New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-06-06
Jt5,Ioys IND THE Ilvka QUESTION.


ILLINOIS IND TIE NLyhR QUESTION.
The silver question assumes new prominence
in discussions because the Illinois Legislature
ha, passed aad the Governor has vetoed II
vciy singular bill Il is a curious fact that
intelligent friend. AID intelligent foes OF re-
m0netization aay reasonably agree, ana do III
fact agree. bo,h AZ to the bill and rs 10 The
veto.
The LHl WIS sort of Pope's bull against
the c,iuet Iiow any s'Ee man ear suppose
that it would have had aay considerable riac-
tical effect in Illinois, even If 1t had not been
vetoed. we fail 10 SIC. Distinguished persons
favor il, ~ Gov. CuIloIh opposel IT, Il the
belief chat il wouid have had important fIac-
teal results but we cannot share thor appre-
'hcnsiohs OF hopes Tire loose AND vague IAN
e-uagc of the bin might have caused some
litigation; possibly it might have been en-
,loyed. had il become q law, by some ipdl-
ydua, for private spite or greed; bat III q
geAcrid and public ii would have had
about a. mucil effect as % lolnt res"Iit'on oi
the Illinois Legislature requesting Congress 10
Gathorize an inc;c.>ed coinage OF silver. 70
APPRECIATE its futility il is only ncSrSHy to
remember that Tie United S,ltc5 Sr.5 nov,
and for many years has had, no SILVER dollars
in circulation excepting Che trade dollars for
foreign use. Co.nagc &C silver dollars can be
authorized. nat lay State Legislature Int BY
C.rgrcss. and any get making silver doiEu
which is nat NOW in cxi-teNc" n Legal tender
in any State i, merely II declaration t'at ihe
members o. that Legislature think Tat a'lyer
dollars oIgnt 20 be coined. Hence tho'}if II
it applies at all 60 any CONS n'T
in u.s., appi,cs only to the subsidiary
silver small coins, which have fo! macy
years ben 80 debaSya AID alleged, in
order to prevent their cxport,tion tiia; 40 in
.elligant person of either opinion has ii, sired
10 sec them substituted in general transactions
loy the more valuable and lee, c'lIihiod~ legal
tenders. 70 any member of an Illinois LegiS-
laturc who may have desired 10 purchase a
ciei.r o. q piat Of peanuts, th, precise hoIiion
value o. his sl,or quarter or dine was not
imuo,taut. aid IA sa,Ali retail transactions the
,ilb,i IIaIy coins have proved al agreeable
cbappq from the dc,acCi and unr!can fractional
Nets. Bat in co,iaid u'hic amornt', whether
in payment Of wag,s to labor e., IA settlement
Of commercial debts. no'ody has proposed to
.ubsiiluto til, drht,cd tokcn-cunagc ior the
somewhat more valuable and UNNECESSARILY
more convenient Ice.i tender or bank note
IohoAf-until au Illinois Iogi.lTtIrc was
fouBd ~ pas i bill providing That " ~ silver
coins" .. the United state, shou'd he
legal tender for payment OF any debts III Tat
State. II is charitable to suppose dat thc
|. eiAatrre "a icf did rot cOa sder tine de''asrd
coinage at all. 0l was shrcwd cE"uCh 70 see
that. rs ii matter 0f f!ct, HoocIT would pat
himself to the trouble Of collecting, asserting,
testing, counting, and cntiug suuil wagon
loads of haivc5 quarters, and dimes, IN order
to save The tiitl.ng difference in value be
tween il cart load of c0in and single bank
note. II tie ILL was framed To please people
who are cr,zcd about silver. and yet with
keen perception that it would never be en-
ployed in practical dealings by them Or Ivy
anybody else, its passage was like the admin
is;ratOn of a bread pill to a hyp0chondriac,
empty but parlonable. If, on the other hand,
tlo Legislature knew no better. the bill was
not only empty but stupid.
GOV. Cullon, however, makes a sad bOtch
of it in his veto. Hi, prognosticatious of dire
disaster are quite as absurd AZ any extraya-
CANT hopes OF the friends Of the bill. Other
papers have pointed out that his fears in re-
spect 10 the revenue Of the State are i'll
founded, because existing State laws provide
for payment OF state. county, special, and local
taxes in silver cOiHS. if anybody plcases. The
concci,tion that the United States Government
might, by an cxtgayaRant issue of subsidiary
coins, render them comparatively vGluciess, be-
comes siugularly ludicrOus when we con-
slider that coins small or large are
issued only as the fractional currency or
legal tenders are withdrawn. The main
objection OF the GoveTnor-that the bill would
impair the obligation Of contracts-is sufi-
GENTLY met by the consideration that every
contract made payable otherwise than in gold
has been made subject to whatever power the
United States may possess to fix the weight of
coins, and to whatever power the States con-
additionally have TO provide that United States
coins shall be a legal tender in payment of
debts If the States have no such power, the
bill would be void, but dis the Governor does
not claim. If the States have such power its
exercise cannot impair the value of contracts
made subject thereto. In short. while there
was no sense in the bill, there was not more
sense in the serious, solemn, and sngulaHy un-
necessary veto. The Governor has fired at
phantom, and expended powder aud shot upon