAS INFLUENCED BY GRE.AT BRITAIN as chairman of the Finance Committee in not calling the atten in making gold the only sbndard is in accordance with the opin tion of the Senate to this important.change. He knew the im ion of all who have investigated the question; but it may be sug portanceof the change, and that it demonetizedsilverandadopted gested that it is slightly in conflict with the Senator·s report on the gold standard. His efforts, as before remarked, to secure the bill of 1868, entitled "A bill in relation to the coinage of the recommendation of the monehry conference of Paris in favor gold and silver," wherein he said: of the gold standard, and his elaborate report on the bill, which The single standard of gold is an American idea, yielded reluctantly by was defeated in the Forty-first Congress, show how imporbnt Franco and other countries. where silver is the chief standard ot value. · it was in his mind. This report will be found in Senate report of committee, No. If he had supposed that it would result in a great benefit to 117, Fortieth Congress, second session, page 4. the American people would he not have called attention to it The Senato1· from Ohio, who secured the demonetization of with pride and emphasis? It had been the labor of years, as I silver, had the means of knowing by what influence the standard haYe shown, and its accomplishment should have been a great silver dollar was stricken down in the United St3.tes, and when event in his life. The contest for the last twenty years tore he states that it was by British influence~ full faith and credit verse that legislation1 and Mr. SJ?:ERMAN'S persistent opposi must be given to that statement. His visit to London and Paris tion to all efforts to restore the silver dollar, show what im in 1867, and the powerful aid he rendered in cooperation with portance he must then h~ve atta<:hed to his work. And yet he the English delegation at the monetary conference at Paris to gave the Sena.te no intimation of this important change. secure the consent of continental Europe to recommend the gold When wo witness the columns of editorials and correspond standard, gave him ample opportunity to know from what source ence with regard to the pending controversy we can imagine came the influence which secured the demonetization of silver in what interest would have been excited in the country if it had the United States and robbad the people of this country of the been proclaimed by him that Congress was about to demonetize benefits of an ample supply of metallicmoney from the greatdis silver. ooveries of silver mines which had then been made in the moun NO WORD EXCAPED HIS LIPS tains of the West. and the metropolihn journals of that day had no knowledge of Why what occurred. No mention of the demonetization of silver at THE SENATOR FROM OHIO YIELDED TO THAT INFLUENCE that time can be found in their columns. The parliamentary an explanation is wanted. The remarks I have quoted show history of the world may be searched in vain to find a parallel how important he regards the large silver-producing capacity of for the accomplishment of a great financial revolution by a lead this country in the resumption of specie payments. He knows ing financial statesman without an announcement by him of what how much more important it now is to maintain specie payment. he was doing or what he had done. Why has he from that time to this so persistently resisted every The conference report which is set forth in the foregoing effort to restore silver to the place it occupied previous to the transcript affords very meager information of the changes which p~s~e !->f the ac~ of 18'73, wh~ch, he informs us, was ?b~ained by were made in the joint committee of the two Houses. Nearly Bnt1sh m:tluenoe? If he was mfluenced by Great Br1tam in the all the amendments are referred to by numbers, and those which pass:1ge of the act of 1873, why does he continue under that in are not simply mention words and phrases, which were inserted fluence, and insist that the act of 1890 shall ba repealed, and that or omitted without giving the -cont-ext. A comparison of the the act of 18'73, secured by British influence, shall b~ reaffirmed report with the engrossed bill shows that the ~endment or and made the permanent policy of the United States? If silver substitute for section 16 was numbered 6. That harmless num was demonetized in 1853, why was itnecessary to invoke British ber imparted no information of the important change demone influence to demonetize it in 1873? tizing silver, to which it related. The report was made and The Senator from Ohio informed us in his speech the other adopted in each House without a word of explanation which day that after the repeal of the Sherman act we must issue bonds would indicate its scope and effect. No mention was made ln and increase the national debt to buy gold to mainbin specie either House on the presentation of that report as to the charac payments. What influence is forcing the passage of the bill now ter of any of the amendments agreed to. It was understood under consideration, which denies the people the right to mine that it was simply a bill to revise and codify the mint laws, and and coin money, and compels them to buy British gold? Our under such circumstances it was natural that there was no annual interest a-ccount to-day on the money we owe Europe is anxiety to inquire as to its details. more than $15.0,000,000. Is all hope of financial independence The fact that silver was demonetized by the bill did not be for this country to be abandoned? come generally known until theLatin Union suspended thecoin "GOLD" AND "COIN" USED AS SYNOSYMS. age of silver. Silver then fell in price, and an inquiry as to the In the course of his remarks the Senator from Ohio uses the cause became general. When • following language: IT WAS ASCERTAINED THAT SILVER BAD BEEN DEMONETIZED The law was pass.ed in February, 1873, and I do know that within a yea.r by the mint act, there was a general demand throughout the from that time the Senator from Nevada knew that silver was demonetized, country for its remonetization. This demand came about two because he said so; and he said it February 11, 1874, as will appear in the document which I bave here before me, and to which I give him a reference years after the pUBsage of the bill. In the latter part of 1875, the so there can be no mistake about it. On page 1392, volume 2. p~..rt 2, o! the mints of the Latin Union having been finally closed, intense CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, first session FOI"ty·third Congress, he said: interest was excited in the United Sts.tes in 1876. Nearly all the "I want the standard gold, and no paper money not redeemable in gold· no paper money the value or which is not ascertained; no paper money that leading journals of the country demanded the restoration of the wil organize a. gold board to speculate in it." silver dollar to the place it occupied as a legal-tender coin previ Agaill., only a week or two after this, on the 20th of February, to be found in ous to 1873. the CONGRES IONAL RECORD, volume 2, part 2, page 1617, when speaking in favor o! ~h~ resolution instructing the C'.ommittee on Finance to report a A Presidential election was to be held in the fall of 1876, and bill proVIdmg for the convertibility of Treasury notes into gold coin or 5 politicians were shaping their course with a view to the coming per cent bonds, he said: contest. The strong popular expression against he demoneti "By ~his process we sha.ll come to a specie basis. and when the laboring man receives a dollar it will have the purchasing power of a dollar, and he zation of silver and infavor of its restoration made it important will not be called upon to do what is impossible for him or the producing for aspiring men in each of the great political parties to espouse classes to do-fi~ur~ upon the exchanges, fi_gure upon the fluctuations, figure the popular side of the question. upon the gambUng m New York; but he will know wb at his money is worth. Gold is the univro:saJ standard or the world. Everybody knows what a dollar Mr. SHERMAN took an eq,rly opportunity to newly define his in gold is worth. "-Congressional Record, August 31, 1~3. l?ages 925, 926. position. On the Gth of March, 1t;76, he made an elaborate ar gument against a resolution of the Chamber of Commerce of the It was of no consequence whether or not I knew in Feb1·uary, city of New York in favor of repeaJing the resumption act of 1874, that silver was demonetized in February, 1873. It was too 1875. In the cour~e of his remarks on that resolution he s:lid: late to prevent what had been done in the previous year. My, position at that time, as well as my knowledge, were entirely Our coinage act came int~ operation on the 1st o! .April, 1873, and consti tuted the gold one-dollar p1ece the sole unit of value, while it restricted the immaterial and irrelevant to this discussion. I did not know that Jegal tender of the new silver trade dollar and the half-dollar and subdivi silver wa.s demonetized for more thn,n a year after February, 1874, Sions to~ amoun_t ~ot exceeding $5 in one payment. Thus the double stand ard preV1ously eJt;:ISting was