Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-12-26
NEW SERIES--V0L. IS, NO. 81


ful consi ideraton, concluded that 25.s grains Of
standard gold constituting the gold dollar should
be declared tho money unit or metallic represen :
tative the dollar Of account.
Again, he said
Section 10 re-enacis the provisions Of existing
laws defining the silver coins and their weights,
respectively, except In relation to the silvef dol
lar, which Is reduced 10 weight from 4i21 to ssi
grains thus making IT.
am giving you the language ad-
dressed to the House Of Representa-
tivos by the man who is charged with
having obtained legislation extinguish-
ing the dollar OF 412l grains without
the knowledge Of the House
Thus making II subsidiary coin In harmony
with the silver coins Of less denomination, to So
cure Its concurrent circulation with them. The
silver dollar Of fi2l grains, by reason Of It's bull
lion or intrinsic value being greater than It's no
mnal value, long since ceased to be coin Of cir
culation, and is melted by manufacturers Of silver
ware. II does not circulate now In commercial
transactions with any country.
Here, sir, he discussed the silver dol.
lar with the bill before him told the
House Just exactly where IL had been
placed in all the twelve prints of that
bill and the gentleman from Pennsyl-
yania upon the committee who report
ed the bill in tho first place, and turn
ed it over TO my then colleague TO be
managed in the House, mean Rep
resentative of one Of the Philadelphia
districts, the oldest member of the
present House, [Mr. Kelley y]--called
attention to the same fact and said
that he wanted to 90 further than that
bill said that he wanted to follow the
example Of England and make the gold
dollar, as in England, the absolute and
only unit will read what that gen.
tleman said
This bill is a mere codi6cation. There are one
or two things in this bill, will say to the gem
tleman from New York, with his permission, which
personally would like to modify, th at Is TO say
would like to follow the example Of England
and make n wide difference between our silver
and gold coinage. But as 1 was charged with
bill that looked only 10 the codifeation Of the
mint laws, or mainly that, did not feel II we'll
to interect into that bill any Of my own peculiar
IDEAS / would have liked to have made the gold
dollar uniform with the French system OF f'veghts,
taking the gramme as the unit. have express.
cd myself very earnestly on that subject, but
did dot feel that / could impress my personal
views on n general law and, therefor, preferred,
as introduced yesterday a resolution touching
the silver coin, to have this question come up as
an Independent question.
Mr.. Beck. Will the Senator from
Massachusetts, allow me to say q word ?
The Senator from Massachusetts, will
recollect that | have not said a word
about the history Of the demonetizing
bill, except in response to questions
from the Senator from Iowa. When be
asked me certain questions, ] answered
them according to my recollection of
the record but when the silver bill
comes up hope to be able TO show by
the record that the bill as passed never
was read in the House and that the
gentleman having charge oft distinctly
avowed that II made no change in the
law. Now, will the Senator from
Massachusetts, answer me who that
distinguished gentleman was that he
referred to as some Englisbman who
had taken part in this bill and who
was opposed to this thing
Mr.. Dawes. The distinguished Eng
lishman to whom | referred, who was
charged with having come over here
TO do precisely the opposite of what he
did was Ernest Seyd.
Mr.. Beck observe, il the gentle
man will allow me, that on the 9th
day Of April, 1872, when the bill was
read up TO its sixth section and laid
aside and never taken up again, the
gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr..
Hooper, remarked
The bill was prepared two years ago, and has
been submitted to careful aud deliberate oxamina-
ton IL has the approval Of nearly all the Mint
experts Of the country, and the sanction Of the
Secretary Of the Treasury. Mr. Ernest Seyd, Of
London, a distinguished writer, who has given
great attention to the bject Of Mints and coinage
nfter examing the frat draught Of the bill, fur
nished many valuable suggestions which have
been incorporated n this bill.
| suppose he is the same person.
Mr.. Dawes. There is no doubt about
that fact but that does not quite 90 TO
the point. that he approved OF the de-
monetization Of the silver dollar in
face OF the fact that he was at the same
time earnestly, openly, publicly pro.
testing and urging against it.
Mr.. President, my desire was TO
show to the Senate that this bill in the
beginning and throughout oil its stages
was intended to demonetize the silver
dollar; that the discussion Of the ques.
ton of the silver dollar in the bill and
what the bill provided in respect to the
silver dollar was open, free Another
member of the same committee, from
Michigan, whose name has now escaped
me, called attention more explicitly
than either OF these members to the
actual condition Of the silver dollar in
that bill.
Mr. Beck. Mr.. Sloughton.
Mr.. Dawes. Mr.. Stoughton. Now
il is true, Mr.. President that after
this discussion to which have alluded
upon the next day substitute with
the sanction of the committee was
offered by my then colleague and that
passed without being read.
Mr. Beck. Not the next day six
weeks afterward.
Mr. Dawes. The next day that the
bill was under discussion the bill was
recommittcd to the committee and il
was brought back from the committee ;
and on the very day on which it was
brought back, just at the close Of the
session, it was brought back as sub.
stitute for the original bill, and the
difference between the substitute and
original bill was just this The sub
sidiary dollar of 1884 grains was left
out OF the bill which finally passed.
The old dollar of 4l2l grains was never
in the bill, unless | have been misin.
formed and have examined the records
TO no purpose. The reasons for the
design of the bill to cxtinguish that old
dollar were given whether sound or
not am not going to trcspass further
on the indulgence of the Senator from
Pennsylvania to discuss for moment (;
but the reasons were given. Every
body that cared to listen to the bill
knew that II the bill passed in that
shape the old dollar Of ll2l grains
would cease to exist. When the bill
came back the committee thought that
a subsidiary dollar reduced in valuc to
3si grains was OF no use, and they leil
it out. The charge that the old dollar
thus passed out Of the currency of the
country by any artifce or without the
Knowledge of those who passed the
bill, is a mistake, and does great in.
justice TO those, living and dead, who
managed the bill and presented It to
both branches OF Congress and by
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