Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1893-08-03
lied and introduced into our coin

lied and introduced into our coil
age.
In 1851 President Fillmore in b
message to Congress stated that OF
silver coins were too heavy, an
were in consequence taken out {
the country, and recommended thu
they be reduced IN weight.
, The act of February 21, 1855
, provided that the half dollar, G
piece of so cents, shall be 1872 grains
, and that the quarter dollar, dim
, and half dime, respectively, shaI
be one-half, one-fifth and one tent
of the weight of the half dollar, an
that such coins should be legal ten
ders at their nominal value for sum
of So.
| An act was passed in 1851 for th
coinage of the Scent piece, whicl
was to be legal tender for sums Q
| 80 cents and under. And in 1856
it was amended so as to make
legal tender for sums OF 60 cents.
! The act of February II, 1873, wa
entitled can act revising ant
amending the laws relative to tn,
mints, assay offices and coinage o
the United States" The main pro
visions of present interest are as fol
lows:
"Sec. Is. That the standard
for both gold and silver coins of the
United States shall be such that o
1000 parts by weight 900 shall be
pure metal and 100 alloy; and the
alloy of the silver coins shall be ot
copper, and the alloy of the gold
coins shall be of copper, or of copper
and silver; but the silver in no case
shall exceed one-tenth of the whole
alloy.
"Sec. IA. That the gold coins
of the United states shall be one.
dollar piece, which, at the standard
weight of 25.S grains, shall be the
unit Of value; a quarter eagle, ol
two and half dollar piece, a three
dollar piece, a half eagle or five-dol
lar piece, an eagle or ten-dollal
| piece and a double eagle or a twenty
dollar piece" 1t then provided that
the weight of the other coins shall be
the proper multiple of the dollar,
and shall when of full weight be a
legal tender for all payments, and
when OF less weight shall be OF
proper proportion.
"Sec. 10. That the silver coins
of the United States shall be a
trade dollars half a dollar or so cent
piece, quarter dollar or 25 cent
piece, dime or 10 cent piece; and
the weight of the trade dollar shall
be 420 grains Troy, the weight OF
the half dollar shall be II grammes
and one-half of a gramme; the
quarter dollar and the dime shall
be respectively one-half and one
fifth of the weight of said half dol
lar, and said coins shall be a legal
tender at their nominal value for
any amount not exceeding SIS in
any one payment"
Section IS makes the 5 cent
piece or nickel, Scent piece and
a 1-cent piece the minor coins and
legal tender to the amount of 25
cents.
"Sec. II. That no coins, either
of gold, silver or minor coinage,
shall hereafter be issued from the
mint other than those of the de-
nominations and weights herein
set forth -
This is the substance of the act
of 1878, the cause of our financial
troubles, the Iliad of all our woes.
1t will be noticed that the standard
silver dollar is dropped, and for the
first time the gold dollar is made
| the unit of value. The silver dol.
lar is mentioned in the law of 1892
as the unit of value and the first
silver dollar was so stamped.
have a silver dollar of date 1906
and imprinted on the outer edge
are the words. Zone Hundred Cents
One Dollar or Unit" showing tha
it was the idea and object of th'
fathers of the Republic to make th,
silver dollar the unit or real measur,
of values in the nation. Let u
look little more into the histor,
of this act of 1878. Samuel Hooper
of Massachusetts, was chairman o
1.-THE Committee on Coins, Weight
and Measures in 1872 and introduc
ed bill in reference to coinage, a
he said, to simplify the laws am
drop the useless 20-cent piece ant
2-cent piece etc. The bill as b
introduced it, and as it passed tn
House, retained the standard silve
dollar, but reduced its weight I
3S4 grains. On April 9, 1872, Mi
Hooper called up his bill, and i
the course of his speech called al
tention to the provision, ;'reducin
the weight of silver dollar fror
412k to 3a4 grains, thus maxim
it a subsidiary coin in harmon
with the silver coins of less demon