finally abolished, a.nct the United States as usual since which time my bitterest enemies will hardly blame me for was influenced by Great Britain in making gold coin the only standard not doing all in my power in and out of Congress to remonetize 'l'his suits England, but does not suit us. I thi.Dk with our large silver-pro: silver• • -]232 CONGRESS! ON AL RECORD-SENATE. SEPTEl\ffiER 5, But the statement of the Senator from Ohio that! knew on the -who was then on the floor and whose business lt was, far more than mine, to 11th day of February, 1874, that silver was demonetized, or that know, because by the designation of the House I was to put questions; the Senator from Indiana, 1 hen on the floor of the House, with his power as a. I said so, has no foundation in fact. The quotation from the debater, was to unfold them to the House. Did h ? know? speech which he held in his hand when he made the statement Mr. VooRHEEs. I very frankly say that I did not. does not prove it, and the speech itself disproves any such infer (Ibid., page 1063.) ence. I was opposing an additional issue of bank circulation and ~enator Beck, in a speech made in the Senate January 10,1878, arguinginfavorof sp ~ ciepayment. The use of the term" gold" sa1d: for specie was inaccurate, but it was a common practice at that It [the bill demonetizing silver] never was understood by either House of time. Gold was simply a synonym for coin, and it was in that Congress. I say that with full knowledge of the facts. No newspaper re porter-and they are the most vigilant men! ever saw in obtaining intorma· sense alone in which I used it, as the speech shows. Hissecond 'tion-disQPvered that it had been done.-Cong1•essional Record, volume 7, quotation is taken from a speech advocating the return to the part 1, Forty-fifth Congress, second session, page 260. specie basis. At that time there was no difference in the bullion Senator Hereford, in the Senate, on February 13, 1878, in dis value between gold and silver coin. The mints of the Latin Union cussing the demonetization of silver, said: were still open, and the silver in the silver dollar was worth as So that I say that beyond the possibility of a doubt (and tthere is no dis much as the gold in the gold dollar. puting it) that bill which demonetized silver, as it passed, never was readJ never was discussed, and that the chairman of the committee who reportea The following January the specie-resumption act, providing it, who o1Iered the. substitute, said to Mr. HoLMAN, when inquired of, that it for the redemption of Treasury notes in coin, was passed. did not affect the coinage in anywaywhatever.-Ibid., page 989. No mention was made in the discussion of the bill providing Senator .Howe, in a speech delivered in the Senate on February for resumption of specie payment of the demonetization of silver. 5, 1878, Said: On the contrary, the assumption was that the Mr. Pl·esident, I do not regard the demont:tization of silver as an attempt REDEMPTION WAS TO BE IN GOLD 'AND SILVER. to wrench from the people more than they agree to pay. That is not the crime of which I accuse the act of 1873. I charge it with guilt compared with On this subject Mr. SHERMAN said: which the robbery of two hundred millions is venial.-Congressional Record, I may say the whole credit and money or the United States is placed by volume 7, part 1, Forty-fifth Congress, second session, p:lge 764. this bill under the direction of the proper executive officers not only to pre pare for. but to maintain resumption, and no man can doubt that it this bill Gen. Garfield, in a speech made at Springfield, Ohio, during stands the law of the land from this time to the 1st day of January, 1879, the fall of 1877, said: . specie payments will be resumed, and that our United States notes will be Perhaps I ought to be ashamed to say so, but it is the truth to say that, I converted at the will of the holder into gold and silver coin.-uongressional at that time being chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, and hav Record, volume 3, part 1, Forty-third Congress, second session, page 195. ing my hands overfull during &.11 that time with work, I never read the bill. Mr. Bogy, of Missouri, said: I took it upon the faith of a prominent Democrat and a prominent Repub lican, and I do not know that I voted at all. There was no call of the yeas Gold and silver are the only true measures or value not only here, bnt and nays, and nobody opposed that bill that I know of. It was put through throughout the world.-Jbid., page 200. as dozens of bills are, as my friend and I know, in Congress, on the faith of Mr. Hamilton of Maryland offered a substitute for the bill, as the report of the chairman of the committee; therefore I tell you, because it is the truth, that I have no knowledge about it.-Congressional Record, vol follows: ume 7, part 1, Forty-fifth Congress, second session, page 989. 'l'hat from and after the 4th day of July, A. D. 1876, nothing but gold and silver shall be a legal tender for the payment or debts contracted thereafter. Mr. Bright, of Tennessee, said of the law: Ibid., pa~e 204 It passed by fraud in the House, never having been printed in advance, be DEMONETIZATION UNKNOWN .A.T THE TIME. ing a substitute for the printed bill; never having been read at the Clerk's desk, the reading having been dispensed with by an impression that the bill The Senator from Ohio says: made no material alteration in the coinage laws; it was passed without dis Sir, I would rather stand this day before you defending a law which has cussion, debate being cut off by operation of the previous question. It was been denotmced and vilified, as this has been, boldly avowing that I did read passed, to my certain information, under such circumstances that the fraud the law, and that I knew its contents, than to plead the baby act, and say I escaped the attention of some of the most watchful a.s well as the ablest did not know what was pending here before us for two or three years as an statesmen in Congress at that time. * * * Aye, sir, it was a fraud that act of legislation.-Congressional Record, Atigust 31, 1893, page 925. smells to heaven. It was a fraud that will stink in the nose of posterity, and for which some persons must give account in the day of retribution.-Con Such a charge under ordinary circumstances might be re ~~sionat Record, volume 7, part 1, s cond session Forty-fifth Congress, page garded as a reproach. If I stood alone I would not feel compli mented by the charge. But I was in illustrious company, and Mr. HOLMAN, in a speech delivered in the House of Represent I will now introduce some of those associates to whom the charge atives,July I.J, 1876, said: of "pleading the baby act" equally applies. I have before me the record of the proceedings of this House on the passage Senator Thurman, on- the 15th of February, 1878, in debate of that measure, a record which no man can read without being convinced that the measure and the method of its passage through this House was a said: ''colossal swindle.'' I assert that the measure never had the sanction of this I can not say what took place in the House, but know when the bill was House, and it does not possess the moral force or law.-Congressional Reco1·d, pending in the Senate we thought it wa imply a bill to reform. the mint, volume 4, part 6, Forty-fourth Congress, first session, appendix, page 193. Tegulate coinage, and fix up one thing and another, and there is not a single man in the Senate, I think, unless a member of the committee from which Again, on Augl,!st 5, 1876, he said: the bill came, who had the slightest idea that it was even a squint toward The original bill was simply a bill to organize a bureau of mines and coin demonetization.-Congressional Record, volume 7, part 2, Forty-fifth Con-· age. The bill which finally passed the House and which ultimately became gress, second session, page 1064. a law was certainly not read in this House. Senator Conkling, in the Senate, on March 30,1876, during the • • • • • • • remarks of Senator Bogy on-the bill (S. 263) to amend the laws It was never considered before the House as it was passed. Up to the time the bill came before this House tor final passage the measure bad simply relating.J;o legal tender of silver coin, in surprise, inquired: been one to establish a bureau of mines; I believe I use the tE\rm correctly Will the Senator allow me to ask him or some other Senator a question? now. It came from the Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures. Is it true that there is now by law no American dollar? And, if so, is it true ':Cohe substitute which finally became a law was never read, and is subject to that the etrect of this bill-is to make half dollars and quarter dollars the the charge made against it by the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. BLAND], only silver coin which can be used as a legal tender?