The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1894-06-14

does on matters of the gravest
character to the nation. The
Act dropped from the list of
coins to be struck and coined
the standard silver dollar, the
money unit Of tho nation. 1t
docs not even mention that coin.
1t substituted for the standard
silver dollar, the money unit of
the nation, all unknown coin,
styled the trade dollar with it's
fractional parts, and made it a
legal tender for only five dollars
in any one payment.
| Section Is of the Act is as fol-
lows: The silver coins of the
United States shall be q trade
dollar, a half dollar or a fifty
cent piece, a quarter dollar or
twenty-five cent piece, a dime
or ten cent pleco; and the weight
OF the trade dollar shall be four
hundred and twenty grams troy;
the weight Of tho half dollar
shall be twelve grains and one
half Of q grain the quarter dol.
lar and the dime shall be re-
spectively one-half and one-fifth
of the weight of said half dollar.
The silver coins of the United
States shall be q legal tender at
their nominal value for any
payment not exceeding five dol
lars in any one payment, Repro
duce in Revise Statutes, Sec.
tions 3,5l3 and $3.50, which was
enacted on June %: 1874, An
analysis Of the section of the
Act above quoted reveals the
fact that the limitation of ten
dor applies only on the trade
dollar and it's practical parts.
Tho first part of tho section
reads: "Tho silver coins of the
United States shall be a legal ten
dor, etc.. The coincidence of
, words is perfect. If there is any
doubt that the limitation of legal
tender applies only to tho trade
dollar and its fractional parts and
did not and doos not apply to the
standard eilvor dollar, tho 28tl
section Of tho Act reproduced ir
the Revised Statutes, Section 3.527
on Juno %, 1877, will dospel it.
Section 2,527, Revised Statutes
reads: "Silvcr coins other than
tho trade dollar shall be paid out
Mt tho several mints and at the as
say Office in Now York city, in ex-
change for gold coins at par in
sums not loss than one hundred
dollars" This section of tho Act
makcs it perfectly clear that the
legal tondor qualities OF the stand
ard silver dollar was not impaired
in any way. Tho limitation Of
tondcr applied to tho trade dollar
alono. Tho Act loft tho standard
silver dollarm tho plontitudo of it's
debt-paying power. One Of the
clements of crime in tho ennct-
mcnt of tho laws Of February 12,
1877, was tho snoaking attempt to
change tho money unit of the ma
ton from tho standard silver dol
lar 421 10 grains $40 fine, to the
standard gold dollars 25 $40
grains $40 fine. Section II reads
"That the gold coins Of tho Uni
tod Statos shall be ono dollar
piece, which at the standard weight
of twenty-five and oight-tenths
grains shall be tho unit Of value.'
This is an admission that the
gold dollar 25 $40 grains was not
at the time and novor had boen the
unit Of money Of tho nation.
Having shown while the framers
of tho Act of February 18th, to
1873, dropped tho standard silver
dollar from tho list Of coins au-
thorizod to be struck and coined at
the mint and substituted for it nm
unknown coin styled tho trado dol
lar, thoy utterly failed to impair
its loyal tondor qualities. I will
now proceed to show that tho Act
of the 10Th Of February, 1878, pro-
vides for tho FREQ and unlimited
coinage of silvor.
Section 81 provides for deposits
of silver bullion, casting into bars
or coming into trade dollar and is