Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-01-02
IGNORANCE AND CARELIsSNEsS
~ LEGISLATION.

Is the great controversy relating 10
silver now agitating the county refer.
ence Is made frequently 10 the demon.
citation act Of 1879. Advocates Of
free and unlimited coinage Of silver
claim that this act was surreptiuously
passed by goldltcs, aud that the coun.
try was not fully aware OF liz real ma.
tuFe until some years afterwards. II IL
admitted, however, ON all hands, that
n silver dollar In ls7a was worth three
cents more than a gold dollar.
The anti.irec silver men claim that
this net had nothing 10 do with the
characterization Of silver, and that II
did not interfere with the standard
silver dollar. That l. all true, but It
only authorized the colnnge Of silver
Into half and quarter dollars and dimes,
according 10 the standard Of 1853, aud
Into trade dollar above the standard
OF the unit dollar: and prohibited these
coins from bel ng legal tender Tor
more than i've dollars IN any Que pay.
ment. The act, It IL true, contained
no change In the old unit dollar. II
simply omitted to mention II as one Of
the coin, to be made at the mint.
Section IL, Of tho bill. reads. "No |
colns either Of gold, silver or minor
coinage, shall here after be- Issued from
tho mint, other than those Of the
denominations, standards, and welghts,
herein set forth" The unit dollar was
not mentioned In the bill, therefore
under this clause IL could not be Issued
from the mint. From tn Q time OF the
passage OF this bill silver began 10 do.
preciatc, AMI In 1876 the question Of this
iemonetizatlon became topic Of dis.
custom throughout the nation ut large.
In a lengthy address on "silver
money and lite relation to the com.
merco and progress Of the world" at
Colorado Springs a fow days ago, the
Hon. Charles s. Thomas touched on
the bill Of 1873. He said that for n
period OF some three years thereafter,
the great majority Of the leading men
Of tho nation were ignorant OF the fact
that by II silver had been demonetlzed.
In 1874 President Grant did not know
Il, nor did Senators Hawl-y and Hoar.
La 1915 LanGsrs Of Indiana, Garfield
VI Ohio, Blaine Of Maine and ConkllnR
of New York did not know It, ana
openly confessed their Ignorance. In
order to show that this was tho case,
MIR. rhomas quoted d ialogue which
ook place In the United States Senate
IN March 80, 1876. II reads as follows:
Mr.. Conkllng tho Senator allow
ne to ask him or some other Son ator
luos,ionG Il 1t truo that there h now by
aw no American dollar And, II so, Is il
rue that tho OBJECT Of this bill is to be-, 10
make half dollars and quarter dollars tho
'nly silver coin which can DO used a, a
ogal tender
Mr.. shorman-l will answer the Sen.
tor from New York that since tho law II
$40 theuso OF the silver whole dollar has
'ocn discontinued, and none has been
ssuedi that has been so since 1855.
Mr.. Conkling-Is there power to issue
q?
Mr. shcrman-Thoro IL no powor, and
as boon mono.
MIR. DogS Tho power TO issue existed
rom 1858 10 1873, bui since 1873 / think
here has beon no power.
Mr.. sherman -Thcfo has been no silver
nllar issued since 1853, and my impress.
ON ia tia tho law Of 1883 did not confer
10 powor to Issue IT, Tho senator thinks
did conier the power, but the law Of
"a cut OH tho power, in my Judgment,
Il existed.
Mr. Jono, OF Noyala-lho law Of 1854
ithori1gd tho coinage Of tho silver
'llar aud {, was .novor d1mluctizad
nil February, 1873, but Il NODDED n,
" to prevent people from cnlning such I
dollar for use in business, whom thoro /
As another dollar to bo got or pa.
nt cheaper The people did, in 1863.
I'd up to lo'd, have tho option lhu {
ld became dearrr they could hli bari a
'hc silver dollar. In 1913 tla' priyiIos,
ls iakon away C.
This puts the case In nulshell ull