-Congressional Rec that it was passed by the House without a knowledge of its proviiions, espe ord, volume 4, part 3, Forty-fourth Congress, fi.rst session, page 2062. pecia.lly upon that of coinage. I myself asked the question of Mr. Hooper, who stood near where I am Senator ALLISON, on February 15, 1878, when the bill (H. R. now standing, whether it changed the law in regard to coinage. And the 1093) to authorize the free coinage of the standard silver dollar answer of Mr. Hooper certainly left the impression upon the whole House · and to restore its legal-tender character was under considera that the subject of the coinage was not affected by that bill.-CongTessional tion, observed: .Record, volume 4, part 6, Forty-fourth Congress, first session, page 5237. But when the secret history of this bill of 1873 comes to be told, it will dis Mr. CANNON, of illinois, in a speech made in the House on July close the fact that the House of Representatives intended to coin both gold 13, 1876, said: and silver, and intended to place both metals upon the French relation in This legislation was had in the Forty-second Congress, February 12, 1873, stead of on our own. which was the true scientific position with reference to by a bill to regulate the mints of the United States, and practically abolished this subject in 1873, but that the bill afterwards was doctored, if I may use silver as money by tailing to provide for the coinage of the silver dollar. It that term, and I use it in no offensive sense of course- was not discussed, as shown by the RECORD, and neither members of Con Mr. Sargent interrupted him and asked him what he meant gress nor the people understood the scope of the legislation.-laid., appen by the word ''doctored." dix, page 197. Mr. ALLISON said: Mr. Burchard, of Illinois, in a speech made in the HouS'e of I said I used the word in no offensive sense. It was changed after discus Representatives on July 13, 1876, said: sion and the dollar of 420 grains was substituted tor ft.-Congressional Rec The coinage act of 1873, unacc~:R;nied by cmy written report upon the sub ord, 'volume 7, part 2, Forty-fifth Uongress, second session, page 1058. ject from any committee, and own to the members o:t Congress, who without opposition allowed it to pass under the belie!, if not assurance, that On February 15, 1878, during the consideration of the bill above it made no alteration in the value of the current coins, changed the unit of referred to, the following colloquy between Senator Blaine and value from silver to gold.-Jbid., page 4560. Senator VooRHEES took place: Mr. Kelley, of Pennsylvania, who had charge of the bill, in Mr. VOORHEES. I want to ask my frienG. from Maine, whom I am glad to a speech made in the House of Representatives on March 9, 1878, designate in that way, whether I may call him as one more witness to the fact that it w.ts not general y known whether silver was demonetized. Did said: he know, as Spe tker of the House, presiding at that time, that the silver In connection with the charge that I advocated the bill which demonetized dollar was demonetized in the bill to which he alludt>s? the standard silver dollar, I say that, though the chairman of the Committee Mr. BLAINE. I did not know anything that wa.; in the bill at all. As I on Coinage, I was ignorant or the fact that it would demonetize the silver have before said, little was known or cared on the subject. [Laughter.] dollar or of its dropping the silver dollartrom our system of coins, as were And now I should like to exchange questions with th~ Senator from Indiana, those distinguished Senators Messrs. Blaine and VooRHEEs, who were then • .,. 1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1233 members or the House, and each or whom a rew days since interrogated the knew very well before his name was reached jn the calling of other: "Did you know it was dropped when the bill passed?" " No," said Mr. Blaine; "did you?" "No," said Mr. VOORHEES. I do not think that the roll that the bill would pass by an overwhelming majority. there were three members in the House that knew it. I doubt whether Mr. But by voting against the bill he would say by his vote that he at Hooper, who, in my absence !rom the Committee on Coinage and attend tached more importance to a tax of three-tenths of 1 percent upon ance on the Committee on Ways and Means, managed the bill, knew it. I say this in justice to him.-Oongres8ional Record, volume 7, part 2, Forty- gold and silver bullion deposited for coinage-when he knew, fifth Congress, se :: ond session, page 1605. . but the Senate did not, that no silver could be deposited for that purpose-than he did to the very important bill which he had Again on May 10, 1879, Mr. Kelley said: introduced for the codification of the mint laws. All I can say is that the Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, A bill which had been prepared by a commission of eminent who reported the original bill, were !aith!ul and able, and scanned its pro visions closely; that as their organ I reported it; that it contained provision men whom he described in his...speech the other day, earnestly !or both the standard silver dollar and the trade dollar. Never having heard recommended by the Secretary of the Treasury, and introduced until a long time after its enactment into law of the substitution in the by him without the charge of three-tenths of 1 per cent for mint Senate of the section which dropped the standard dollar, I profess to know nothing of its history; but I am prepared to say that in all the legislation ing gold and silver coin, was declared by the vote of the Senator of this country there is no mystery equal to the demonetization of the stand from Ohio to be. of less consequence than the tax he proposed on ard silver dollar or the United States. I havenever round a man who could deposits of gold and of silver, which could not bedepoRited under tell just how it came about or why.-Oongressio11al Record, volume 9, part 1, Forty-sixth Congress. first session, page 1231. the provisions of the bill. His vote was either in good faith, show ing that the tax proposed was of paramount importance in his opin President Grant was also ignorant of the demonetization of sil ion to the codification of the mint laws, to the recommendation ver. Eight months after the passage of the bill he wrote a letter of the gold standard by the Paris conference, and to the adoption to Mr. Cowdrey, from which the following extract is taken: of the gold standard in this country, so earnestly and elaborately The panic ha.s brought greenbacks about to a par with silver. I wonder urged in his report from the Finance Committee in 1868, or that that silver is not already coming into the market to surply the deficiency he desired by that amendment and that vote to conceal the in the circulating medium. When it does come, and I predict that it will soon, we will have made a rapid stride towards specie payments. Currency omission of the silver dollar from the list of coins which had es will never go below silver after that. The circulation or silver will have caped the attention of the Senate. other beneficial e:fl'ects. Experience .bas proved that it takes aoout forty The history of the bill in the other House was equally sug millions of fractional currency to make small cha.n~e necessary !or the transaction or the business of the country. Silver W1ll gradually take the gestive, and after the fact was developed by Hon. Clarkson Potter1 place or this currency, and, further, Will become the standard or values which member of Congress from New York, that it contained a pro will be hoarded in a small way. I estimate that this will consume from vision demonetizing e.ilver, Mr. Hooper of Massachusetts, who two to three hundred millions, in time, or this species or our circulating me dium. had charge of the bill, affected to abandon it. Some days after It will leave the paper currency free to perform the legitimate functions wards, and in the absence of Mr. Potter, Mr. Hooper presented of trade and will tend to bring us back where we must come at last, to a a substitute for the bill, which he falsely chtimed did not con specie basis. I confess to a desire to see a limited hoarding or money. It insures a firm foundation in time of need. But I want to see the hoarding tain any of the objectionable fe atures which h1.d caused debate or something that has a standard of value the world over. Silver has this, on the original bill. The House passed the substitute under the and it we once get back to that our strides toward a higher appreciation of erroneous belief, produced by the st!ttements of Mr. Hooper, our currency will be rapid. Our mines are now producing almost unlimited that the substitute contained none of the objectionable features amounts of silver, and it is becomin~ a question, ''What shall we do with it?" I suggest here a solution that Will answer !or some years, and suggest contained in the qriginal bill. to you bankers whether you may not imitate it: To put it in circulation now; The substitute as it came from ~he House, contained, in the keep it there until it is fixed, and then we will find other markets.