The sun., 1893-07-15

| prosecution and punishment under Tn
strict Interpretation OF section 8 Of the Ac
to prevent counterfelting. child VIII
amusos himself by putting piece Of whit
paper over nickel and rubbing the pape
with n lead pencil until the image o
the coin appears, is technically q misde
meanant against the United States; ant
his parents or guardians can be made t,
pay the fine OF 500 imposed by the statute
The baby who picks up the paper from thu
floor. where IL has been thrown by th'
original counterieiting infant. and carries
the Same to his mother. is also n misde
meanant. The antiquary who takes an i'm
| preston in sealing wax Of an old Roman
| denarius or n Hebrew shekel. Is liable tC
prosecution and punishment by the Fed
eral authorities. Such are some OF the
moro obvious and glaring offences possible
under this section OF the law.
The most remarkable experience. how
ever has been that OF the Nep York Re
corder. On Wednesday our neighbor print
ed a cartoon entitled "Will he stop 1t or
get out OF the wayp" 1t represents Mr..
CLEVELAND standing in an attitude OF fright
directly in the pathway Of huge silver
dollar, which is rolling down hill and
threatening to upset the President. and
possibly to fatten him out like a
pancake. On Thursday last, the Office Of
the Recorder was visited by detective
connected with tho Secret Service division
OF the Treasury Department. who after n
search seized and carried away for destruc-
tion In the name Of the United States Gov
ernment the original sketch Of this car
toon and the e.ectrotype plates from which
1t was printed. The authority alleged for
this wildly ridiculous. IL outrageousy arbi-
trary act Of Federal interference with To-
gitimate journalism. was found in the Sec
tion OF the law quoted above.
Now. although the strict language Of the
law to prevent countorfeiting might be vio-
lated innocently in hundred ways. as
already illustrated. without the slightest
menace to American institutions or to the
integrity Of our coinage, 1t happens that
in this instance the Recorder is not even
technically oounterfeiter. The law speci-
fies that the device. print. or impression
OF the coin. whether in metal or In any
other substance whatsoever. must bear
o likeness or similitude as to de-
sign. color. or the inscription there
on" to the coin technically supposed
to be counterfeited by it. The Recorders
big silver dollar rolling down hill does not
meet the legal definition OF counterfeit. 1t
Is simply disk with milled edges. exactly
two and one-half times the diameter Of the
standard silver dollar. and 1t Is represented
as foreshortened. 30 that its form is not
round like a dollar. but slimly elhptical.
more like fat sausage. No human being
could cut 1t out and pass it off on
an idiot boy as dollar: any more than he
could cut 1t out and sell 1t in Washington
Market as Jersey hens fresh egg. Nor
does the cartoon dollar meet the statutory
definition as to similitude in color, design.
or inscription. A silver dollar is white;
the cartoon dollar Is black. The car
toon dollar represents radlating spokes
Of shadow behind an eagle whose wings
are down. The standard silver dollar
represents an eagle with wings aloft. with
out any spokes OF shadow. On the car
toon dollar Is the legend. United States
Of America" Neither the motto. I'm
COP we Trust" nor the full designation
Of the coins value. nor. again. the stars,
appear at all on the dollar that Is maxi
Ing straight for Mr.. CLEVELAND. Our es-
teemed contemporary has. therefore. a per-
fectly good technical defence against any
attempt to convict it Of the offence Of coun-
under a technical construction Of
the language Of the fool statute.
We hope the Recorder will not take refuge
N technicalities. This astonishing episode
Is amusing enough in one aspect. but in
another it Is serious. We do not know
the Government detective who en-
.ered the Office of the Recorder and made |
he seizure is a zealot. acting on his own
or sensible man who |
merely carried out idiotic instructions. In
either case such interference with innocent |
md legitimate attempts to entertain and |
instruct the ewspaper-reading public can
,ot be tolerated on any such pretence as is
1ere alleged.
1t Is high old state Of affairs II under |
existing law 1t becomes crime against the |
country to draw or print on white paper |
,irce or ellipse even remotely resemblinga a |
silver dollar. The next amendment to the act |
= further to prevent counterfeiting" should |
% section making it punishable offence |
% exhibit cartwheels on any public thor
and ordering the silver moon out |
# the sky as an evident imitation of the
products Of our mints.