Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-03-27
TREATED ALIKE.
Secretary Carlisle Defends His
Policy Concerning Silver.
Gays That in No Instance Has Dis
elimination Been Made-Use
of Silver Encouraged.

Washington, March 17.-In response
to letter from Representative Patter-
son CTenn.) asking Secretary Carlisle
to state fully how he has dealt with sill
YER currency during his incumbency OF
the treasury portfolio, and whether he
has, in dealing with the subject, dis
credited silver. the secretary says:
'In the operations of the treasury de-
partment during my administration of It's
affairs, the legal tender gold and silver
coins of the United States have been
treated precisely alike, except that great
efforts have been made to keep silver coins
in circulation rather than have been made
10 keep gold coins in circulation. Tho
amount paid out by the department In
silver coins and silver certificates greatly
exceeds the amount paid out in gold coins
and gold certificates, and in no instance
has the least discrimination been made
against silver or its paper representative.
No Discrimination.
In no instance has silver or silver GER
tincates been refused in payment Of a
debt or demand on the government, and In
no instance has the government refused to
pay silver coins or silver certificates in the
discharge of It's obligations when the hold
sers of the obligations demanded or re-
QueSted such payment. When United
States notes or treasury notes are pre-
scented for redemption, gold is paid If 1t Is
demanded, and if silver is demanded, sill
yer is paid. Thus the coins of the two
metals are treated exactly alike In max,
ing payments by the government as well
as in the discharge of debts due to the
government
Ise of Silver Encouraged.
1T has always been the policy Of the
treasury department. to encourage the use
of silver to the largest possible extent, and
n, Nr1n tn n or n ri IL
Yer dollars will be sent by express at the
expense OF the government to anyone who
will deposit an equivalent amount Of silver
certificates or treasury notes of 1880 with
the United States treasurer or any as
sistant treasurer, or with national bank
depository, and subsidiary silver coins will
be sent by express at the expense of the
government to anyone who will deposit
with such officers or banks any kind of
United States currency or national bank
notes; but gold is not sent to anybody free
Of charge.
"In August, 1898. there was a great ard
unusual demand in nearly every part of the
country for currency of small denomina-
lions and in its attempts to supply the de-
mand the treasury department paid out IN
defraying the expenses of the government
and in exchange for other forms Of cur
rency all the silver that could be lawfully
used for these purposes, so that for short
period It was compelled to suspend pay
ment in standard silver dollars, except in
the redemption of silver certificates and
treasury notes OF 1890.
Restricted by Law.
1.-THE law authorizing the issue of sill
yer certificates upon deposits of silver,
provides that the coin deposited for or
representing the certificates shall be re-
tained in the treasury for the payment
OF the same on demand 1t is therefore
plain that whenever the amount Of silver
dollars in the treasury does not exceed the
amount of silver certificates outstanding.
the secretary cannot, without violation
of law, pay out such silver except for the
redemption of certificates. AT such times
he has no more right to exchange silver
dollars for gold than he has to pay them
out in any other manner.
but there is also another fund in the
treasury which Is required by law to be
held for different purpose. 1t consists
of the bullion and the standard silver dol
lars coined from the bullion purchased
under tho act of July II, 1890 That act
provides for the purchase of silver bullion
at the market price and the issue of
treasury notes in payment for it, and 1t
also declares that no greater or less
amount of such notes shall be outstanding
at any time than the cost of the silver
bullion and the standard silver dollars
coined therefrom, then held in the treas
ury, purchased by such notes. Under this
in the treasury at all times an amount of
silver bullion, at its cost price, and in
standard silver dollars, coined from the
purchased bullion, exactly equal to the
amount of treasury notes outstanding, and
he cannot, therefore, lawfully use such
standard silver dollars except for the re-
demption and cancellation OF treasury
notes.
Exchange Never Refused.
During the month Of August, 1893, treas
ury notes to the amount of S1,273, 267 were
redeemed in silver and cancelled, and
since the LIST day of August. 1893, the total
and cancelled is S19,533. 1922 Prior to my
administration OF the affairs of the de-
partment, none of these notes had been
redeemed in silver or cancelled.
"Since the beginning of this administra-
ton. nearly $110,000,000 in gold has been
procured in exchange for other forms of
currency. OF this amount sS.915,S12 has
been procured in exchange for silver coin.
and sl0,329,330 in exchange for silver Ger
tificates. The department has never re-
fused to exchange silver for gold when it
that purpose, and If it had so refused, ]
am wholly unable to see how 1t could be
considered q discrimination against silver.
Is refusal to pay out gold In exchange
for silver q discrimination against gold ?
If not, 1t, of course. follows that refusal
to pay out silver for gold is not a discrim-
nation against silver
I'm response to your verbal inquiry con-
corning the coinage of standard silver dol
lars during the present administration,
you are advised that it amounts to the
month, while the whole amount of such
dollara coined in this country from the