-McPh.er- 80n'8 Handbook of Politic8for 1874, pages 134 and 135. sixte~nth section, a dollar of 384: grains, the equivalent of the 5-franc piece with legal tender limited to $5. RECAPITULATION. The Senator from Ohio, as chairman of the Committee on I will now recapitulate. In 1867 the mints of the United States Finance, reported the bill to the Senate with various amend and every mint on the Continent of Europe were open to the free ments, among which was a sub3titute for section 16, which con and unlimited coinage of silver. ThemintsofGermany, Austria, tained a trade dollar of 420 grains, and limited the legal tender and Holland were closed against gold. The mints of England of all silver coins to $5. were open to the free coinage of gold, but closed against silver. Notwithst:.mding all the other amendment.s reported by the A conference was in session at Paris which had been called committee are recorded in the Globe, according to the practice by the Emperor to consider the unification of coins, weights, and of the Senate, no mention is made of the substitute for the six measures. Samuel B. Ruggles r epresented the United Shtes, teenth section. and Rivers Wilson represented Great Britain. These two dele After the sixteenth section h ad been passed over and the gates,represen ting a hundred millons of English-speaking people, nineteenth section was reached and under consideration, Mr. with the powerful aid of the Senator from Ohio, chairman of the Casserly, of Californh, made inquiry why the eagle was omitted Committee of Finance of the Senate, obtained the reluctantcon from the silver dollar and other coins, whereupon the Senator sent of the nations of the Continent of Europe to join England 'from Ohio said : and the United States in recommending the single gold stand Mr. SHERMAN. If the Senator wiil allow me, he will see that the preceding ard. section provides for coin which is exactly interchange a,~le with the English shilling and 5-franc piece of France; that is, :1 5-franc piece of France will The Senator from Ohio undertook to carry out that recom be the exact equivalent or a dollar of the United States in our silver coin mendation by the legislation of Congress. He returned to the age; and in order to show this, wherever our silver coin shall float-and we Senate, and in the following session introduced a bill ·making are providing that it shall float all over the world-we propose to stamp upon it instead of our eagle, which foreigners may not understand and which gold the standard of value and reducing silver to token money. they may not distinguish from a buzzard or some other bird, the intrinsic He induced the majority of the Finance Committee to sanction fineness and weight of the coin. In this practical, utilitarian age the ojicers his elaborate report recommending the passage of the bill, and of the mint seem to think it would be better to do that than to put the eagle in claiming t hat the single gold standard was an Amedcan idea on our silver coins. yi~lded reluctantly by France and the associated nations of the The remaining amendments of the committee were disposed continent. of, and the bill passed without a division. Ser_1ator E. D. Morgan, of New York, amemberof the Finance The conference report designated the substitute for section Committee, submitted a minority report, which exposed the 16-which, as before remarked, does not appear in the Senate scheme and settled the fate of the bill. It was never called up proceedings recorded in the Globe-as No; 6, and thus made it for action, and the country was ignorant of the fact that such a a part of the statute. bill h ad been introduced or such reports made. I have shown that the leading members of the two Houses After the expiration of the term of office of the Senator from who were present during the consideration of the bill were New York a clique in the Treasury Department, headed by ignorant of the fact that the silver dollar was omitted in the John Jay Knox, prepared an elaborate bill of seventy-one sec codification of the mint law:;. The Senate and the country must tions-professedly to revise and codify the mint laws-which judge whether a fair opportunity was afforded the members of omitted the standard dollar from the lisb>of coins. The bill was the two Houses to know of the omissionof the silver dollar from introduced by the Senator from Ohio, referred to the Commit- the list of coins. - tee on Finance, and by him reported to the Senate, with amend It was repeatedly stated by the Senator from Ohio, who had ments. All the amendments were inconsequential except one, charge of the bill in the Senate, and Mr. Hooper of Massachu and that one imposed a tax of three-tenths of 1 per cent upon the setts, who had charge of the bill in the House, that it had been coinage of gold and silver bullion in addition to-the charges for carefully prepared in the Treasury Department by competent parting and refining. Such a charge was opposed, because it experts, which statements naturally -inspired confidence that it woulddiscouragecoina!!e in the United States and encourage ex- was a conservative and honest compilation of existing laws, portation of gold and silver. . without any radical or revolutionary change. No reference was Two days' debat e were had over this amendment. There was made in the debate in the Senate either to the gold st :t, ~d ard or no other controverted matter debated in the Senate. The to the omission of the silver dollar from the list of coins, as will amendment was finally rejected, and the bill passed by an over appear from a perusal of that debate, every word of which will whelming majority, Mr. SHERMAN voting in the negative. He be printed in these remarks. ~ XXV-78 1234 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. SEPTEJ\IBER 5, The fact that so many prominent and leading members of the verdict of the people delll!llded repeal of the only law which twoHousesJ and the President of the UnitedStates,whosigned the recognized silver as a money meta.l. bill, were ignora.nt of the omission of the silver dollar, is signifi This law which, notwithst:uuling the numerous violations by cant. The fact that the Senator from Ohio, who did so much to the executive department of its most beneficial provisions, has secure the recommendation of the gold standard by the Paris added one hundred and fifty millions of the new legal-tender conference, introduced in 1868 a bill with a harmless title adopt money to the currency of the country, em no h ave C!l.u...,ed the ing the gold standard, claiming that the gold standard was "an scarcity of money which produced the ps.nic: It has not been American idea," had charge of the.mint bill from beginning to shown, and no effort has been made to show, that the She. man end and failed to notify the Senate that it demonetized silver, is act has up to this time inflicted any injuries upon the country. most astonishing. On the contrary, it is admitted that thus far it has been bene But, ficbl, and the Senator from Ohio informs us that it prevented a IN CONCLUSION, panic in 1890. let me say that the important question above and beyond all that The country is familiar with the predictions of the gold mono is, was the legislation demanded or approved by the American metallists. They have denounced every law and every bill look people? It certainly was not. They knew nothing of it. It wo.s ing to the restoration of silver as pregnant with calamity. not discu sed in any political campaign. It was not published or From 187"8, when the Bland act was passed, to the present hour commented upon in any of the great dailies. It remained a pro they have declared that silver legislation would rui.n the coun found secret, so far as the masses of the people were concerned, try, but they have been un_ble to point out any instance where for more than two years, and did not become generally known legislation favorable to silver h:ls boon injurious. The evils until the mints of the Latin Union were closed against silver and they predicted from the use of silver as money are always in the the price of silver declined in the markets of the world, since future; never in the p!l.St. which time the people havedemanded the restoration of silver The bankers' panic was inaugur ted to force Congress to de to the place as a money metal which it occupied previous to the monetize silver and prevent predicted evils; not to remedy evils passage of the mint act. already produced by the Sherman act. The cooperation of Mr. No political party has ever at any time in national or State Gladstone and Mr. Cleveland was to degrade silver, the former convention declared in favor of the single gold standard. On by suspending coinage in India and the latter by refusing ro the contrary, every convention, State or national, has either ig obey a mandatory law requiring the Secretary of the Treasury nored the question or declared in favor of bimetallism, and at to purchase four and a half million ounces of silver per month. every Congress since the discovery was made that silver was de They accomplished their obj ct by closing the silver mine and monetized, a majority of the members of each House professed increasing the panic. The President in his message, finding it at the time of their election to be in favor of bimetallism. impossible to point out any injury the increase"of $150,000,00lJ of In the last campaign the platform of all political parties de new money had done, was compelled to rest his demand for the clared in favor of bimeta.llism, and all parties were pledged, in repeal of the Sherman act upon the apprehension