The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-15
YOUNG MEDILL" BEST aBoY
COIN"
young
omissions Supplied and Corrections
Made in Their Reported Dialogue.

AO4h the Nulcago Tribune.
On the ninth page OF the report of the
proceedings in Coins school it is saii
Young Medin' took part in dialogue in
the Art Institute on the Lake Front with
Coin. and the former is represented as saw
ing that his father claimed that prior 10
1913 there never had been but eight million
lsiandard) dollars of silver coined" Then
according 10 the report, Coin answered 6v
stating that about 100 millions Of foreign
silver had found its way into this coun-
try prior to 1860. 1t was principally Span
ish, Mexican. and Canadian coin. II had
all been made legal tender in the United
states by act of congress. Congress passed
laws making all foreign silver coins legal
tender in this country" Then, to prove
his statement. Coin went on to read from
the statutes:
Be it further enacted. That from and
after the passage of this act the following
foreign silver coins shall pass current
within the United States, and be raceiva-
Die by trade for the payment of all debts
and demands at the rates follOWing-tbat
Is to say; The Spanish pillar dollar and the
dollars of Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia" etc
Then, according to the report in the
comic picture book; Young Medill turned
red in the face and hung his head"
This account Of what took place was
written by a man named Harvey from
Montana, who was not only poor repor-
ter but who was resolved that his cub Coin
should have the best of the argument in
the book. whether he actually got the
best of IL or not. Some of the errors in his
report may be pointed out and some of
its omissions supplied. as follows:
In the first place Young Medill' was
not the son, but a grandson of the editor,
and was younger than Coin, but with
more general correct information. In the
second place he did not get confused when
Coin had made his little statement and
read his extract from the statutes. He
looked up brightly and said
Il remember reading that law. 1t is
the one passed In 1913. Now. Mr.. Coin,
read the rest of that section. Read the
words you skipped or slurred over with
an 'etcetera.
Very reluctantly Coin read:
"Of not less than S97-l,000 in fineness
and AS grains in weight at 100 cents each,
and the fve-franc pieces of France at
not less than 900-1, 900 in fineness and 3S4
grains in weight at SO cents each"
why did you omit that part of the
section in the first placer" asked Young
Medill WAS It to make these people
who are here believe that all the foreign
silver which was in this country prior to
1860 was made legal tender instead or
only few specified coins?"
1t was Coin that turned red in the face
and hung his head.
you Just said that there was Canadian
silver in this country prior to 1860, and that
It. had been made legal tender and you
read this law of 1S43 to prove II. Show
me law which ever made Canadian sill
yer legal tender in this country"
Coin was mum.
this country prior to 1860 Spanish or Span
fsh-American half-dollars or quarter-dol-
lars, or shillings or English shillings,
or French francs? Was any foreign coin
less than a dollar ever made legal ten
der? Hold up your head, Coin, and an
swer me that question"
Said Coin: Most of the foreign silver
was what you state. and l admit that it
never was made legal tender"
THAT is not ALL" said Young Medill.
Were there not other large foreign coins
in this country prior to 1860 besides the
Sphnish and Spanish American dollar
There may have been" said Coin.
Were not there German thalers, and
scandinavian rix dollars, and Austrian
Il have heard of them" said Coin.
"Thsy were not legal tenders by law,
were they?"
mo"
Now l want to ask you if they did not
circulate the same as the foreign coins,
which were made legal tenders? Were not
they used to pay debts with and buy goods
WITH"
II don't know. Perhaps they did"
ION what basis did they circulate-was
it not on their bullion value bass?''
What do you mean?' asked Coin.
81 mean this: The law of 1873 said GER
tain coins which had loo cents worth of
silver in them should pass for dollar and
others which had SO cents worth of silver
in them-French 5-franc pieces-should
pass for SO cents. Now, then, were the
German thalers, millions of them, which
had 70 cents worth OF silver in them,
passed for Is cents, and they were not legal
tenders in this country? Then the govern
ment's way of dealing with foreign silver
was just the same as the peoples way.
Each appraised such coin according to its
silver bullion value in gold. DO you deny
that?'
Coin got redder in the face and hung his
head lower than before
Now the fact is. said Young NIedill
in conclusion. that the foreign, silver
which was made legal tender would have
passed current just as well for all 1t was
worth without law of congress as with
It for all what it was worth in gold In
stead of the legal tender quality giving
value to foreign silver coins it had no eff
feet whatever on their purchasing power.
And yet you say" observed Young Medill.
that the country was on a silver basis
then, and that the value of those foreign
coins which circulated in this country de-
pended on their being made legal tenders
by act of our congress"
All this was omitted by Reporter Har-
vey. Why he left II out any intelligent
reader can see. 1t was because his flnan-
cial boy, Coin, was cornered and caught
out.
HE DECEIVED THE PEOPLE.