St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-05-09
The UNIT OF VALUE
Interesting Decision Of a Bet
by Honorable William
A. Vincent.
ABLE HISTORICAL REVIEW.
Between Years 1892 and 1875
the Dollar Was the
Unit
IN BOTH GOLD AND SILVER.
Information That Will Be OF
Value in Discussing the
Money Question.
IN BOTH GOLD AND SILVER.

CHICAGO, May 8.-Hon. William
A. Vincent has decided the bet made
by two well-known Democrats of this
city, ex-Mayor Hopkins and William
S. Forest, as to the unit of value
from 1892 to 1875. This bet has at
.tracted considerable attention here
and throughout the country, and it
has been asserted in editorials that
Vincents' reputation was such as not
to warrant confidence in his opinion.
He was at one time chief justice Of
the supreme court of New Mexico,
and was removed by President Cleve-
land owing to his appointment OF
Stephen Dorsey as jury commissioner.
His dismissal was due to an acknowl-
edged misrepresentation of the facts,
as is shown by the accompanying let
ter from the president.
Executive Mansion, Washington,
Jan. 8, 1889 = Hon. William A. Vim
10 your friends, as well as TO you,
that your removal from the office of
judge of the territory of New
Mexico did not in the least imply any
charge or conviction of dishonesty
or incapacity or judicial misconduct
In the condition of affairs at that time
deemed it my duty to promptly
pursue the course so unfortunate to
you, and which was adopted by me
upon the mere showing of the fact
alleged without inquiry as to your mo-
tives and purposes. My action was
unfairly harsh, but 1 then thought it
was justified. Often since that time,
as all facts attending the incident have
become known to. me, and as l re-
f1ected upon your otherwise unexcep-
tfonable judicial. career, so far as it
has come to my knowledge, l have
been impressed by the representations
of your friends that your rernoval
had subjected you to a suspicion
which was unjust and unWarr anted.
'SoSfar as I am concerned, rotwith-
standing all that has passed, am at
this time willing to
EXPRESS MY CONFIDENCE
In your ability and uprightness. There
is now a vacancy in the chief justice
ship of Montana. So far as regards
your fitness 1 should be entirely will
ing to see you in that place. I write
to ask you, therefore, whether in
case I should think it well to do so,
I am at liberty to submit your name
to the senate for that office. l make
this proposition with a reservation
for reasons not in the least connected
with your personal qualifications, and
I shall be glad to know your views
upon the subject as soon as possible.
Yours truly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.
The following is Judge Vincent's
decision of the bet:
During a recent discussion at the
Iroouois club between Hon. Wash
Hesing, Hon. John P. Hopkins,
Sigmund Zeisler, Esq, and w. ). For
rest, Esq, the truthfulness OF certain
statements in regard to the unit or
value in the United States from 1872 to
1873 was Questioned.
This argument resulted in a Son-
troversy, which, by agreement OF the
parties, was referred to me for de-
cision. At my request the question to
be determined was reduced ID writing,
and is as follows: "Sigmund Ieisler
states that under the statute of 1892
both