of future evils. case of success, to legislate to that end. The great dailies of He said: the RepublicliD and Democratic parties claimed that no party It may be true that the embarras&ments from which the business of the was opposed to bimetallism, and that it was not a party questiont country is su1fer1ng arise as much !rom the evils apprehended as !rom those and that the tariff was the main issue to be decided by the peo actually existing. ple. He failed to inform Congress that the apprehended evils which It is true that the Republican platform favored a national produced the panic existed only in the imagination of the bond election law, which gave the Democratic party an opportunity to holders; the bankers, and their newspaper organs, who bad cre frighten theSouth by the ghost of negro domination and secure ated the present distress in the country for their own selfish and a solid South without regard to other considerations. sordid purposes· the bondholders to make money scarce and I did not believe that the organs of the two great parties were to increase the obligations of their debtors; ths banks to destroy sincere in making the tariff the only issue with the ghost of silvert to create the necessity to sell bonds and buy gold for more negro domination as an adjun~t. . national-bank circulation, and the newspapers to do the bidding I returned to my State, and informed the people whom I in of the banks and the bondholders for their patronage and other part represent that the pending co~test between the Democratic considerations. and Republican parties was a sham b:1ttle over the tariff and the Every day the false pretenses of the hue-and-cry against the force bill to secure power to be used for another and very differ Sherman act become more apparent. No member of either House ent purpose. !told them that it made no difference which: party of Congress since the debate began has been able to show how succeededt the result would be the same. Both Mr. Cleveland the $150,000,000 of new legal-tender money issued under the and Mr. Harrison were gold monometallists, and if either suc Sherman law has made mon~ sca:rce or in anyway injured the ceeded, the power and patronage of the Administration would business of the country. No one has shown or attempted toshow be used to destroy silver and establish the single gold standard. that the continued is uance of legal-tender notes, until the voice I also told my people that I would support neither Mr. Cleveland of the people c:1n be again heard on the main question of bimet nor Mr. Harrison, and that I repudiated the false pretenses of a.UJ,sm or thegoldshndard, will produce anypos ible injury. On the manaO'ers of both of the great political parties. . the contrary, the experience of the past abundantly demonstrates Butthegreatmassof thepeople in the United States would not the beneficial effects of more new money. belie\Te that the parties to which they belonged intended to de-. The machin::~.tions of the banks and the bondholders have ceive them. and reluctantly voted the party ticket, hopin.Er for created dire distress in the countTy. The immediate duty of the best. the hour is to relieve that distress. There is an honest remedy The deception was not universal. More than a million votes and a dishonest remedy. The honest remedy is to restore silver. were cast for Mr. Weaver, who was running on a free-coinage If that c:tn not be done, utilize th,e silver in the Treasury Depart platform without hope of success. Another million remained ment belonging to the Government by issuing silver certificates away from the polls and :refrained from voting. The people of thereon, and issue enough greenbacks to relieve the distrass. , my State, irrespective of party, voted for members of the Legisla The dishonest remedy is to pass the bill under consideration ture and other officers pledged to the free and unlimited coin..o:tge and ratify and s::mctify the infamous act of 1873 and fasten a of silver, and elected every member of the Legislature and the perpetual gold st:mdard upon the country; donate $20~000,000 of Member of Congress by more than a two-thirds vote. the people's money, as is proposed in another bill, to the banks When the Legislature met my position was indorsed by the without any consideration from them; sell bonds, increase the unanimous vote of each house. I am here to represent the peo n :1tional debtt and levy more taxes for the purpose of allowing ple of my State and the vast majority of the people of all the the nation:Y b3.nks to usurp the power of the Government in States who by their votes for the last twenty years have signi furnishing the people money. fied their desire f01T the restoration of silv9r to its place as a I am in favor of honest legislation. I am in favor of utilizing money metal. the $50,000,000 of idle silver in the Treasury by the issuance of I was severely censured, especially by Republicans, for the po silver certificates thereon. I am in favor of putting out what sition I took as to the aims and purposes of the leaders of the ever greenbacks may be necessary-$100,000,000, $~00,000,000, or two great political parties to deceive the people by proclaiming any amount that may be necessary to relieve the distress which their intention to do one thing to obtain power with the design has been inflicted upon the country by the false pretenses o! the of doing the opposite after they gained control of the Govern money power. ment. In view of the conspiracy inaugurated by concentrated capital I saw no difference in the position of the two candidates and to reduce the m asses of the people of this country to poverty and could tr~st.neither. The Administration of PresidentCleveland want, it is the duty of every Senator who loves his country to is doing to-day just what I predicted in the canvass. Immedi resist by every possible parliamentary means the perpetration ately after the polls were closed, the bondholders and the of this great wrong. I do not wonder that bondholders, bankers, national banks claimed that the vict<>ry was theirs, and that the and their organs demand an iflillediate vote. They want no dis- 1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1235 oussion. They fear the result of an expose of their conspiracy. The continent of Europe is It is significant at this time that the great journals of New York POOR AND PROSTRATE. say, "Vote first, and debate afterwards." Surrender and give It is said that they are supporting 22,000,000 soldiers at an ex up your arms; then fight if you can. . pense of more than $800,000,000 a year. Most of those countries We notify them now that the fort occup1ed by the defenders are bankrupt, and owe England, particularly Austria and Italy. ·of the people will never be surrendered. The armies of avarice, It was England and the United States which destroyed silver. fraud and deception must take it if they can. The United States joined Eng.land to destroy silver, and for To-day the united metropolitan press applaud bimetallists who what purpose? For the obvious purpose to enhance the value will vote for monometallism. The service of deserters is always of money. Now, it said that we must go on a gold basis with gratefully received during the hour of battle; but when the war England; that there is no other mode; that there is nothing else is over there is but one opinion of their conduct by both friends for us to do. and foes. Seventy millions of people constitute the tribunal THE PRESIDENT SAYS which must ultimately pass upon the proceedings of this extra we must have the same kind of money that England has. session. They will not view with approbation ~he men or pru: What does that mean? We have to pay her $200,000,000 a year ties whom they trusted with power, on the prom1se to restore the now, and she has demands enough against us at present to break money of the Constitution, who use that power to rob them of us down, if we attempt to compete with her for gold. that money and transfer their property to an organization of If we undertake. to buy gold, where is the gold? It is all gold monopolists. locked up; $536,000,000 in Russia, for instance; $150,000,000 prob The pretext for the passage of this bill is not only flimsy, but ably in Au!?tria, most of whicli she got from us; she can notpay it is absurd. We are told that the object of the bill is to restore it out; eight or nine hundred millions are in France, and she confidence. Confidence in wliat, and in whom? Confidence in dare not pay any of it out. She protects herself by paying out the Government? Nobody has questioned the solvency of the silver. Government or the quality of any money bearing the stamp of The ss.me condition exists in Germany. She can not pay out the Government. Confidence in the-people themselves? Noth gold. England has the advantage of collecting gold from all the ing has happened to shake the confidence of the America:R people world. That does a good deal toward keeping up her gold sup in their own ability to live and prosper, except the ro l;lbery whiCh ply, but she adopts an expedient ~o keep her gold at home. has been practiced in the past and is threatened in the future. Whenever an attempt is made to draw out her gold, she raises