The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-13

clause which might have opened the mint to
the coinage of silver had disappeared alto
gether, and no mention of this elimination ap-
peared in the debates reported by Hansard.
He simply says: '1n section IL, clause z, the
following words were inserted, making the
clause read as follows: TO regulate any mat
tiers relative to the coinage and mint "within
the province of the Crown" which are not pro-
vided for by this act "
On March II the bill was considered as
amended" (no discussion, and on March Ia it
passed its third reading without discussion.
There was another and very important
alteration made, one which destroyed the
power of the crown to make foreign coins legal
tender (this included the Indian rupee). But
for the present propose merely to deal with
the alterations which destroyed the royal pre-
rogatiye as to the silver coinage of Great
Britain.
When it was up for second reading, Mr..
Lowe said that with the exception of the econ
omy mentioned, the bill proposed no altera-
lions of the law, and seemingly as an apology
for its length added that tHer Majesty has
very large prerogatives in the matter of money
and If they were not recited in the bill it
might be supposed that we were anxious to i'm
pose limitations upon them. The Queen has
now, apprehend, by prerogatiye, a power to
introduce into any of her dominions any coin
she pleases although such power could only
be exercised by proclamation by the Privy
CouncilV
When it was up in committee March 10 Mr..
Lowe again said that the object of the bill was
not to alter but merely to perfect the law.
Yet, without discussion and without hesita-
ton, he accepted amendments which not only
| altered the law, but altered it fundamentally,
and opened the door to all those consequences
which have been alluded to elsewhere.
In the Lords, on second reading, March
Is, the Marquis of Lansdowne explained that
the bill made ''no innovation of any kind, no
new principle was introduced in the bill" etc.
Upon these assurances it was read and COM
mltted. When a motion was made on March
% to go into committee on this bill, Lord Kim
naird remarked that it had mot received due
consideration, for it passed through its various
| stages in the other House after midnight, and
amendments were introduced by members
who represented establishments interested in
the question. The noble Marquis had stated at
| the second reading that it contained no inno-
Walton and no new principle"
The Marquis of Lansdowne thereupon stated
that he had said: sit contained no important
innovation with the exception of the clause
| transferring the mastership of the mint
"But," replied Lord Kinnaird, az contend
| that it contains very important alterations
Yet, from beginning to end neither in the
| House of Commons, the House of Lords nor in
| the committees of either house was any init
nation made of any purpose to curtail the
| Queens prerogative of silver coinage, nor did
any discussion take place on the subject. Lord
| Kinnaird was the only person in either house
| who made more than trivial objections, and as
to his objections they were insufficient to stay
| the progress of the bill, which partly on this
| day and partly on March "a went through the
| lifeless ceremony of its passage through the
| Lords. When Lord Kinnaird uttered his last
protest he said he believed that "dust was still
thrown by certain parties into the eyes of the
| deputy master of the mint-not gold dust. for
this went into their pockets
| But as it is evident that he had not the faint
est suspicion of what really going on, it yet
remained to be seen into whose eyes the dust
| had gathered. On the following day March
| 25) the bill was read in the Lords a third time
| and passed without discussion. On April 4 it
| received the royal assent and thus became q
| law.
| Within fortnight after its enactment in
| England this mint bill, which it was alleged
| contained s'no innovation and no new prin-
ciples," was in the hands of the Comptroller of
the (paper) Currency at Washington, a young
man and a new man, entirely ignorant of
coinage, and one whose Office had no connec-
ton with coinage or the minis. There it be-
| came the basis of a bill which purperted, like
Its prototype, to be merely codifcation of the
existing laws relating to coinage, but which
also, like its prototype, fully curtailed and de-
stroyed the ancient prerogative of the State
with respect to the coinage and the making of
silver coin, National or foreign, legal tenders
| for the payment of debts Within the space
of q few years similar legislation was intro
duced and enacted in the principal States of
the Occident, and to-day all the nations of the
West and the people of Europe and America,
both born and unborn, are committed not
only to the payment of past obligations, but
| also to the conduct OF future transactions
| upon the basis of stock of gold coin which at
the present time does not exceed 9750, 00O, 900,
| and which is chiefly deposited in
| banking establishments liable to be controlled
| and, as many people suspect, actually subject
| to the control of q pri vate syndicate of Con-
| tinental financiers.
Gentlemen of the convention: You have now
heard the story of this sordid conspiracy. 1t
arose out of the issue of the $40 bonds and the
| decision of the French courts of cessation. 1t
| gave rise to the Latin Monetary Union. 1t pre-
| cip1tated the decentralization of silver in Ger
many and other States. 1t Surreptitiously al
! tered the British mint code and in similar
| manner and by similar means it scandalously
| altered the American mint code. 1t rewarded
| all those who promoted its objects. 1t merci-
| lessly attacked all who opposed them. 1t
| robbed this country of hundreds of millions
1t influenced its politics and it still influences
them. 1t had grown rich enough to lend $I5,-
| 100000 to the Bank of England, $50 600, 900
| to Italy and 5000, 100000 each to Austria and
! the United States. 1t controls our foreign ex-
| changes. 1t has plunged the commercial world
into long train of disasters and stands ready
| to repeat the achievement.
| Do we want any more of this? For one, say
no, decidedly no. Let us put an end to it. Let
| us restore the law, and if anything further is
needful, let that, too, be done.
| The address of Mr. Delmar held the close
attention of the great crowd during the
time of its delivery, and was frequently in
terrupted by applause. 1t was by this time
nearly 4:30 o'clock, but the crowd was
| hungry for more speeches and they called
the names of their favorites persistently.
After several attempts to secure an ad-
journment, during which considerable dis
order prevailed, the chairman declared the
body adjourned until evening without fur
ther formality.
INDEP EVIDENT ACTION URGED.
Con0ressns an Sfbtey Illustrates the Need
of R,e0Eiu0 4ca3 Eroxa Old P1rfies