The morning call., 1893-11-05
QUERY COLUMN.
Settlements of the Old
Revolutionary Debt.
PECULIAR TREASURY SEAL.
Silver Plank of the Democratic Party
How Absinthe Is Made, and Other
information for Readers.

LOANS OF THE REvoLUTIoN-L. H..
Sacramento. During the Revolutionary
War the colonies received subsidies from
the King of France and the King Of Spain
and had obtained loans from capitalists in
these countries and from Holland syrdi-
cate, amounting to S11, 100000. Benjamin
Franklin had affixed his signature to con-
tracts amounting to S7,000.O0O. The problem
as to how this debt could be paid was the
most serious one facing the new Govern
ment. Under the Government of the Con-
federation it was impossible to secure
even the interest upon 1t, since
Congress had no resources whatever
to draw upon, and the States
persistently ignored all appeals to them
TO sustain the honor OF the country. When
Hamilton made his first report to the Fed
eral Government in 1888 he stated that the
amount of the foreign debt was S11, no.
376. No member of the new Government
thought of such thing as repudiating the
debt, but how it should be met was hard
problem, and Hamilton saw all the difficult
ties of the task, but was confident he could
fnd a way 10 accomplish 1t, nor was he
alone in his ntidence that he could cope
with the problem. When President
Washington was speaking to Robert Nor
sais' sais heavy mVS' de- debt sSS 70 which
Morris replied: There is but
one man in the United States who can
tell you; that is Alexander Hamilton"
The result of his management shows that
the confidence in the first Secretary OF the
Treasury was not misplaced. After nav
ing disposed of the large dom estic debt by
funding it at low rate of interest, he pro-
ceeded to arrange for the paying off of the
foreign debt. During the lyears 1I9O,
1871 and 1892 he negotiated six loans with
parties in Holland amounting to 50. 200,0Oo
Withi this money a debt which was stlll
due to French officers who served in the
American army and navy was discharged.
the Spanish debt was paid, the arrears OF
interest on the Spanish and Dutch loans
and part of the principal. Soon after
this considerable difficulty was found In
paying interest on the foreign loans be-
cause OF the small amount of specie OBJ
tainable, and in 1895 Secretary Wolcott,
who had succeeded Hamilton in the
Treasury Department. succeeded in pay
ing off the French indebtedness win
United States bonds, thus converting the
foreign into domestic DEBT; A similar
conversion of the Holland debt was at
tempted, but could not be ACCOMPLISHED;
However, payments upon principal ard
interest were duly made, and during tne
administration of Gallatln, President Je1-
ferson's Secretary of the Treasury, the
entire debt was eXtlDgulshed.
DEMOCRATIC SILVER PLANK-R. B.,
Oakland. The silver plank of the platform
OF the Democratic convention of June q,
1898. was as follows: I'VE denounce the
Republican legislation known as the Sher-
man act of 1890, as a cOwardly makeshift,
fraught with possibilities of danger in the
future, which should make all of its sup
porters as well as its author anxious for its
speedy repeal. We hold to the use of
both gold and silver as the stand
ard money of the country and to the
coinage of both gold and silver with
out discrimin ating against either metal
or charge for mintage, but the dollar
unit of coinage of both metals must be of
equal intrinsic and eXchangeable value or
be adjusted through International agree
ment, or by such safeguards of legislation
as shall insure the maintenance of the
parity Of the two metals and the equal
power of every dollar al all times in the
markets and in payment of debts, and we
demand that all paper currency shall be
kept at par with and redeemable in such
coin. We insist upon this policy as espe-
cially necessary for the protection of the
farming ard laborng classes, the first and
most defenseless victims of unstable money
and a fiuctuating currency"
ABsINTHE-C. E.. City. Absnthe is a
spirit favored with the pounded leaves and
Towering tops of wormwood, together
with angelica root, sweet-hag root. star
anisi and other aromatics. The aromatics
are macerated for about eight days in
alcohol and then distilled, the result being
an emerald-colored liquor. The best alb
siuthe is made in Switzerland. the ch ef
seat of the manufacture being in the can
ton of Neufchatel. 1t is chiefly used ia
France and the United States. The evi
effects of drinking this liquor are very ap.
parent. Frequent intoxication or moderate
but steady tippling utterly deraDges the
digestive system, weakens the frame, in
duces horrible dreams and ballucinations,
and may end in paralysis or in idiocy.
MoNADNoCK W. II. F., City The
Monadnock, now nearly completed a,
Mare Island Navy-yard. has no history
She is being bnilt, and is likely to be in
this condition for some time. The old
Monadnock. now lying in rotten row, was
constructed at Philadelphia on the same
lines hS bD6 MUDltOE. DIG cdUt 10 Dan
Francisco in 1866. making the longest triI
ever undertaken by boat of the Monitor
class. Her commander, Francis NJ. Bunce
received the thanks of the Navy Depart
ment for the service. Nicoll Ludlow. now
commanding the Mobican. was junior
officer on the Monadnock at the time.
TREASURY SEAI.-Subscriber. Oakland
The seal used by the Treasury Department
to-day is precisely the same as that of the
Continental Treasury. bearing the same
legends. emblems. etc. 1t was prepared
sometime between 1878 and 1852. but it is
nct known by whom it was designed. The
legend CFbesaur Amer Sepent SipiD il
translated seal of the Treasury of North
America" The scales are the emblem oil
justice. the key of security and the rule oi
exactnesS. The thirteen stars on the rule
represent the thirteen colonies or original
States.
EMPLOYEES LIEN-L. H., Wrights. In
case of an individual. company or corpo.
ration becoming insolvent the employe has
preferred claim for wages due within
six ty days, providing the amount does no
exceed 500. The laborer has the further
recourse of the mechanics lien, which il
filed in time takes precedence over a mort.