Confidence in the bondholders and banks? They have sufficient her rate of interest. England has never allowed any country to confidence already in their power to acquire the wealth of others. draw out her They have been in the habit so long of reaping where they did INTER!S'ATIONAL MONEY. not sow that their confidenc3 in their own ability is sufficiently From the earliest history of England, whenever that attempt strong. The fact that they regard the Sherman act as an obsta has been made, she h as sus:pended specie payments or raised the cle to their schemes of plunder is no reason why it should be re rate of interest, and in that way protected her people. pealed. During the Napoleonic wars she would not allow any interna On the contrary, it is the strongest possible reason why it tional money to circulate in the country; no nation could draw should be ret:lined until all the Sherman acts, from 1873 to Hi90, her gold out and bankrupt her. If she allowed such an. enemy ' both inclusive, can go, and go together. The country wants no as the gold board inNew York to exist in London she never could more Sherman acts. But before we repeal the act which was have sent a soldier to the Continent. Since that war she has extorted froru him, let us blot from the statute book the act which suspended specie p :tyments three or four times, and she has time be placed there without the knowledge or consent of the Amer after time raised the r ate of interest, so that the moneyDouldnot ican people in 1873. When that is done prosperity will be re be drawn out of the country. She had to do that, notwithstand stored, and not till then. There can be no progress or pros ing she was a gre:tt creditor nation. We, the only country in perity while the iron grasp of contraction binds the limbs of en the world which pretends to have an international money, allow terprise. Contraction can not be permanently prevented with gold to go where it ple:1ses. out the remonetization of silver. The metallic basis of gold is Now, what position are we in? It is said that we must too na.rrow for the present generation, and will continue to grow narrower and narrower as the supply grows less and less. SELL :BONDS TO BUY GOLD. The creditor class may as well know first as last that the peo Suppose we do it. In that event greenbacks will be presented ple of this country will not consent to continual falling prices, and take the gold out. I know the •banks want that, because hard times, and stagnation. If the bondholders can change the they want the bonds to bank on. That is what makes them so con1ract and make it payable in gold and take away the option in tensely anxious for this plan. If we sell bonds and buy gold, of the debtor to pay in either gold or-silver, the people will ulti you can not keap it; it will be taken away from you, and the mately see to it that the debtor has money of no more or les.:> same trick will be played on you which has been played this value than tQ.e money of the contract. The people do not ask to year. change the ./ 1236 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. SEPTEMBER 5, ated a panic; stocks would be down 20 or 30 per cent and they lish influence. I first read from the New York World of Jan would have the gold to buy them, and then they would make uary 5, 1891: their regular harvest; and while we were buying bonds the har- Will the brave-talking Western Senators rur::ecute the "ghost dance" to ' vest was as regular as the returning seasons. the crack of the party whip in the hands of those superannuated medicine Do you not suppose that our English friends who can draw men, HoAR and Edmunds, at the caucus to-day. this gold out when they please will have that harvest all the This is the way they talk when there is no money in it: timei> They will have it this year. They will make hundreds The desperate attempt of the old Hepublican leaders to drive the force bill through the Senateunderthecrackot the caucus whip is the boldest defian~ and hundreds of millions · of the popular will seen since the days of secession. * * * Under the lead oUT OF THIS CALAMITY. _ of this besotted partisanship a Republican caucus will to-day seek to dragoon Do you not believe that they will repeat it? You have no unwilling and protesting Senators. foundation but what they can take out from under you. You [New York World, January 6, 1891.] will always have a panic when they command. With that great The Administt•ation organ regards free speech in the Senate as "a. pre- 'tor nation we can not live in the world on an equality. If tended courtesy," and says "the Senate cannot afford to waste time" in it. credl Fancy what Seward and Greeley would have said to such a claim. "' * * we give her the control of our circulating medium, if she can [New York world, January s, l891.] say at any time when a panic shall come, the people of this coun- The country has turned its face toward the future, and these younger men try are at her command. You in your experience know some- who realize that there are concerns of the present and future to be consid· thing of English rule. I do not mean the great body of the peo- ered, decline longer to be led by men whose eyes are in the back ot their ple of England. I speak of the concentrated capital that con- heads. trois more than $20,000,000,000 of bonds, to which the whole * * • • • • • The assumption that men are traitors. because they ally themstlves with world is paying tribute to-day. I speak of that capital which one political party rather than another, is no longer· to b& accepted any has no sympathy with the laboring interests of humanity. I where outside a.n asylum tor aged and decrepit politicians of a past genera speak of that capital that is crushing the masses of Europe to tion. the earth. I speak of that capital that [New York World, January 8, 1891.] GRINDS THE FACE OF THE POOR. Do you deny the agreement? says HoAR to GoRMAN. Were you not to lie still and have your throat cut? I speak of that capital that accumulates at the expense of the sweat and blood of the laboring masses. I speak of that capital (New York World, January 19, 1891.] The Democratic Senators would indeed be false to their duty if they neg that has turned back thewheels of progress and placed the labor lected any resource, even the most extreme possible under parliamentary ing masses of Europe in a worse condition than they were fifty forms, to de!eat this rascally and revolutionary conspiracy. years ago. I speak of that capital that has produced this panic, [New York World, January 20, 1891.] stopped our mines and our mills, and filled the country with sor No Democratic Senator would so far forget his constitutional duty as to row and grief. I speak of that heartless organization that looks refrain from resorting to every device to defeat the passage ot the force bill. upon America, not as a country, but. as a land to ba plundered. [New York World, January 21, 1891.] They look upon our people with scorn and contempt, and they The p:-esent duty of Democrats in Congress is to kill the force bill. No sacrifice is too great, and no means should be le!t unused. · RIDICULE OUR IGNORANCE [New York World, January23, 1891.] in their reports. If the minority of the Senate had no rights, there would be no one in Con The contempt which bondholding Europe has for America is gress to speak in beha.H of the people. * * * It is to silence the minority, well expressed by Daniel Watney, one of the leading advoc:1t2s to turn the people out of court, that cloture is suggested, and if the Demo of the gold standard of Great Britain before the royal commis- crats should not re.> ort to every device to prevant the outrage they would sion, when he said: · be betraying a sacred trust. I can not suppose that everybody is wise. Just think ot the folly of the Mr. MORGAN. Will the Senator from Nevada yield to me United States when they were a. debtor nation in adopting a gold coinage. fo ·.· a moment? They know nothing about currency matters: they did not know that it was going to increase their debt enormously.