The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-02
A RESTORATION OF SIL YER CUR
RENTY

MR. WILLIAM II. DU DOIS, hSSlSIanV ASShyer
of the United States Mint, has published an
essay on the subjects of a revised system of
weights and measures and a restoration of
silver currency. Mr.. Du Bois writes with a
thorough knowledge of his subject, and his
views are entitled to a candid consideration
An international system of weights and mea-
sures and an international coinage are be-
coming more important every day, and earnest
efforts are being made to bring them
about. Great reforms like these can
not be made in haste, however, and
the very magnitude of the changes in
volved, and the interests that would be af-
fected, require that any legislation with regard
to them should be made with deliberation and
caution. The great difficulty in fixing upon
a uniform system of weights and measures is
to persuade each nation to give up the system
to which it is accustomed No system can be
devised that will not be open to some objec-
tions-probably very good objections; but
the only way for an accommodation to be
reached is for each party to be willing to
yield something The French metric system
is the one that has thus far found most favor,
and it has already been adopted by severd!
nations and very generally by scientific men.
Mr.. Du Bois. like most American and English
writers, objects to it strongly, and thinks
that modification of our own system would
be better. Our standard is an arbitrary one,
and although the French metre processes to
have a scientific value. it is well known to be
quite as arbitrary as our own. The ad-
vantages of the French system are many:
it gives us a series of decimal subdivisions,
the most important of which are near enough
to those we have now in use not to cause any
great difficulty; it is uniform for weights and
measures of all kinds, and, what is specially
important in recommending it is, that it has
already come into general use, and that those
who have adopted it would not be likely to
throw it overheard to try something else. The
objections to it are the inconvenience its in
PRODUCTION would cause at first and its clumsy
nomenclature. The first of these evils
would of course have to be submitted to, and
the last is one that is not irremediable We
are confident that if any change is made in
the present English and American systems, it
will be in the adoption of the French; and
the mere fact that it is French will not be as
called upon to use it as it appears to be with
most of the British and American writer's on
the subject.
The greater portion of Mr.. Du Bois' pam
phlet, however, is devoted to the discussion
of the restoration of silver currency, and his
arguments in favor of the plan which he pro-
poses, if not conclusive, are suggestive and
worthy of investigation. He says:-
''What is the proper use and function OF silver in
the currency?
sFormerly it held the chief place. 1t was used
not only for making change, but for heavy payments,
foreign as well as domestic. In France, the very
word Tor moHey was (and is) argent and the world
over Britain excepted, silver was far more en-
plOyed in currency than gold.
"But as the nations have increased in wealth, and
as the gold mines have been developed, tnere is
growing tendency TO make gold the principal Gu
rency, and 10 use silver only as subsidiary, and
chefy for home transactions, and at the same time
to give up the attempt to fix relation between the
two by law. These two facts AFFORD a basis for the
proposition which follows.
Howing to causes which need not he recited our
present currency is entirely i'll paper bills OF credit,
down to the note OF ten cents But the value OF taG
paper Is asCertained by It's market relation 10 god
and silver; and the precious metals are thus ackoW-
lodged TO he in fact as they are declared to be by
law the fixed ana real money. Under favorable
auspices gold and legaZed paper Will draw closer
together, until they shall entirely coincide in re-
sumption of specie payments; although the greater
convenience OF paper money, and the restricted
quantity OF gOld VIII always give vastly larger
currency TO the fOfmer -
0But whatever may he the present necessity, or
the ever-present advantage, Of using paper money
i'm large sums or down To one dollar, Jhere Is no
Longer any reason why we should be deblfred tfom
the benefit OF silver money for small change Nhlle
All other nations however poor, or loaded WIN
| nublic debt, enjoy this heneht, the unlteu states
| M America, with such wealth. ana territory
such mines Of gold and silver, are using Httle Dlts
| of possamer-paper, sOiled rumplcd, ana tOrn lOf
! Bfty twenty-five, and ten cents. Such money Is
uniit for the rough usage OF marketing, shopping,
nd baUrly hnsiness Silver OF standard lneness, Is
the very ubsrance adapted TO ill this place. It's III
! trinsic value is an important feature, making II
rasDectable: but this Is not the chlei recommends
| tion II has all the desirable natural properties
! clean solid, beautiful, durable S0nOrOus, neither
hard nor soft easy TO work. ana hard 10 counterfeit
,pThe near prospect OF the return Ol SILVER colo
wonld cause public rejoicing. The people would not
inonire II the pieces were Of full Intrinsic value.
They would have the good sense TO know thaJ, whe
silver is at premium against paper, the com lmu St
he rednced i'm weight TO Keep IL IN circulation. Thef
tenths fine But if the law makes The piece II limited
e0al-tender and at the same time limits the Issue,
! everybody would be satisfied. And those are Jhe
two main principles Of the present plan
The trouble is that the people would inquire
if the silver coins were of full value. They might
be glad to have the token currency in prefer
ence to paper, but they would never be looked
upon as anything but maheshifts, and when
the paper money was entirely superseded the
difference in value between the gold and sill
yer coins would be as great q nuisance rs the