Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-10-19
HON. VI, {, CARTER,
Of PlatteYille.
REPLIES TO GEO. MILLS.
FACTS AND STATISTICS ABOUT
GOLD AND SILVER FROM EAR
I4Y TIMES TO THE PRESENT.

Mr. Hooper was followed by Mr.
Stoughton. Of Michigan a member of
the same committee His speech Will
be found in the Globe, on page 2S07
-2310. He gave an interesting
sketch of the history of coins and
coinage. in other countries as well as
our own, and, like Mr. Hooper, stated
explicitly, Ton p. 230S and 81 that the
silver coins provided for in the bill,
were, "the doltar Of 354 grains, troy.
the half dollar, quarter dollar, and
dime, of the weights OF one half. one
quarter and one tenth of the dollar
respectively; and they are made legal
tender for all sums not exceeding five
dollars in any one payment" and he
added that, as the silver dollar as then
issued, was worth for bullion 3 cents
more than the gold dollar, and .
cents more than two half dollars, and
had a greater intrinsic than nominal
value, it was certain to be withdrawn
from circulation whenever we should
return to specie payments, and to be
used only for manufacture and eXpor-
tation as bullion
Mr. Potter, OF New York, said that
he was inclined to think that the OBJ
iections which he took to the bill
when it was previously before the
House (of course he referred to the
bill introduced by Mr. Kelley, and
not technically speaking, to the bin
then under consideration were not
entirely well founded, but still he did
not think the bin ought to be adopted
at that time His idea was, that. as
we had not then resumed specie pay
ments. and might not do so for ten
years to come, he could not see that
there was any necessity for its pas
sage. He opposed its passage also.
he said, because it proposed to change
the whole system of officers Of the
mint. 1t provided for a Director Of
the Mint. and he could not resist the
conviction that it was meant to pro-
vide place for particular person.
He pointed out the fact chat,
/ a. mule changes iR the legal tender cain
4 al. the c0at1ltrU. and substituted as legu{
tender, "oi,, Of onlg one n2etal, instead as
theTetot0re OF tsco. (there was certainly
at least one member of Congress who
understood what that bill was meant
to accomplish, and publicly informed
those within hearing.) He said he
thought that would be wise proyi-
sion, and that legal tender coins,
except subsidiary coin. should be of
gold alone. But he could not under
stand why Congress should legislate
upon the subject then. when we were
not using either Of those metals as a
circulating medium. The bill. he
said, also provided for change in the
weight and iineness of the silver doll
lar. That was a matter which re-
quired very serious consideration,
and as we were not using such coins
for circulation then, it seemed To him
to be an unnecessary subject about
which to legislate But beyond that
he opposed the bill because it pro-
yided for an entirely new subsidiary
/ coinage, cent, cent. , cent and !
cent coins composed of copper and
nickel, to which he was strongly OPP
posed. It looked to him like a scheme
to recon several hundred millions Of
pieces of subsidiary nickel coin to take
the place of the existing coins Of those
denominations, to the advantage Of
nobody but the nickel owners, and ut
great expense to the public Mr..
Kelley replied and defended the bill in
those respects where it was attacked
by Mr.. Potter, and pointed out that
under the coinage laws as they then
stood, one New York gentleman was
making. as he had admitted seventy
five thousand 10 hundred thousand
dollars a wear, out Of the defects in
them. And he said that it was not to
be wondered at that there should be
opposition to the passage Of any law
which would put stop to that. Mr..
McNeely. of Illinois. who. it will be
remembered, insisted that the bin
ought not to be reported to the House
from the Committee, said that since
then the Committee had carefully and
patiently considered it. and made
some amendments To it. and he could
find nothing in it to which he could
object Still he could not say that in
all its provisions il was right The
discussion Of the bin was participated
in by Mr. Wood of y. T.. Mr.. Sargent
Of California. Mr. Brooks Of y y.
Mr. Beck Of Ky. and Mr. Randall 81
Pennsylvania Some verbal amend
ments to ID were adopted The