-Second report, Royal Commission, Mr. STEWART. Certainly. page210. Mr. MORGAN. The Senator has been on bis feet discussing Ah, the Senator from Ohio tells us that silver was demone this question for a great while and evidently he is fatigued. He tized by English influence. Oh, if some of ourfriendscoula be free has not drawn as yet to the conclusion of his remarks, and doubt for one session from English influence and legislate for AmP-rica less has some valuable suggestions to make upon this question. things would be different. What would have been the condi With the Senator's permission, I will move that the Senate pro tion of this country if this crime had not been committed? At ceed to executive business. the time silver was Mr. STEWART. I yield for that purpose. CLANDESTINELY DEMONETIZED Mr. MORGAN. I make that motion. The VICE-PRESIDENT. The Senator from Alabama moves the miners of the West were taking their bullion to the mints. that the Senate proceed to the consideration of executive busi Previous to that time it had been more profitable to export it ness. because of the mistake in the ratio, but the accumulations were Mr. ALDRICH and Mr. HAWLEY called for the yeas and too great for export. We had silver mines and in addition the nays. gold mines to make us the strongest financial nation of the world. The yeas and nays were ordered; and the Secretary proceeded We were on the western hemisphere, where gold and silver have to call the roll. always been obtained in the greatest quantity. We had Mexico Mr. HARRIS (when his name was called). I am paired with as a near neighbor, willing to buy of us, willing to trade with us, the Senator from Vei'mont[Mr. MORRILL]. !should vote" yea" and to-day, notwithstanding the obstacles thrown in the way by if the Senator from VArmont were here. the gold monometallists, she is, or she was until her silver mines Mr. LODGE (when his name was called). I am paired with were closed a short time ago, a great consumer of our products· the Senator from Kansas [Mr. MARTIN]. If he were present I and we had an ample supply. We had employment for our peo should vote'' nay." ple. We might have had in this country to-day, if it had not Mr. STOCKBRIDGE (when his name was called). I am paired ~en for the crime of 1873, as much gold and silver coin as the with the junior Sena.tor from Maryland [Mr. GIBSON]; but I am Roman Emnire had in its palmiest days-nearly $2,000,000,000; advised that he would vote" nay" if present. I will therefore and we would then have been free from debt. We would have vote. I vote "nay." owed nothing by this time. If we had been allowed The roll call was concluded. TO COIN OUR OWN MONEY Mr. BUTLER, I am paired with the Senator from Pennsyl we would have been the leading nation. But by destroying vania [Mr. CAMERON]. I am not sure how he would vote on this our own resources, by denying our people the right they had question, and I withhold my vote. If he were present I should under the Constitution, we are to-day reduced to the verge of vote " yea." bankruptcy. We can do nothing without the consent of the Mr. DOLPH (a[ter having voted in the affirmative). I am money powers of England. We can not legislate in these Halls paired with the senior Senator from Mississippi [Mr. GEORGE], without such consent. Their organs tell us that we must not but I do not see him in the Chamber, and I will withdraw my discuss the question. They· are teeming every morning with vote. commands to the Senate to abdicate its power. Mr. HARRIS. Tbe Senator from Oregon can let his vote stand Right in this connection I will show you how they talked on if he chooses. I am paired with the Senator from Vermont [Mr. another occasion when there was no moneyinquestionand when MORRILL] and I will record my vote. they were free from their mastera. We will see what they said Mr. DOLPH. Very well. when they were not under the money power, when they :were Mr. HARRIS. I vote "yea." FREE FROM THE ENGLISH INFLUENCE Mr. BUTLER. I am informed by Senators who appear to of which the Senator from Ohio speaks. He says the act of1873 know that the Senator from Pennsylvania[Mr. CAMERON] would was procured through English influence. I am going to read vote "yea" if present. I therefore vote "yea." what some of these papers said when they were free from Eng- Mr. B.bACKBURN (after having voted in the affirmative). I 1893. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 1237 ask if the senior Senator from Nebraska [Mr. MANDERSON] has of Richland and State of Ohio, in the place of John R. Wolfe, voted? resign~d. The VICE-PRESIDENT. He has not voted, the Chair under PROMOTIONS IN THE ARMY. stands. CORPS OF ENGINEERS. Mr. BLACKBURN. I am paired with that Senator on all questions, and I withdraw my vote. To be additional second lieutenants. The VICE-PRESIDENT. It will be so noted. 1. Cadet George P. Howell: The result was announced-yeas 35, nay~~t28, not voting 22; as 2. Cadet Charles W. Kutz. follows: 3. Cadet Meriwether L. Walker. YEAS~. 4. Cadet Robert P. Johnston. Allen, Dolph, Mitchell, Oregon Shoup, 5. Cadet Robert R. Raymond. Bate, Dubois, Morgan, Stewart, Berry, Faulkner, Pasco, Teller, ARTILLERY ARM. Butler, Harris, Peffer, Turpie, Call, Hunton, Perkins, • Vance, To be second lieutenants. Cockrell, Irby, Pettigrew, Vest, 6. Cadet William M. Cruikshank, vice Burr, First Artillery, Coke, Jones, Ark. Power, Walthall, Daniel, Jones, Nev. Pugh, Wolcott. appointed first lieutenant in the Ordnance Department. Davis, Kyle, Roach, "i. Cadet Gordon G. Heiner, vice Dd.vis, Second Artillery, pro NAYS-28. moted. Aldrich, Frye, Lindsay, Quay, To be additional second lieutenants. Allison, Gallinger, McMillan, Smith, B~·ice, Gorman, McPherson, Squire, 9. Cadet George H. McManus. Caffery, Gray, Mills, Stockbridge, 10. Cadet Edward J. Timberlake, jr. Carey, Hale, Palmer, Vilas, 12. Cadet David M. King. Cullom, Hawley, Platt, Voorhees, Dixon, Hoar, Proctor, White, La. 14. Cadet Samuel C. Hazzard: 15. CadetS. J. Bayard Schindel. NOT VOTING-22. 18. Cadet Otho W. B. Farr. Blackburn, Gibson, Manderson, Sherman, Camden, Gordon, Martin, Washburn, 19. Cadet Robertson Honey. Cameron, Hansbrough, Mitchell, Wis. White, Cal. Chandler, Higgins, Morrill, Wilson. CAVALRY ARM. Colquitt, Hill, Murphy, To be second lieutenants. George, Lodge, Ransom, 8. Cadet John H. Rice, vice Stewart, Third Cavalry, pro So the motion was agreed to; and the Senate proceeded to the moted. consideration of executive business. After twenty minutes spent 13. Cadet Lincoln C. Andrews, vice Carter, Third Cavalry, in executive session the doors were reopened, and (at 4 o'clock and promoted. 30 minutes p.m.) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow, Wednes 16. Cadet William R. Smedberg, jr., vice Hardeman, Fourth day, September 6, 1893, at 12 o'clock m. Cavalry, promoted. 21. CadetJohnM. Morgan, vice Walcutt, Eighth Cavalry, pro NOMINATIONS. mot3d. Executive nominations 'received by the Senate Septembe'l' 5, 1893. 23. Cadet Andrew E. Williams, vice Barnum, Third Cavalry, promoted. POSTMASTERS. 25. Cadet Walter C. Babcock, vice Byron, Eighth Cavalry, pro Hudson Ausley, to be postmaster at Salamanca, in the county moted. of Catbraugus and State of New York, in the place of Edward 26. Cadet William Yates, vice Traub, First Cavalry, promoted. B. Vreeland, whose commission expired March27, J893. 27. Cadet Herbert B. Crosby, vice Brooks, Eighth Cavalry, Don C. Bishop, to be postm%Ster at Pulaski, in the county.of promoted. Oswego and State of New York, in the place of Lawson R. 29. Cadet Benjamin B. Hyer, vice Pershing, Sixth Cavalry, Muzzy, whose commission expired March 13, 1893. promoted. Daniel Budd, to be p·ostmaster at Rye, in the county of West 30. Ca.det Mathew C. Smith, vice Bean, Second Cavalry, pro chester and State of New York, in the place, of James M. Field, moted. whose commission expired March 21, 1893. 31. Cadet Edward B. Cassatt, vice Trout; Ninth Cavalry, pro Robert E. Connolly, to be postm3.ster at Phelps, in the county mote.d: of Ontario and State of New York, in place of Frederick R. Hoag, whose commission expired March 23,1893. To be additional second lieutenants. George F. Ketchum, to be p ostmaster at Warwick, in the 33. Cadet Kenzie W. Walker. county of Orange and Stat-e of New York, in the place of George 35. Cadet Harry H. Patti~:;on. H. Quackenbush, removed. 36. Cadet Eiward E. Hartwick. Mil ton H. Northrup, to be postmaster at Syracuse, in the county 37. Cadet Charles G. Sawtelle, jr. of Onondaga and State of New York, in the place of Carroll E. INFAN'l'RY ARM. Smith, removed. . Jonas Shays, to be postmaster at Owego, in the county of Ti 'l.'o be second lieutenants. oga and State of New York, in the place of William Smyth, re 17. Cadet Howard L:tubach, vice Davis, Twenty-third In moved. fantry, promoted. Edmund M. Wilbur, to be postmaster at Saugerties, in the 20. Cadet Elmer W. Clark, vice Dodge, Fourteenth Inf~ntry. county of Ulster and State of New York, in the place of William dismissed. V. Burhans, removed. 22. Cadet Louis B. Lawton, vice Duncan, Ninth Infantry, pro Archibald H. Boyden, to be postmaster at Salisbury, in the moted. county of Rowan and Shte of North Carolina, in the place of 24. Cadet Amos H. Martin, vice Summerall, First Infantry, James H. Ramsey, resigned. transferred to the Fifth Artillery. Edwin T. Hutchinson, to be postmaster at Lakota, in the 23. Cadet Buell B. Bassette, vice Kimball, Fifth Infantry, pro county of Nelson and Shte of NoHh D.:tkota, the appointment of moted. a postmaster for the said office having, by law, become vested in 32. Cadet Thomas L. Smith, vice Druien, Seventeenth In the Pre ident on and after April I. 1~93. fantry, promoted. Thomas R. Robertson, to be po.stmaster at Charlotte, in the 34. Cadet Arthur M. Ed wards, vice Kalk, Third Infantry, pro county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, in the place moted. of Archibald BrJdy, removed. 38. Cadet Howard R. Perry, vice Frier, 3eventeenth Infantry, John C. Bollmeyer: to be postmasteratWauseon,in thecounty promoted. · of Fulton and St:1te of Ohio, in the place of James S. Brailey, 39. Cadet George E. Houle, .vice McRae, Third Infantry, pro- whose commission expirad March 21, 1893. moted. · William L. Cox, to be postmaster at Prospect, in the county of 40. Cadet Lincoln F. Kilbourne, vice Winn, First Infantry, Marion and State of Ohio, the appointment of a postmaster for promoted. the said office having, by law, become vested in the President 41. Cadet Verling K. Hart, vice Vance, Sixteerrt;h Infantry, on and after April1, 1893. deceased. Frank A. Hockett, to be postmaster atWellston,in the count,y 42. Cadet Robert E. L. Spence, vice Brown. Sixteenth In- of Jackson and State of Ohio, in the place of George W. Darling, fan try, resigned. · removed. 