National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-04-26
AN OPEN LETTER
To the Monetary Conference, Now I'm Ses-
sion in Paris.

To the Monetary Conference, Now I'm ses-
sion in Paris.
The following letter has been SUBJ
mitted to the Hon. A. H. Stephens, chairman of
the Committee on Coinage, Weights and Meas
ures ofthe Forty Fourth Forty Fifth and Forty
sixth Congresses, and he highly approves it. In
asmuch as it concerns the welfare of the entire
commercial world, it appears proper that it should
be published as open letter for general public
information. Mr.. Stephens has given close and
unremiting attention to the subject for six years
last past and reported the bills referred to in Con-
gress:
UNITED STATEs OF AMERICA,
CITY OF WASHINGTON, D. c., April d 1881.
Hon. " .HGgain, Minister Of Finance Of France and
President 0ftte International Monetary Conference,
Paris, France:
SIR: The newspapers inform US in America that
you. are made president of the conference and
are distinguished scientist. also am scientist
and an inventor in coinage and other matters en-
braeed in the annexed biographical card, which
may serve for all introduction to you:
For the past five or six years have been the
chosen expert of the Committee on Coinage,
Weights, and Measures of the House of Repre-
sentatveS of the Congress of the United States and
in that capacity had delegated to me the investi-
CATION of the two subjects of bimetalism and Of
HlStIlc COlnage, anu herewith lHCtOSS 10 you d
copy of the reports and bills on the calendar of the
late or Forty-sixth Congress, reported favorably
for adoption, and which, owing chiefly to political
complications and delays, were not reached for
consideration in the Houses of Congress. You will
see by them that l discovered in bimetalism of
gold and silver, with copper as the alloy
metal, a perfect embodiment of the metric
system in coinage. The coin in large
numbers have been made at the United States
Mint at Philadelphia by resolution order of the
Houses of Congress. And beg of You to allow me
herewith to present to you, a scientist set of
the con consisting of gold metric stella, value
81, United States standard of gold and silver;
weight, grammes, consisting of G grammes of pure
gold, decigTams of pure silver, and decigrams
of pure copper, being 9 fine of gold and Q O. silver;
that is, the copper is one-tenth, and the gold and
silver are estimated as the money or precious
metals OIL the ratio of of gold the equivalent of
16 of silver. The "goloid dollar" is 100 cents in
value in the same ratio, and the 25-gramme dollar
is also 100 cents i'll value in the same ratio.
The goloid dollar is bimetallic money in fact.
Neither metal can eXpel the other from the coun-
try using it. It's density is 1868, being Is higher
than pure silver and SO higher in density than
standard silver 9 fine, and thus it cannot be imi-
tated in weight; neither in ring, nor in color nor
endurance of color to wear.
The color or orange gold in the gold coin is
brought out by secret process instructed at the
mint, and can do the same for the mint of France
when needed. 1t is new orange gold color.
The ratio Of 16 to is the United States practical
standard, and the 16 gives the even equation of
as the square root, which single figure can be
used in all commercial calculations. Thus: 1875
grammes of silver equal to how many of gold?
s12-4@2H@ -117.1S7.5 of gold.
So also in regard to the stella of 400 cents the
single figure serves for all computations. Sup
pose your franc is 1913 cents and Napoleon 20
times or francs. One Napoleon equal S.. Sc, 1000
Napoeons equal S3S6O-equal to how many stel-
las? sS'eS=965 stellas.
The whole system of this bimetallic metric
money on the ratio Of 16 to l is the most simple
beautiful and perfect embodiment of metalluTgy,
and completes the metric system of France by its
perfect adaptation to coinage, bimetalism, and
coin money adapted for the universal money of
the entire world.
A Napoleon of this gold alloy of the precise value
of 1886 would weigh 6.755 grammes; so that, you
perceive, you can either make the same value of
coin as you now have, or, by increasing the franc
70 20 cents in value, will then have the perfect
decimal denominations of the United States coin
age.
You will also observe no doubt, that there are
no interminable remainders in the weights of the
coins. They all bear simple relations TO the
gramme as the unit of weight. Thus the stella of
81 value is grammes even weight. The goloid
dollar, 100 cents value is II grammes even weight
The silver dollar 100 cents value is 25 grammes
even weight.
While France has only one standard 9 fine coin,
the 5-franc piece Of 25 grammes or simple rela-
tons to the gramme, and is 965 cents of money
is not of an even decimal denomination. No
change would be required in the French system
to conform to ours but TO make the ftanc 20 cents
then francs = 100 eentimes - one American dol
lar, 20 francs gold = 400 confines - one Napo-
leon - one stella. No change of nomen-
cature is needed. Each nation can keep
its own, and have its design to distinguish its
coinage; and thus, with this bimetallic money in
fact and the metric system thus perfected IN coin
age, the grand result sought for in the conception
of the French metric system, namely, decimal di-
visibility and multiples, universal all the world
in coinage, weights, and measures, will, after the
efforts of science to attain these results for full
fifty years, be entirely realized.
You can appreciate the grandeur of such results
for the future welfare of the entire commercial
world as fully can; and to France and America
will belong the grand honor of science and dis
covery for It's accomplishment.
Hoping that this Enclosure will safely reach you,
am, yours truly,
WIN. WHEELER HUBBELL.