The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1878-02-09
Thc Honest Dollar OF the Fathers.

The silver question il COngrcas has
reached d point when i. is Of vital i'm
por,aaee to the public credit and the
material interests of the country that a
distinction should DO drawn between
what can DO accepted on both sides
without serious injury, perhaps, and
what cannot be yielded without dctri-
meut. From the restoration Of silver
to the place which it held iu tue coin.
age Of the country, in the purvlew Of
the constitution aud prior to tho act o!
February. 1873, it is possible that no
particular harm would follow. To the
remonetizatiop of silver the rccoinagc
Of the dOlIar Of 4l2! grains, with the
same qualities Of Irsal-terder rs the
gold doIlar, is BY no means an iadiS-
pensab!o or necessary condition. Tho
constitution undoubtedly recognizes
both "gOld and silver coiu." The
several States arc expressly prohibited
from making anything but gold and
silver coin q tender in payment of
debts" They are also prohibited from
coming money, and to Congress is
given tho exclusive power "to coin
money" and "regulate The value there
Of" Under this power, BY tue first
coinage act Of 1892, Congress provided
for the coinage Of gold eagles, half
cugles and quarter eagles, and @lrer
dollars. half dollars. quarter dollars,
dimes sud half dimes The g0l4 dqE.
tar was first authorized 10 be coined by
the ac. Of March 8, 1910. The silver
dollar au!horizrd by the act Of 1872
was Of tho weight OF 4l6 grains. fuC.
Less S02 4 parts Of silver in 1000. By
the act Of January IS, 1887. the
weight Of The silver dollar was changed
to ll2l grains, Of the tineuess Of $40,
or 9UO parts in 1000. It is very
clear, therefore. that to remouctize sill
yer it is not necessary to adopt dollar
Of any particular weight or fneness.
The dollar Of 4l24 grains, 900 parts
tine, specified iu Mr. Stanley Matthews
resolution and called for by the Bland
bill is no more the dollar Of the cou.
sli,utiou than tbs dollar Of 4l6 grains,
or than dollar Of 400 grains or .4sO
grains would be. The determination
Of the weight and tineuess either Of the
gold or riIver dollar is purely matter
ot legislative discretion on the part OF
Congress Tho difficulty of having
two coius # different metals, yet Of the
samc legal and commercial value, was
carefully avoided by the fathers in all
their legislation down TO 1919. The
ac: cf 1922, as We see. provided for
gold coius Tor all denominations above
uuG dollar. whi,e the dollar itself aud
lis fractional parts were of silver,
Whcu the gold dollar was first coinGd,
III 1910. alter the gold discoveries in
California, the silver dollar had ceased
to circulate. and bus never circulated
since. Moreover, III fixing the relative
weight aud fueuess VI gold and silver
coius III l79! tho fathers" cnlea avorcd
10 make their legal Or standard value
conform to their relative commercial
value. Tho value Of silver, compared
with gold, was then 10 tho ratio Of is
to l. Whrn subsequently, this CON-
merciul value was disturbed. Cougscss
cud,avOrcd in 1887 and again in 1858.
to readjust tue relative values Of the
:wo kin1Is Of cIius by chaugiqg the
weight UttLc subsidiary silver coin
halves, quarters, &c Now, when fer
forty years the silver dollar has prapti.
caIly ceased to circulate. and wheu for
i've years its cOiuogc bus been sus.
peadeL BY law, it is proposed to restore
the silver dollar Of 1857, without refer
luce to any Of tic changes which have
sIuee taken place either in the relative
value OF the two metals or in the monc.
tary system Of tho world. This is Ger.
tuinly not according to the precedent
set by tho fathers" Their aim was
to cUufOrm to the true relation iu poin.
Of value between gold aud silver.
7Aey, us all their legislation shows,
would uescr have diOqmt Of authOriz.
ing the coinage Of gold aud silver dol.
lars Of Unequal value. The present
scheme for having silver dollar worth
o. cents to circulate upon an equal
footing as legal.tender with the stand.
arl gold dollar is absolutely without
precedent or parallel in the legislation
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