The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-07-22

respect for your comfort and patience TO
emit the consid eration Of many points tnat
are held to be important by the advocates
of a single gold coinage as the oniy pr
mary money of the United States-the only
rooney Of redemption.
/, discussion OF this subject there is pivotal
point as ] am sure there is, II Is ioulu
in the constitution Of our country. In us
unlenued FORM IL is found amoug the Va
array Of personal rights and liberties thas
ARE reserved TO the people" by that or
as on Individual can have and enjoy and
the government cannot exercise because or
the EXPRESSED or imp cd lmitat ON uryu is
powor-guch for instance. as the right TO
name delegates to this convention or to
vote in this body through its postinasters
rnarsaals or other officers, from president TO
,idr yaiters; the right to engage i'm the
trade or pursuits Of the people. to open
and work mines. even o. government
lards. to mine for copper. nickel or gold
and silver, for the supply even or the treas
try. These rights are reserved to the peo-
| pie bv our constitution and are. therefore
forbidden to the government. altho1sh no
| m,nt'on is made Of them In that instru-
ment.
A Mint II MIL.
The government Of the United States can
| not make money by mining for gold bullioa.
| as any person may dc by dlgsinS soid az
Dahionega and having u colileu az 80
| mint. as the law now is. The mining must
be done by some man. and the gold = r.
| leased from its prison in the rocks az hIe
point of his pick. and when the gold -
tl.gs obt a!Eed the miner IN ds a mint pro-
,,id.d nv law with "a sworn supcrntcEd-
ent and H.. demands that his geld shall he
coined into money, and II Is done, anu -
coin rs turned over to the owner u me
bullion as a SriSt Of grain, mad" lhlo Iloul,
is turned over to the farmer VINO gre" t.-e
Germ OF wheat The miller does not own
the Hour, nor the wheat nor the corn ne
ownership has not been affected pS lht
process Of grinding. SO it is with gold a.
The iuint. II Is tke duty Of the Sovetiileii,';
under .he constitution, to com ull5 So
ness ana 10 put certain stamp upon 'ilri'.
Now 1 hold that the gov ernileht c'iiilot
coin this miners gold and hand X bdtk ~
him and then say 10 him that ne shall
rot use it in the payment OF ms deot uii-
less ms creditor snail agree 70 a'ctpJ ~.
Such a provision woUlc annui the wn"i-
value of gold coin as mon
ey and would leave It as oui-
hon weighed ANA stamped but stli NOT
converted suto coin TO bc u.ed as money
Now, the pivotal point in this act OF con
verting this bullion into money : tnv w
comes the redeemer oil Ei3i.i' $50, ~
prumiscs-to pay money. Ihat means no.
there is given to the bullion by me ael -
coming it. the fiat, or guaranty OF lie 50
erumcut that i shall Doe the unal ana COM
puisory redeem, of debts. obhs3lioHs anu
promises. whether they are punHc OF -.
vate That is legal tender money. ,Now'
l would as lawfully essay TO purh q oaHh'
or the gold money in it. as a puohc ELl-
sance by enactiug law for that pGrpeSri
as J would enact a law t. ROB Eoit ,U'i,S
Of their lesal tender power or 10 take J., ON
the gold miner his right To nave rs ou'i''''
coined into legal tender money.
The Right To Coin Money.
This is the essential value Of that re-
served right. anu 1t could oniy be an act q
gross tyranny to abudse the rehl or 70
destroy it. These same rights are iue 20
the owners o. silver bIliun as th"y are 70
the owners of gold bullion as rants ~
served to the people under the constitu-
ton.
IA lint | a
few undisputed facts 70 prove II. VIII
state them with the greatest possible prey
ity and leave IT to you 10 draw your own
conclusions from tucm.
l. As early IS loo the colony of Massi-
chusctts had "A mint for the free coinage
OF silver money, and all the coioi'es hau
independent coinage laws
= few years later, in the reign 81
Charles n, the king yielded 70 the peolle
Of the realm the preloSatlNe OF the crown
to own all mines OF precious metals, and ne
granted TO them the right 10 nave Eolu anu
silver coined at the minis on equAl TERMS
and free from charges.
q Under this great concession to the peo-
pile, which no other sovereign IA ChrlSten-
dom had made. the subjects of Great Brit
an, in their own right, furnished gold ana
silver money to the realm and they ana the
government psospcred beyond all othef nat
tons.
4 This right existed in full force in favor
of the people OF the colonies when We he
came an Independent power.
3. II was a great ana peculiar rlEht ana
power which ranked among our personal
liberties
4 What did our fathers do with this in
hcrited right? Did they destroy it. or did
they preserve it, The answer is. that ow-
ing 10 its Importance il was protected and
enforced b. special provisions In that m
strumeut as was the case also, OF the wIlt
of habeas corpus the right of trial 10y jury
and the right of free worship ana othef
Z. The special provision SO made was the
mandatory power given TO congress 60 com
money and regulate the value thereof. NJ
a .,f,s4 zfTy 81
included in the meaning Of the word money
and the power TO coin money was not in
tended to refuse coinage 10 either gold or
silver, but to preserve this sreat right OF
the people as i then existed The consti-
tuition destroyed none Of the rights lhat
were comprised in the liberties OF the BRIT
ons Fut. as l have already pointed cut,
the vital element of the coins consists IN
their compulsory legal tender power. rms
is expressly preserved in the constitution
in this language. found in article l. section
10: "No state shall make any thing
but gold ami silver coin tender IN ray
rlent OF debts" Here the coins of gold
and silver that congress IS empowered to
make under article ]. section y axe ue-
scrbed as legal tender money
II congress. therefore. provides Cor The
coinage of any legal tender money il can
not coin silver 10 the exclusion OF gold, or
gold 20 the exclusion of silver without vio-
lating "A plain niunctiou of the constitu-
ton. | do not deny that congress can do
such "A thing. hut do say that ~ may as
well refuse 10 provide. by law. for the is
sue Of wits OF habeas corpus or for trial uF
jury
And. for the same reason. the refusal of
free mage to tho holders OF gold, while
civ.ng it 80 the holders Of silver. would
! be an abuse Of power that can find no
justification.
In providing supply Of legal tender
money for the people OF this free republic.
il was the intention of the founders of
tho government that il should not lee
| limited to one metal. hut should include
| the free coinage Of both metdf$.
This - the ella IN I Ssf NJ 20 sle 2~.v leges
| Of the constitution in favor Of the oeope,
which were embodied and enf5rcea IN our
first coinage law approved ~ i"1r@e
Washneton. in 1872. / am not ~illnS To
| surrender Il on IN" command 81 JoA1 Sltr-
| man or even Of Grover Cleveland
As | believe the question nov ociote the
| country is whtthe- shall be forced back
to the situation were placed in by the
act OF 1873 | desire 10 present to your
view the danger to our rights which rank
with the most important of our liberties