Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-08-17
NUMBER %.

=
present time. IS seem 90 alTect tse
question
Previous @ 1892 I b-lieva, como i
was coined by The United STAGES. Is re
that AN ideal dollar bad be,u es
cd which should coutam III pars
yer and ! of alloy, aud the Gsjga 8
dollar was fixed by the act If DuI 9Th
1855, at 315 6f-10O grains of ane
Neither gold nor silver had the, Is
sand. been discovered in the u 4
States. (Money and Legal H. :.
Liuderman, p POI
While under that act a mum f
pieces were struck no regular is.u of
coin took place. Gb D p
In 1892. an act OF Congress va. d
which provided for the coinage, "a. =
other coins, of a silver doll4r. ch
should contain 37ll grains Troy If n,e
or pure silver, and copper 4lloN -
tomake its total weight 416 gratis nv
The fsac:ions of dollar in silver !.
were to be similar fractions If Ii,
weight of the dollar
This was the dollar of Hamiuo r.
of "our fathers" with which our
friends profess 10 be so much .nau Il
But as matter of fact, tina dnin
the result OF an error on the p 1T r
assayers. 1t was the avowei purp=s If
that act to make our dollar nfof
value TO that of MXico'S But
to an error in asSayiug it, the Ne
dollar WAS estimated 10 CO eH
ST. grains Of pure silver, hea q
II contained about 377i graus IL
silver Consequently, owl
error, our dollar could not e ma
pass as equal to It's heavier n
valuable Mexican brofhnr.
Accordingly from 1892 1887, 81
than 800. 600 silver dollars wete
ed while OF subsidiary com.
halves. quarters and sm Ter
many times that amount were i
during the same interval.
In 1884 the coinage was cutuget -
10 the weight of our gold coius
that change however Gu, hard
think. be said to affect our Or Il
question.
Ia 1887 another change OF tne cor -
was made. BY this chang - IL
stand it. the iineness Of our gmd
silver COINS was increased lrum
previous standard. TO 100000 uf q
gold or silver as il now rem tns 4
the ratio between our gold mud
coins was fixed 40 ounc OF
fraction of gold. 20 1898 ounc
other fraction of silver AT hm
All leng afterwards, tbs mnrart
OF gold as compared with >u>or.
less than the ratio fixed by IT, d
Congress Of 1887, conscql oil Il
government of the United > ates
not keep its silver coin afl
with gold As the silver
dollar was worth at least tar
cent in the markets Of The VIZ a
than tae gold in gold dol
as tho silver was coined, wt ne
shape Of dollars or fractions i
il went INTO the melting pc Il,
the arts. or for sale as huilnn
tie wears nom 1897 to 1853 ~
practical y no American s,l
circulation among Us.
have only - appeal to the mem /
any odd settler for yeriticat la
statement The silver CT
amongu~, were Mexican dol
quarters, bits O2i cents)
yunes' (6I cents) with cen
French ) frame pieces, VIII
among us as worth 81 cents
la 1888 Congress again legi
the subject The value ana
the silver dollar was left
and The legal tender qual
from its first coinage il hoc
was not taken away Bnt
blitY Of keeping III mi il 4
ahoat as coin, while they
more than THUR face valne il
recognized. and while The
aud legal tender quality Of
dollar WAS not touched. the
the smaller silver coins was
fractions Of 3sf grains 40
/ For instance silver half
reduced iu weight from BOG
1872 grains, and he smaller
reduced in proportion, aud
ed subsidiary coins silver
Of ISL grain dollar ID W.
shou.d DOT be legal iendt
exceeding - 00.
From that time EDWARDS
ii the rebellion, those subs
enteiet into our circulation
freely from hand % hand AS
1t their face value, Tut nov
tender, OF as STANDARD mot
Now if wc keep n mjur
that, from 1897 10 l8J3, all
CONS contained a greater
actual value than their fac
measured in gold, and tia
in 1853 Congress attempted
our "subsidlqry' silver coin
pared with gold without
with the actual value Of the
lar, and that therefore the s
coins, being worth more as
than their actual value 10 sil
10 20 into the melting pot.
that reason, while the silver
retained its original weigl
grains. goo fine, Or 81 gra'
silver. and was worth IN th
a. late as 1873, from to
more than a gold dollar so
as they were or could be co
went into the melting pot
manufactures or the arts, or
bullion.
We ought not to be surpri