The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-01
MODERN OOUNTERTEITERS.


Human nature does not change, Like
moral causes produce like effects. Like mo-
tives lead to similarity of courses OF action
Like opportunities and temptations result IN
similar crimes. The resemblance extends
| across scores Of centuries. and affects all the
races of men in all periods of their history.
The offenses and crimes Of this age are like
those for which the laws of Moses provided
penalties, and against which the maxims OF
Confucius were leveled. The names Of crimes
change according to tho change of sky, Gil
mate and period, and the forms and phases Of
crimes vary likewise, but the essential Gle
ments, the injury of the individual, the threat
to the people, the damage to the State, the
malicious intention, the legal or moral pro-
hibition, and all the indices of crimes con-
tinue without essential change, with this diff
ference, that in modern times many things
essentially criminal, and deserving Of incar-
ceration or capital retribution, pass by modi-
fed names and under specious DISCUSSES, SO
that they are not punished at all.
| It was always crime to counterfeit the
current coin of country, making worthless
money pass for true, or debased mixtures rep
resent pure silver and gold.
In the laat century it was in England such
an offense to the King to falsify the money Of
his realm that the convicted felon forfeited
his life for his crime. Counterfeiting and
forgery and debasement of coinage are held
in all countries to be grave offenses and
worthy of severe punishment. In the days
Of William and Mary. the caitiff who put into
guinea base alloy, or who, by mechanical
or chemical process, deprived it Of its full
weight, or by any other means diminished
its intrinsic or market value, was held and
treated as seriously SHINING against the laws
Of the kingdom and the prerogatives and
rights of the King
1.-THE essence of the crime of debasing the
coin OF the realm was in making . sum Of gold
apparently worth more than it was worth in
reality, and thereby defrauding the receiver OF
tho difference between ths ostensible an the
true value of the deprecated and simulated
COIN 1t Was attachinga false stamp and fic-
titious valuation to coin metals for the pur.
pose and with the effect Of fraud and damage
| to the receiver.
The crime of counterfeiting the gold and
silver coins OF the country is not as common
as in former years, but there has been invent
ed and put in practice crime upon money OF
a far more grave and reprehensible character.
vet not subjected to criminal
penalty like the possession or passing
L IA -
basine coins with worthless alloy or raising
the figures of bank note, the effect is to
make gold coin represent higher and hcti'
tious value and to pass for more than it is
worth. The intent is fraudulent the effect q
fraud and a swindle, the sufferers being all
honest business men and all who are not
participants in the complicated and deep-laid
cheat Tho oper alton is known as locking up
gold or Withdrawing it from circulation. II
requires many millions of dollars. or a sum
which represents q large fraction Of all the
gold coin in the country. Immense sums Of
gold are bought by ieagued spectators. The
first purchases are deposited as collateral fol
loans Of paper money within few points o.
the market value OF gold, and with this paper
second purchases Of gold are made and de-
posted as before for second loan Of paper,
which is employed like the first. This
process is pursued and repeated until
the purpose in view is attained. Thus
with twenty millions Of paper money to begin
with, it is an easy matter for gang Of sharp
ers to control a hundred millions, lock it uE
l - lot; An
cial scarcity Of gold is caused, its price as
compared with paper advances or, more accu.
rately speaking. paper declines. When il
reaches low figure, or when gold has been
put up to high figure, the money swindlerf
reverse their operations, sell their hoarded
gold and win by the operation large per
centage on their joint investment. They have
given to the gold coin in their vaults tempo
rary increase Of purchasing power and they
have profted by their conspiracy Their i'll
tent is Just as wicked as that Of gang q
counterfeiters, and the effect of their gigantic
operations is incomparablv more mischiev-
GUS than any Justification of coins or bills car
be- They do not gamble in gold; they cheat
J they f,lsify, they conspire, and the result
is robbery as gross and palpable as any
feat of Ai-Baba. Paul Clifford, Dick Tur
pin, Captain Kidd or Murrell. They ge
millions of dollars, for which they give nc
equivalent, by means Of criminal conceal
mont. conspiracy and cooperation. Whoever
may be the losers. however numerous may bt
the victims, however extended may be tn
damage and arrangement in business. tn
conspirators win and get money in thei
hands which does not belong to them. The!
take what is not their own under the lntla
ence Of a wicked and law-defying spirit ans
intention, their act being no better thar
entering a'bank at midnight swith false key
and carrying away the contents OF lis lrol
chests.
J The fact that these glded villains contro