The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1894-11-24
The Money Unit.

In arltnmetlc, you are aware, you
are taught what a unit is Thus
I make here on the black board the
figure l.. That, in arithmetic, is a
unite. All countings are sums or
multiples of that unit. A unit.
therefore, in mathematics, was a
necessity as basis to start from.
In making money it was equally
necessary to establish unit. The
constitution gave the power con-
gress to 'coin money and regulate
the value thereof" Congress
adopted gold and silver as money.
1t then proceeded to fix the unit.
That is, it then fixed what should
constitute one dolIar-the same
thing that the mathematician did
when he fixed one figure from
which all others should be counted.
Congress fixed the monetary unit
to consist Of 3714 grains of pure
silver, and provided for a certain
amount of alloy (baser metal) to be
mixed with it to give it greater
hardness and durability. This
was in 1892, in the days of Wash
ington and Jefferson and and our
revolutionary forefathers, who.
had hatred for England, and an
intimate knowledge of her designs
on this country. They had fought
eight long years for their indie
pendence from British domination
in this country, and when they
had seen the last redcoat leave our
shores, they settled down to es.
tablish a permanent government;
and among the first things they
did was to make 3714 grains of
silver the unit of values. That
much silver was to constitute a
dollar. And each dollar was
unit. They then provided for all
other money to be counted from
this unit of a silver dollar. Hence
dimes, quarters and half dollars
were exact fractional parts of the
dollar so fixed,
Gold was made the money, but
is value was counted from these
silver units or dollars. The ratio
silver and gold was fixed
at Is to l and afterwards at 16 to
/. So that in making gold coins
Ihelr relative weight was regulated
by this ratio.
This continued to be the law up
TO 1873. During that long period
;he unit of values was never
changed and always contained
'714 grains of pure silver. While
hat was the law it was impossible
or any one to say that the silver
n a dollar was worth only AZ cents
'r any number less than 100 cents,
'r = dollar. For it was itself the
init of values.
While that was the la W it would
lave been as absurd to say that
he silver in a dollar was worth
'nly AZ cents as it would be to say
hat the figure 1 is only forty-seven
me- -hundredths of 1.
When the ratio was changed
rom Is to to 16 to 1 the silver
lollar or unit was left the same
ize and the gold dollar was made
mailer. Ihe latter was changed
rom 24.7 grains to 23.2 grains
o 1872 grains pure gold. thus max
ng it smaller. This occurred in
334. The silver dollar still re-
NAMED the unit and continued 30
ntil 1873. Both were legal ten
er in payment of all debts and the
hints were open to the coinage of
IL that came. So that up to 1873
'e were on what was known as a
inetallic basis, but what was in
act silver basis, with gold as a
ompanion metal, enjoying the
anne privileges as silver, except
hat silver fixed the unit, and the
alue of gold was regulated by it.
his was bimetallism.-Coin.
The Discovery Saved His Life.
Mr.. G. Caillouettee, Druggist, Beavers
lille, ILL.,, says: "To DR.. Kings New
l;soo,ar,, ou,a ,,,,, l;fa JNoo tokan xu,tb