The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-11-11
Free Coinage.

This question will never be set at
rest until both gold and silver--as
we'll as any other precious metals
that may be adopted for money uses
are created upon exactly equal
terms. A member and State officer
of the Farmers Alliance being still
in doubt with reference to the pres
ent treatment of gold by government,
and likewise in doubt as to what is
meant in numerous alliance and
party platforms by the demand for
"tree coinage of silver on same
terms as coinage of gold" we here
give what we hope may serve as con.
elusive evidence on that subject.
Act of Congress Feb. IL, 1868,
Section 1906 Revised Statutes says
"The Superintendent of each mint
shall receive and safely keep, until
legally withdrawn, all money or
bullion which shall be for the use or
the expenses of the mint. He shall
receive all bullion brought to the
mint for assay or coinage; shall be
the keeper of all bullion or coin in
the mint. except while the same is
legally in the hands of other officers
and shall deliver all coins struck at
the mint to the persons to whom they
shall be legally payable. From the
report of the assayer, and the weight
of the bullion, he shall compute the
value of each deposit, and also the
amount of the charges, if any, of all
which he shall give a detailed men,
! orandum to the depositor and be
shall also give at the same time,
under his hand, certificate of the
net amount of deposit, to be paid in
coins or bars of the same species of
bullion as that deposited, the correct.
ness of which certificate shall be
verified by the assayer."
A part of Section 35Os of same
act. reads: "The melter and refner
= Il shall also execute all the
operations which are necessary in
order to form bars conformabe to
the law, from gold and silver bullion
delivered to him for that purpose"
A part of Section $500 reads:
''The coiner shall execute all the
operations which are necessary in
order to form coins conformable in
all respects to the law, from the
standard gold and silver ingots, and
alloys for minor coinage, legally
delivered to him."
Section 1924 reads: ''The charge
for converting standard gold bullion
into coin shall be one fifth of one
per centum. This is repealed. | The
charge for converting silver into
trade dollars for melting and refining
when bullion is below standard, for
toughening when metals are contain.
ed in it which render it unfit for
coinage, for copper used for alloy
when the bullion is above standard,
tor separating the gold and silver
when these metals exist together in
the bullion, and for the preparation
Of bars, shall be fixed from time to
time, by the Director, with the con-
cnrrence of the Secretary of the
Treasury, so as to equal. but no:
exceed in their judgement, the actual
average cost to each mint and assay
office of the material, labor, wastage.
and uses of machinery employed in
each of the cases aforementioned "
Section 1926 in part says: In
orde to procure bullion for the silver
coinage authorized by this Title, the
Superintendent, with the approval OF
the Director of the mint, as to price,
terms and quality, shall purchase
such bullion with the bullion fluid.
The gain arising from the coinage OF
such silver bullion into coin of q
nominal value exceeding tie cost
thereof shall be credited to a special
fund denominated the silver profit
fund.-"
The standard fineness for both gold
and silver coins is specified in Sec
tion 35l4 of the same act and reads
The standard for both gold and
silver coins of the United States
shall be such that OF one thousand
parts by weight, nine hundred shall
be of pure metal and one hundred O f
alloy. The alloy of the silver coins
shall be of copper. The alloy of the
gold coins shall be of copper, OF of
copper and silver, bat the silver shall
in no case exceed one tenth of the
whole alloy.
The act of January II. 1875.
repeals the charge of one fifth of one
per centum for converting standard
gold bullion into coin.
We, from perusal of all the laws
now in force, bearing upon this sub
ject of coinage gain these facts: The
act of Feb. II, 1873, is the same one
that dropped nom our coins, the
standard silver dollar-the dollar
that for seventy.one years had besn
our standard, at all times the same,
without change of the numbef Of
grains of pure silver in each coin.
A.