Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-08-03
UNCONSTITUTIONAL
An Argument TO Show That There ID
| No Fewer TO Store Haili0n,
From the st. Louis Republic,

From the st. Louis Republic,
MEXICO, No., July 26,-united
States Constitution, section 3, article
/, provides that ''The Congress- shall
have power to coin money, regulate
the value thereof, and Of foreign
coin, and fix the standard OF weights
and measures"
The people of the states in adopt
ing that provision meant and could
only mean that their chosen repre-
sentatiyes in Congress should pass
laws on the coinage SO plain and
unequivoeal that everybody would
know beforehand just how much
silver or gold was to be coined and
how many grains we're to go in 1t,
and above all and beyond all to
know beforehand that the Secretary
of the Treasury, the Director OF the
Mint and all the other under officers
and servants connected with the
coinage would faithfully and honest
ly carry out the will of the people OF
the States as expressed through
their representative in Congress. II
the Constitution does not mean the
above, it means nothing. But what
did Congress Otherwise John Sher-
many do? Let us see what they
did. They passed a law authorizing
the Secretary of the Treasury
otherwise the Presidency to pur-
chase 100000 ounces of silver
annually and pay out 81 for each
371& grains of it, and giving the
President and Secretary the power
to pay Tor it in gold and stop its
coinage also. 1t is folly to 60 into
a lengthy discussion of the act, as it
is now generally known to the peo-
pie, and results are what they want
to know.
The results are as follows: Sill
yer has been demonetized. Its coin.
age has been stopped. The Presi-
dent, through his Secretary, has
bought up car loads of silver bullion.
This vast amount of silver is piled
up like potatoes in a celler. 1t is
out of circulation. The authors Of
the bill accomplished their infamous
and reasonable conspiracy as in
tended by them.
l said it was unconstitutional, moi
l because l think SO, but because
every scholar, publicist and reading
man must know it. But the people
want the facts on such great and
momentcus questions as this, and
, here they are: SIT is an establish
} ed principle of constitutional Law
that the power conferred. upon the
Legislature to enact laws cannot be
delegated by that department to any
} other body or authority" This
broad, sweeping and absolutely nee
essary doctrine has been established
in all the courts of the land. Those
who wish to see authority for thu
same a find 1t in. Judge Cooley's
work on constitutional Limitations
section III. And in the reports O
the Supreme Court decisions of New
York, Vermont, Rhode Island
) Pennsylvania, Delaware, Texas,
Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa
| Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, per
) haps all the other Supreme Courts
) of the Republic.
The act was intended as, and hal
! been, a consummated bride from
the gold bugs to the mine owners
: The United States Treasury has beer
the clearinghouse forthe great fraue
upon the property rights of the PEG
pie. The gold bugs have been The
upper, and the mine owners the low
/ er mill stone, between which the
labor and commerce of a great peo'
iple have been ground exceeding
fine.
1t has been a very profitable
) thing to a few rich men. Fifty mil
lions or SO of the money of the peo'
pie have gone into the pockets of the
millionaires without any considera.
ton whatever. But what of that?
See him call for a fresh bottle Of
wine and drink to the health of the
Great Republic whose officials fol
nearly 80 years have spent the most
of their time in ~"greasing the fat
calf"
True it is that labor is now stalk.
ing gaunt and hollow-eyed about the
foundries, pits and mines, but does
anybody having the power to right
the great wrongs of the public care?
Let us see. JOHN NJ. BARKER.