River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-05-30

Il tlt JOI IN Al lids ilO III ltICol OliCi
than to get at the exact facts, and
would have been pleased TO have had
Mr.. STAFF quote the record with exact
ness, but he, too, seems to write from
memory. There is nothing in his
communication that contradicts the
JOURNAL. although we give him
credit for honestly thinking that it
does. We were moderate in our
statement that the characterization
clause was inserted when the debate
was about closed" for we believe an
examination of the Record will show
that it came in as part of a con
ference report and was passed
without any discussion to speak Of.
Ii is true as stated by our correspond
ent that the act passed on Feb. 18th,
1873. but il was not the bill which was
introduced i'm 1870. Ii COULD NOT be
that bill. as all legislation falls with
the adjournment of congress, ana an
adjournment had intervened between
the dates he gives. No bill introduced
on February %, 1870, could possibly
be before either House of Congress on
February II, 1878. Mr.. staff mis-
quoted US when he says that our
statement that the demone tiZatlon
Of the silver dollar was stricken out
near the close of the debate must be
an error" We said inserted and not
stricken out" and as the law before
that date provided for the coinage Of
silver it would have SO continued had
il not been for this insertion" we
regret TO say that we do not have the
Congressional Record OF 1913 at hand,
but we take the facts as given by us
! from subsequent Volumes OF the
| Congressional Record where the de-
bate of the act of February l., 1873, is
referred to- The characterization OF
silver did not consist SO much In
| terminating the coming of the
| Standard. or Trade dollar, as it did in
| limiting the legal tender quality OF
all our silver mOney,-in other words,
| i'm deriving silver of its money func-
| tion. That was not completed IN the
| act of 1879, but was made part OIL
| the revised Statutes of 1874, and
whether the latter act which was re-
| Dorted TO both Houses of Congress rs
/ a Derfect reflex of existing statutes
| changed the legislation in regard 70
| silver then i'm existence by mistake or
fraud may be immaterial at this late
date. for the fact seems to be that IL
| was adopted by Congress and approved
| bv President Grant i'm ignorance OF
/ the fact that those statutes had taken
1 from the silver dollars already coined
/ their legal-tender quality.
Mr.. staff will find what we COZ lder
/ a truthful and honest state' 1nt OF
| the different phases of thS silver
| legislation of 1873 and 1874 in the
| Congressional Record, LIST Session 90
| Congress, Page 2377, in condensed
| form.
The oddities frequently refer TO tine
fact that before 1873, when we haC
free coinage, there was coined in the
| aggregate only some eight million OF
silver dollars and claim that SUP
| Seouent silver legislation has really
been far more friendly TO silver than
was free coinage. We fail to APP
| preciate the value of that kind OF
| argument. All our silver seems u
| partake at present of the nature o.
@token money! it is limited II
auantity. ana il is undoubtedly thai
| fact which enables whatever there i
| of il i'm circulation TO maintain II
narity. WHAT the free coinage al
yOcates desire. and what we all desire
is TO raise the value OF the silYe
bullion TO par with gold. lt Is Tn
| douht as to whether free coinage o
the United States alone viii accom-
nIish that object that keeps US from
P Joining the free coinage advocates
and makes US adhere TO information
| al hi-metallism. The fault of on
coinage laws before 1913 was not tina
the silver dollar lacked in intrinsic
, excuse the term for we believe II
, faulty. but accept il because OF IL
universal use in this connection
value, but because il was too valuable
e The law provided for coinage at Tn
D ratio of l6 to /. while in Europe a
: the same time silver was coined a
the ratio of l5l TO l. This mean
that there was cents worth of siiye
more in the American dollar than i
the equivalent European coin, Th