Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-10-26

COMING iIc ti-a LIdlN uoillE- ana
restoring to II its full legal tender
quality. would restore silver to it,
former value, o. at least prevent it,
further decline.
We will see however, in a moment.
what Senator Sherman really did say.
The discussion Of the bin in the SEN
ate was participated in by Senators
Sherman. Cole and CasserIv. both Of
California, Frelinghuysen, of \. j..
Nye and Stewart both of Nevada. and
Pool of North Carolina. and covers
nearly half of p. Cos. nearly the whole
Of page gu and all Of the intermedi-
ate pages. The principal subject Of
debate was, whether the Government
or the owners of the gold coin ought
to bear the loss caused by wear OF
other means Of abrasion The ques-
ton of whether or not the eagle should
be left off from the silver coins. was
also discussed as was the question
whether or not charge should be
made for coming gold bullion belong
ing to citizens. a number of amend
ments upon these and other subjects
were considered. some Of which were
reported by the Committee. and some
were offered by Senators during the
discussion Some of them were
adopted and some rejected Replying
to a suggestion from Senator Casserly
TO the effect that it was more import
ant to keep the eagle upon cur halt
dollars and quarters. than to stamp
upon them their weight and tineness
as the bin provided. Senator Shcr-
man said. If the Senator viii allow
me. he will SEE that the proceeding
section provides for coin which is
exactly Interchangeable with the
English shilling and the five franc
piece of France; that is. a
tice-tranc piece is the exact e9uttubm d
The United States az our Siirer coinage,
and IN order to show this wherever
cur silver coin shall float and we are
providing that it shall float all over
the world-we propose to stamp on it,
instead Of our eagle, which foreigners
may not understand, and which they
may not distinguish from a buzzard.
or some other bird. the intrinsic fine
ness and weight of the coin, &c.
Mr. Casserly objected that we cannot
have an international coinage on the
basis of Our silver coin. unless tina,
is up to the standard of all the nation,
with which we expect to have rela-
tions. and he asked whether the bill
proposed such a silver coinage III
reply Mr.. Sherman said, This bill
proposes a silver coinage exactly the
same as the French, and what are
called the associated nations Of Eu-
rope. who have adopted the internat-
ional standard of silver coinage: that
i, the doilar prortded for by this bib Is
the precise eqatirdIent Of The flee franz
piece. II contains The same nqtmber o.
grams ot Si}Uer. and we have adopted
the international gram instead of the
grain for the standard Of silver coin
age. The trade dollar has beer
adopted mainly for the benefit of the
people of California, and others en-
gagged in trade with China. That 1.
the only coin measured bY the graf,
instead Of the gram The intrinsic
value Of each is to be stamped upor
the coin. The inscription upons the
silver coins, eNceptthe trade dollar,
was afterwards changed by the Com
mittee of Conference, as we shall see
1t is difficult to understand how Sena
tor Stewart or any other person pres
ent in the Senate. who heard Wha
was said, could have failed to under
stand that should that bin become +;
Law. all Of orr stlUer CONS here0ttel
minted. excerpt tie trade dollar.
would conform in weight and tinenes.
to the tiye-frane piece; that the dollal
would be its exact equivalent, and TIL,
smaller coins would conform thereto
That the act was complete revision
of all our coinage laws: and all coin,
thereafter minted by us, must con
form to it.
Besides, as we have seen. the bill
had been twice printed III the Senat,
in the interval Of nearly eight month-
which had elapsed since it passed tht
House. and was then lying upon til,
desks of Senator's At least PRINTED
copy Of it was in the hands Of Senator
Gasserly during the debate, because
in the course Of the debate. he said
a. GIL Then must have the Wron.
bin before me- Mr. Sherman, II
is the same bin that the Senator ha.
before him. &c Having the BIT
bafara 4har, aud bayiDe, bad ,,,,;,,t,s5