43. Cadet William C. Rogers, vice Baker, Seventh Infantry, Frank C. Schiffer, to be postma.Rter at Shelby, in the county promoted. 1238 OONGRESSIONAL REOORD-··BENA'l'E. SEPTEMBER ·6; 43. Cadet _F~·ank B. McKenna, vice Williams, Fifteenth In- 1 He also presented a petition of Local Assembly, N o. 6401, fantry, promoted. Knights of Labor of Pennsylvania, praying for the free coinage 45. Cadet George H. Jamerson, vice Lasseigne, Seventh In- of silve.r; w_hich was ordered :to lie on the table. fantry, promoted. · He also presented a petition of the -chamber of CommerlJe Df 46. Cadet Edward E. Carey, vice Ballou, Sixteenth Infantry, Pittsburg, Pa., praying for the repeal of the silver~purcb.asing promoted. clause of the so-called Sherman law; which was ordered to lie 47. Cadet Edward Taylor, vice Poore, Twelfth Infantry, pro- on the table. moted. He also presented a .lllemorial of Erie U>dge,.No. 101, In.ter- 48. Cadet Hamilton A. Smith, vice Smith, Third l.nfantry, national Associatiod'of "1\fachinists, remonstr:1ting against the promoted. unconditional repeal of the -silver-purchasing clause of the so- 49. Cadet Hunter B. Nelson, vice Barton, Twenty-fourth In- called Sherman law; which was ordered to He on the table. · fantry, transferred to the Tenth Cavalry. REPORTS OF COMl\HTTEES. 50. Cadet Albert Laws, vice Keene, Twenty-fourth Infantry, Mr. BERRY, from the Committee on Claims, to whom was promoted. . . . T d I ferred the bill (S. 333tfor the relief of Margaret Kennedy, re- 51. Cadet Mathew E . Savi 11 e, vwe Swame, wenty-secon n- ported it without amendment, and submitted a raport thereon. fantry, promoted. Mr. POWER, from the Committee onPublicLands, to whom was referred the bill (S. 333) to provide for the disposal of the CONFIRMATIONS. abandoned Fort Maginnismilitaryreservation in Montana, under E'l-ecutive nominations co;1ji:rrnea by the Senate Septernbe1· 5, 1893. the homestead and mining laws, for educational and other pur RECEIVER OF PUBLIC MONEYS. ~ poses, reported it without amendment, and submitted a -report John J. S . Hassler, of Forest Oity, 8. Dak., to be receiver of thereon. ,public moneys at Enid, in Okla~oma Territory. Mr. MITCHELL of Oragon, from the Committee on Post Offices and Post--Roads, to whom was referred' the bill (8. 109) for the relief of the legal representatives of Chauncey M. Lock wood, reported it without amendment, and submitted a report SENATE. thereon. He also, from the s&me committee, to whom was referred the WEDNESDAY, September 6, 1893. bill (S. 110) for the reliel of L. A. Davis, reported it without Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. W . H. Mrr..BURN, D. D. amendment, and submitted ·a report thereon. ·The J ourn::tl of yesterday's proceedings was read and -approved. COMPENSATION OF APPOINTED SENATORS . PETIT.IONS AND MEMORIALS. .1ir. VANCE. From the Committee on Privileges and Elec Mr. PEFFER. I present a petition, in tne form of resolutions tions., I submit reports in reference to the compensation of the oi the executive committee of the Indust:dal Council of the two three appointed Senators who were refused seats in the Senate. adjoining Kansas cities, praying that Congress shall have power. The amount to be allowed to each appointee is specified in the to instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to issue Treasury notes report. I suppose I may ask for the immediate consideration of for circulation among the people as money, and loan the money the reports. to the different States upon application and approved security Mr. COCKRELL. Let the reports be read, and then we will at a rate of interest not exceeding 1 per cent per annum to be by detennine whether we will consider -them. the se•eral States distrib.u.red among th.eir own people, and that The VICE-PRESIDENT. The first report will be read. such notes shall be legal tender in the payment of debts. lmDve The Secretary read as follows: that the petition be referred to the Committ-ee on Finance for The Cmnmittee on Privileges and Elections, to whom was referred ~·es.o lution p1·oviding compensation for John B. Allen for his time and expense consideration in the future. in prosecuting his claim to a .seat in the United States Senat-e from Wash The motion was agreed to. ington,..rEWorJ, that he be allowed $2,500 . .Mr. BRICE presented petitions of the Corrugating Company, 'Mr. COCKRELL. Let the reso1ution be read. O'f Cincinnati; of the Rolling Mill Company, of Piqua; of Nathan The Secratary read the resolution ·submitted by 11r. SQUIRE Drucker, Levi C. Goodale and Michael Ryan, committee of the and referred to-the Committee on Privileges and Elections Au Chamber of Commerce of Cincinnati; of the Perkins Campbell gust '30, 1893, as follows: Company, of Cincinnati; of Stix, Krouse & Co., of Cincinnati; Resolved, That there be allowed out of the contingent fund of -the Senate of Samuel Ach & Co., of Cincinnati; of J. B . Hearne, president to John B. Allen the sum of $5,000, in full compensation for all his time a.nd of the T hird National Bank, of Cincinnati; of the Linseed Oil expense in prosecuting his claim to a seat in the Senate as a Senator !rom Company, of Cincinnati; of The Plant and Marks Shoe Manu the State-or Washington. facturing Company, of Cincinnati; of Frank C. Grote & Bros., The VICE-PRESIDENT. The Chair will state to the Sen of Cincinnati; of N . Druker & Co., of Cincinnati; of Merrie, atorirom North Carolina that the ~.resolution and report should Verhage & Co., of Cincinnati; of the Chas. Moser Company, of go to the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Ex Cincinnati; of Corbin, Mendel & Co., distillers, of Cincinnati; penses of the Senate. of Claude Ashbrook, cashier of the City Hall Bank, of Cincin Mr. COCKRELL. I was going to make tha:t suggestion. Let nati; of James E . Mooney, president of the American Oak all the reports take the same course. Leather Company, of-Cincinnati; of -8. M. Felton, of Cincinnati; The VICE-PRESIDENT. That will be the 01·der. nf-the Chamber of Commerce of Cl9veland; of Leo A. Brigel, Mr. VANCE. l ask-that the other reports be also read. president of the Jackson Brewing Comp:wy, of Cincinnati, and The Secretary read as follows: of the Bucket Pump Comp3.ny, of Cincinnati, in the State of The Committee on Privileges and Elections, to whom was 1·eferred a res· olution providing compensation for Lee Mantle for his time and expense in Ohio, praying for the unconditional repeal of the silver-pur prosecuting his claim to a seat in :the united States Senate ~:from. Montana. chasing clause of the so-called Sherman law; which were ordered report that he be allowed $2,500. to lie on the table. The VJCE-:PRESID.ENT. The repor.t will be referred to-the He also presented a petition of the Damoc1·atic executive com Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of mittee of Seneca County, Ohio, praying for the repeal of the the Senate. civil-service rules requirin,g- competitive examination of appli Mr. VANCE. Let .the third report be read. cants for appointment in the railway-mail service; which was The Secretary read 'the following resolution, reported from r eferred to the Committee to Examine the Several Branches of the CommLttee on P.1·iv.ileges and Elections: the Civil Service. Resolved, That there be allowed out of the contingent fund of the Senat-e Mr. SHERMAN presented a petition of merchants, business to A. C. BeckWith the sum of <> 000, in full compensation for all his time and men, and others, of Miamisburg, Ohio, praying for the repeal of expense in prosecuting his claim to a seat as a SeQ:~.tor from the State of the silver-purchasing clau e of the act of July 14, 1890· which Wyoming. was ordered'talie on the table. The VICE-PRESIDENT. The resolution will be refet~red to Mr. ALLISON presented two petitions of business men and tne Committee to Audit and. Contrel the Contingent Expenses farmers of Belmond and Shenandoah, in the State of Iowa, ear of the Senate. nestly praying for the repeal of the silver-purchasing clause of BILLS INTRODUCED. t he so-called She1·man law; which were ordered to lie on the .Mr. HOAR introduced 11 bill (S. 856) for .the relief of John M. table. Goodhu.e; which was read twice by its title, .anil re{erred to the Mr. QUAYpresented a petition of Indiana Assembly, No. 2013, Committee on Military Affairs . .Knights of .Labor, of Indiann.,Pa.,J>raying for the free coinage Mr. CULLOM.introduced .a bill (8. 835) to repeal all laws pro of silver and for the abolisb.men t of all banks, national, State, and viding for -the creation or maintonance of the sinking fund· private, and remonstrating against any further issue of bonds which was read twice by its title and referred to the Commit and foreign domination in American finance; which was.nr..de.red .tee on Finance. to lie on the table. lV'a. P L ATT introduced a bill (S. 36) f~r the relief of Louis