Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-08-08
IRONTON, MO-. THURSDAY. I
Coinage Laws Of the United States
NUMBER VIII.

De act OF september 20, 1871, ciu'
powered the director OF the mint, with
the approval of the secretary of the
treasury. to cause new designs or mo-
dels for coins to be made every twenty
five years.
By the act of September &c, 1890, the
coinage of the one-dollar and three
dollar gold pieces, and the three-cent
nickel piece was discontinued.
The act of February 10, 1891, pro-
hibited counterfeiting Or manufacture
of dies, tools or other implements used
in counterfeiting. and provided penal
ties therefor.
By the act of March 8, 1891, the
superintendents of the coinage mints
and of the United States assay offices.
with the approval of the secretary of
the treasury. were authorized to re-
celve United States gold coin from any
holder, in sums not less than $4,000.
and pay and deliver in exchange there
for gold bars in value equal to such
coin so received.
The act of August 5, 1892, besides
making appropriations for sundry
civil expenses, authorized the presi-
dent of the United States to appoint
five commissioners to an International
conference, with view to secure, in
ternationally, SIXTY of relative value
between gold and silver, as money, by
means of a common ratio between
those metals, with free mintage at such
ratio"
The act of August 5, 1892, author
lied the coinage of IS, 900, 900 souvenir
half dollars ''for the purpose of aiding
in defraying the cost of completing in
a suitable manner the work of prepara-
tion for inaugurating the Worlds Co
lumbian Exposition.
The act of March, 1898, authorized
the coinage of 10000 souvenir quarter
dollars for the board of lady managers
of the Worlds Columbian Exposition.
The act of Nov. /, 1898, is of more
than ordinary interest. 1t repealed
that part of the act OF July IA. 1896,
which provided for the purchase of sill
yer bullion. The remainder of the act
states in Wall street parlance the poll
cy of the United States relative to gold
and silver. 1t says: ''It is hereby de-
clared to be the policy of the United
States to continue the use of both gold
and silver as standard money, and to
coin both gold and silver into money
of equal intrinsic and exchangeble
value. such equality to be secured
through International agreement, Or
by such safeguards of legislation as
will insure the maintenance of the par
ity in values of the coins of the two
metals, and the equal power of every
dollar at all times in the markets and
in the payment of debts, and it is here
by further declared that the efforts of
the government should be steadily di-
rected to the establishment of such
safe system of bimetallism as will main
tain all at times the equal power of
every dollar coined or issued by the
United States, in the markets and in
the payments of debts"
1t will be remembered that the bank
ers, the boards of trade and the Wall
street press and speakers urged the
passage of this law, on the ground
that "prosperity would Immediately
follow the repeal of the Sherman Law"
Wall street won, and the people now
realize that the national bankers, and
the American and European bond and
mortgage holders instead of delivering
the ''good times, they promised. there
by got financial affairs more fully un-
der their control and the people more
at their mercy. The interests that
dictated the words of the law quoted
above, though then protesting a great
desire for '.safe system OF bimetal-
ism" have since then thrown off the
mask and now want to commit this |
to the absolute gold stand
ard.
During the last session of congress |
every effort to pass law restoring sill |
YER to a place in the coinage on equal
terms with gold, was in vain. The in
fiueuce Of the financial conspirators
upon congress was so great that it even |
refused to coin the seignisrage, and to-
lay there are tons of silver bullion OF
no use, lying in the treasury which |
should have been coined and used IN
stead of issuing more bonds to buy gold.
In this sci les of articles we have re- |
viewed the coinage legislation of the |
United States beginning with the first
act of congress in 1892. In our next |
we will make general summary and |
show how, under the influence of the
money trust, one of the money metals |
of the constitution has been discarded |
for no other reason than that it served i
The special interests of the Shylocks Of
Wall street and London. though it |
Ia,h inc t<, tho ydon1o ot 10 rpo |